One thing we loathe to do is to scrub the bathtub (not that we adore cleaning the toilet but...). There's just something about leaning over and scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing and somehow always ending up very wet. So we figured out a way to spend a minimal amount of time cleaning it with great results...
We take a lot of baths. Like 5 times a week probably. So every time, or every other time, we take a bath we use the washcloth at the end of the bath to scrub down the sides (maybe with some body wash on it too for soap) and buff the chrome. Also, when possible we really try not to use oily soaks that are a total pain to remove from the porcelain. It never takes more than a minute or 2 to scrub down the sides and then one last sweep across when most of the water is out to make sure that everything is going down the drain. This way nothing builds up in the bathtub like that horrible ring around the top of the water and we save ourselves having to use harsh chemicals and tons of elbow grease. Do you have any tricks for maintenance?
[image Starck X Bathtub]
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Comments (26)
i use the same method! except i'm not the one taking baths, it's my 3 year old. before he gets in i squirt a bit of dr bronner's and scrub everything down, and after he gets out i do a quick rinse. then while i'm keeping an eye on him, i tackle the sink and floors also. great way to force myself to get the bathroom clean.
bon ami helps you get more mileage out of your scrubbing!
Ah, I see you found a photo of my bathroom!
i don't mean to be a environmental killjoy- but baths 5 times a week?! do you not have a shower? that's alot of water to use especially if your tub is a big as the one featured in the pic.
Don't fear wwoolsey, we've got the greatest tub known to man. It is very narrow so the water fills up very quickly, not sing half the amount of water a normal tub would take. We also have an on demand water heater so we aren't constantly having to have the gas heat up a new tank of water.
Actually, most people take showers that are long enough to have filled the tub 2.5 times.
wwoolsey: ease up. Baths are sooo relaxing.
yeah, i'm one of the ones who takes showers that long. it's my biggest non-green luxury/sin.
i clean my bathtub before a shower. i take a wet dobie sponge, cake it with baking soda, toss it into the bottom of the tub (which I have briefly rinsed to get it wet), and using my weight, scrub the sponge around the tub with the ball of my foot. the dobie is textured enough that it doesn't slide out from under me, and my natural weight gives a lot more oomph to each scrub than kneeling next to the tub and scrubbing with my arm. i don't get arm fatigue this way, and the shower i take directly after washes the baking soda away. my beat-up tub has never been so clean.
Mr Clean Magic Erasers work wonders...
Actually, most people take showers that are long enough to have filled the tub 2.5 times.
What are people doing in the shower? I always thought I took long showers and I could really only fill up half the tub, maybe three-quarters of the way if I had the water running while shaving my legs or something.
(I tested the Showers-take-less-water-than-baths theory when the whole water conservation thing came into vogue a few years ago.)
If that is the case, they should consider getting a showerhead that uses less water.
method le scrub! It works great! (and their Tile Tub cleaner, and the Ylang Ylang shower spray, and... I digress.) I swear I don't work for them, I'm just freakin' addicted. But really, they just released their new bathroom line, including the le scrub (which cleans with extremely fine marble particles, or some such) and it's been great to use so far! I recommend giving it a try!)
- Nate
method lust
one man's unsupressed lust for method home cleaning products
Mr. Clean sponge! 'nuf said.
When I scrub the tub, I do it after a shower, so it's already wet. I put super-conditioner in my hair, then scrub w/ ajax, than turn the shower on & rinse my hair & the tub.
The trick to minimizing tub rings is to not use soap but "detergent" like a liquid which is hydrophillic on one end of the molecule and hydrophobic on the other end. The end that loves water washes the stuff like oils from getting clean which are attracted to the other end. Then baking soda or Bon Ami will get rid of the rest. I've also used Dobie and the Mr Clean erasers, too, but you need them lots less if you use liquids rather than solid soap to bathe.
i'm with theora55. i finish my shower, every surface is wet, and i'm done what i needed to do. i shut off the water for a minute or so, scrub with some comet (or even w/o) and then hose it down. i have a hand held shower nozzle so its easy to just grab and run it right along the walls and shower curtain. i also use the foot method - putting the scrubber under my foot and rubbing the bottom of the tub and around the drain.
we talk about such interesting boring stuff here :)
Scrubbing Bubbles, once a week for a showers, twice a week for baths. Wipe down with a wet sponge. Easy, no problem.
Shower vs. Bath water usage: I love baths, I love water really, in all forms, so here's my strategy to minimize the guilt. 1) Turn on shower, very quick body wash and shampoo, allow soapy water to drain. 2) stop tub and leave shower running - condition, scrub, oil, shave, mask, soak, read, etc... let run until tub is full or I'm late for something. 3) let water drain, scrub sides of tub, rinse self and tub quickly with fresh water. Unless you let the bathtub overflow this uses one bathtub full of water plus a tiny bit more to rinse, and everyone/thing gets a clean. As often as I can... a few times a week makes a happy Pisces.
"Mr Clean Magic Erasers work wonders..."
Be careful where you use these, they are made with formaldehyde (that's why they work so well) which is a carcinogen.
It bothers me that the previous poster stated that Mr. Clean magic erasers have fomaldehyde in them, as they do not.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/eraser.asp
Look it up, that rumor was spread by people misreading labels.
I keep some sort of scrubby or steel wool in the shower along with some sort of cleaner in a pretty spray bottle and I do a once around when I am waiting for my conditioner to penetrate.
Shower or bath: which saves more water? It really varies from person to person. A lot! Time your next shower. Then stopper the tub and run the water for that long. I know that the experiment is itself a waste of water, but all least you will and see how much water your shower uses. Most people will be surprised.
Responsible shower users will install a shut off valve and stop the water except for when they are actually rinsing or wetting. Responsible bathers will only fill their tubs about 3-4 inches deep, which is more than sufficient for taking a bath.
Stay green, stay clean!
Oh guiltmaster, 3-4 inches does not a bath make. Best you save up those inches for one really good, infrequent soak, no? Good for the mind, good for the soul.
Also, here's a chart on water usage for those interested. So good to know that this many people are concerned and try to take care of our resources.
http://www.wssc.dst.md.us/service/WaterUsageChart.cfm
re: timing your shower and then refilling the tub...
what? why wouldn't you just plug the tub while you shower to see how much water you are using/wasting? then just rinse off your feet as you are stepping out.
I keep Mrs. Meyer's All purpose cleaner spray & a handled scrub brush in the shower- which I use to scrub the tile, bath & curtain down toward the end of my shower. But, every 2 weeks I still can't resist spraying the whole lot down with the chemically goodness of scrubbing bubbles.... It just keeps it all super clean. Hey, those talking bubbles sold me as a kid. GREAT idea about storing the bags at the bottom of the bin.
I LOVE the Swiffer wet jet for cleaning up the bathroom floor.
ok all you experts- what do you do about mold? No matter how much I clean (guess it needs to be more) there are black lines of mold in the seams of the molded tub/shower. I have two vertical and one horizontal seam (which is the worse) First I get this weird pink stain then the black. ugh