bathroom cleaner

[wabi-sabi]

Hi Everybody,

I'm wondering what cleaning products you use (when you have the energy to clean). My bathroom is somewhat elderly with grout between tiles in the shower. This is getting mildewed, of course. What do you use on this that can be poisonous to the mildew, but not poisonous to ourselves?

 

[ljimbo423]

I don't know the answer to this but I'm interested.

I clean most of my shower with a sponge and scrubby pad but the shower floor doesn't come clean with that and I don't want to use any heavy duty chemicals to clean it. Vinegar and baking soda don't touch it.

 

[Strawberry]

For non MCAS reacting I always go for the baking soda, but that takes lots of energy to scrub. For mildew I would open the windows and spray bleach or Tilex then shut the bathroom door (and pray I don't react). Most of the time you can eliminate it with little to no scrubbing, but it takes for EVER to get the bathroom safe again.

Another high energy - but good for MCAS- option is Magic Erase.

Low energy usually wins in my house when it gets bad. AKA, grab the Tilex bottle and run. (ok lets be real. Waddle, not run.)

 

[wabi-sabi]

My bathroom has no ventilation, so I don't want to try the spray and run method. Small apartment, no where to run!

I've thought about baking soda, but the amount of energy on scrubbing-yikes!

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I've thought about baking soda, but the amount of energy on scrubbing-yikes!

I was the indentured servant child, who had to scrub the grout with toothbrush (and Babo).

 

[Strawberry]

My bathroom has no ventilation, so I don't want to try the spray and run method. Small apartment, no where to run!

I've thought about baking soda, but the amount of energy on scrubbing-yikes!

Could you hire someone for 30 minutes? Instead of completely wearing yourself out? (or gassing yourself sick)

 

[kangaSue]

Haven't tried it but here's a 3 step process combining all the usual natural suspects.
https://rootandrevel.com/diy-mold-remover-how-to-get-rid-of-mold-naturally-without-bleach/

Alternatively, try making a vodka spray and if that doesn't work, you can drown your sorrows with the leftovers.
https://www.organicauthority.com/live-grow/5-ways-to-clean-your-home-with-yes-vodka
https://www.thespruce.com/diy-disinfecting-vodka-spray-cleaner-4138121

 

[Heartl]

It is so hard for me to clean like I used to. For the bathrooms I use Dawn dish soap and mix it with white vinegar, it does a pretty good job. I leave on for a couple of minutes before I rinse. After anyone uses the shower I spray the grout on floor and corners with hydrogen peroxide and leave the shower door open to air it out. Works well. I used to do this once a week now struggle to do once a month.

 

[Judee]

I use to use a fragrance-free oxygen-type powder mixed with a fragrance-free liquid hand dish detergent like Seventh Generation. Dump about 1/2 cup of the powder into a bucket, pour about 2 tablespoons dish detergent over it to make a paste and then scrub the mixture into the grout with a wet scotchbright pad. Rinse everything when done. (I should say wear gloves because the oxygen powder is a very strong hydrogen peroxide powder and will affect your hands.)

It takes a lot of elbow grease though so I haven't been able to do it for a while. You could probably just rub it on and let it soak for a while before rinsing it off.

It does deodorize wonderfully. Once when my mom was still working and I had done this in the bathroom, she walked through the backdoor and the first thing she said was, "The house smells so clean." If I remember correctly, the bathroom on the other side of the house from where she was standing, was the only room I had managed to clean that day so it affected the smell in the whole house.

We buy our oxycleaner in bulk on ebay once a year at the cheapest price we can find it but I think some of the dollar stores also sell a fragrance free type cheaply. I would check with the company about a current product ingredient list. Look for one with just "sodium percarbonate" if you do.

I suppose you could use plain hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap to do something similar but drugstore peroxide has undisclosed stabilizers which I'm iffy about: http://h2o2uses.com/hydrogen-peroxide-grades-and-stabilizers. Plus, with my MCS (multiple chemical sensitivies), I can smell them and don't like that smell.

 

[Plum]

I use Ecover limescale remover on most of the bathroom. I wear gloves as my skin doesn't like it. But it works well with little effort, on dirt. It has a smell but it's not of fragrance and dissipates fairly quickly.

Mould and mildew get bleach and a floor scrubbing brush. I use 1 of the foaming bleach cleaners so it sticks on for a while. I have to wear a mask. Open all the window near the bathroom. Then I go in with gloves and the scrubby brush. It's not much work if you keep on top of it. If it was a big issue I'd do 1 tile at a time til I was on top of it.

 

[Rebeccare]

It is so hard for me to clean like I used to. For the bathrooms I use Dawn dish soap and mix it with white vinegar, it does a pretty good job. I leave on for a couple of minutes before I rinse.

Me, too! It can smell pretty bad, but that's mainly the vinegar-y smell.

I use to use a fragrance-free oxygen-type powder mixed with a fragrance-free liquid hand dish detergent like Seventh Generation. Dump about 1/2 cup of the powder into a bucket, pour about 2 tablespoons dish detergent over it to make a paste and then scrub the mixture into the grout with a wet scotchbright pad. Rinse everything when done. (I should say wear gloves because the oxygen powder is a very strong hydrogen peroxide powder and will affect your hands.)

Ooooooh! I'd like to try this! Back when I had a bathtub I'd often use a mixture of water an oxiclean, and it was an awesome cleaner.

For moldy grout, I've used this product before (https://www.amazon.com/Skylarlife-Remover-Cleaner-Sealant-Showers/dp/B076KS1VYQ/). It has a slight bleach-y smell (not overwhelming at all), and it has to stay on for several hours, but it is pretty darn effective. I imagine that some people would not react well to it. The ingredients are sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, non-ionic surfectants, distillation point

 

[Strawberry]

Alternatively, try making a vodka spray and if that doesn't work, you can drown your sorrows with the leftovers.

AHHAHAHAHA! (too bad most vodka is wheat based)

I will have to remember the oxiclean. I have some in the laundry room

 

[soulflower]

I also use the vinegar/ baking soda BUT I also have a grout brush tool that can fit on a dremel or drill because I just can't scrub like I used to. Pair of noise cancelling headphones might be required as both the drill and dremel are annoying sounds to me.

Also - for those interested - plenty of vodkas on the market now that are certified wheat free. Grape or potato vodkas.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Chemical sensititvity moments get so intense around here...that I could no longer handle the vinegar. I can't even smell that.

Baking soda, a bit of Meyer's soap...thats about it for tolerating the smell of anything.

CLR is an interesting product that can get off hard water stains....(with elbow grease)...yet oddly does not smell particularly badly..(wear gloves).

There is this stuff called Fabric-cut- its used for sanding. Its the thing to try to physically scrub hard water stains...on porceline. (disclaimer, Have not been scrubbing deposits recently).