I resent spending my weekends cleaning — it often feels like I’ve barely put away my vacuum before Sunday evening has arrived and I’ve had zero time to relax. I enjoy having a clean and tidy home; I hate the work it takes to get it there.
So, whenever I spot a cleaning hack promising to slash my chore time, I’m the first to try it out.
My biggest cleaning nightmare is tackling my bathroom, and a recent Tom’s Guide poll proves I’m far from alone. While 7% of you actually enjoy cleaning (you’re welcome at my house anytime), 43% voted the bathroom as the worst room to clean, leaving even the kitchen in the shadows.
If you haven’t already cast your vote, go ahead and complete the poll below.
Take the hard work out of cleaning a bathtub
The good news? I’ve discovered a cleaning hack that will cut your time scrubbing your bathtub. Here it is to help making cleaning the bathroom just that little bit easier for you!
I searched online for the best way to clean a bathtub using vinegar and dish soap — here’s the recipe I tried:
1. Take one cup of white vinegar and gently warm it in a microwave. But be warned, vinegar has a much stronger smell when it’s heated, so ensure you’re in a well-ventilated room.
2. Pour the warmed vinegar into a spray bottle.
3. Add one cup of dish soap, preferably Dawn, to the bottle. I’m in the U.K. and can’t get hold of Dawn dish soap, so I used my regular brand.
4. Gently mix the ingredients together.
5. Spray the solution onto your bathtub and relax for 15 minutes.
6. Using a cleaning pad and give your bathtub a good scrub. I instantly noticed how much smoother my bathtub felt, and I saw that the solution had lifted the grime.
7. Finish by rinsing your tub. I have a shower over my bath, so I used the shower hose to rinse off the solution.
If you’d prefer not to leave the solution to soak, you could add it to a dish-wand soap dispenser, such as this Scotch-Brite non-scratch version, which comes with 7 refill pads, for $11 at Amazon.
My biggest bathroom nightmares
Bathrooms present many challenges. Beyond the usual soap scum, the constant mix of heat and moisture makes it the ultimate breeding ground for stubborn grime — which is undoubtedly why it topped our list of the most hated rooms to clean.
For me, the biggest headaches are keeping my shower glass streak-free, battling limescale on my fittings (and inside my toilet), and constantly removing mold that’s crept into caulk. That's a lot of challenges in one room!
What makes cleaning your bathroom such a nightmare? Add a comment below and share your biggest struggle.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
