Treatment: Like solutions for other shower grimes, you can use vinegar to clean soap scum. Make your 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water and then add approximately one tablespoon of dish soap. Spray it on the scum and let it sit for 10 minutes. Scrub the areas with a sponge or brush, then rinse and dry thoroughly.
To remove grime from the shower floor, sprinkle the area with baking soda while it's still wet from the vinegar-dish soap solution. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then gently scrub with a soft-bristled brush.
Use a vinegar and baking soda paste to scrub.
If you want a little extra oomph (and don't we all?), make a vinegar and baking soda paste as you might have already for your shower and tub, and use a scrub brush, old toothbrush or rag to scrub your fixtures. They'll be gleaming by the time you're done.
If vinegar and dish soap don't remove all of the soap scum, you can make a paste of baking soda and vinegar to remove stubborn stains. Make a paste. Pour 1 cup of baking soda into a small plastic bowl and add enough distilled white vinegar to form a thick paste. The mixture will fizz.
All-purpose cleaner: Professional cleaners often use a high-quality all-purpose cleaner to clean the shower walls, tub, and fixtures. This cleaner can be used to remove soap scum, hard water stains, and other dirt and grime.
Apply a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Allow this mixture to work for 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of scum present. Scrub using a microfiber cloth. You can add a drop of dish detergent or a few drops of hydrogen peroxide for extra cleaning.
Most of these tips include the use of sodium carbonate, white vinegar or oxygen-based bleach (hydrogen peroxide, sodium percarbonate or sodium perborate as opposed to chlorine-based bleach). Oxygen-based solutions are indeed a safer alternative for indoor cleaning, are more eco-friendly and can be extremely effective.
Soap Scum. Soap scum is commonly a whitish color, but can also appear as an orange, yellow, or gray film in your shower area. This waxy film will continue to build up over time, and can harbor mold and mildew, so removing soap scum regularly will make it easier to manage and prevent additional issues.
First, pour a bunch of baking soda directly down the clogged drain, then follow it with some vinegar. You'll get a fun little volcano-like fizzing reaction as the baking soda and vinegar work to help dissolve hair, soap scum, and other gunk.
Do a quick spot-check for mildew. If you see any growing, treat it with a mixture of one part bleach, one part water. Spray the trouble area and let it sit for 15 minutes, then scrub clean with a soft bristled brush or old toothbrush. Rinse bleach away with hot water.
Calcified hard-water stains, or limescale, can be particularly stubborn. To effectively remove them, soak the affected area in white vinegar for 15-20 minutes, then scrub with a brush. Alternatively, apply baking soda paste.
Place the shower head in a bowl of warm distilled white vinegar. Make sure the shower head is completely submerged in the vinegar. Let it soak overnight. Use a needle or straightened paper clip to open any holes in the shower head that are still blocked by mineral deposits.
Use bleach to kill black mold. Bleach is a powerful disinfectant and will kill black mold on contact. To use bleach, mix one teaspoon of bleach per cup of water in a spray bottle and spritz the moldy area. Let the bleach solution sit for several minutes before scrubbing the area with a brush or sponge.
Mold is caused when a surface gets wet and doesn't dry for an extended period, whereas dirt is a natural substance that occurs when there's a build-up of grimy, unclean matter. The most recognizable difference between mold and dirt is the smell – mold is known for its distinct and pungent odor.
Pour 1 cup of white vinegar into the drain, followed by 2 tablespoons of baking soda. You will immediately begin to see and hear a chemical reaction. Pour an additional cup of white vinegar into the drain to intensify the reaction.
The fizzing reaction and gas created may help loosen some small blockages. However, it is not typically strong enough to break down larger clogs or remove hard-to-reach debris. As a result of the above facts, if you have a serious drain clog, using baking soda and vinegar is unlikely to be effective.
You can use baking soda to clean drains and deodorize them. Just pour a half cup of baking soda into the drain and follow it with two quarts of hot water. Baking soda is a great cleaning agent for cleaning sink drains, as well as shower and tub drains, and it'll absorb foul odors, too.
Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide
Create a paste that is one part hydrogen peroxide to two parts baking soda. Apply the paste to your shower walls and allow it to work its magic for at least 30 minutes. Now scrub with a sponge or nylon brush and rinse with warm water.
The white crust that builds up around showerheads and faucet spouts is hard water mineral deposits.
The black stuff that comes out of your drains is most likely a mixture of hair, soap scum, body oils, and other organic matter that has accumulated in your pipes over time.
Sprinkle baking soda on all tub surfaces. For extra-dirty tubs, use tub-and-tile cleaner instead. Fill your bucket with a half-gallon of hot water and two tablespoons of dish soap. Dip a scrub sponge or a stiff nylon brush into the bucket, and scrub all bathtub surfaces.
Steam Cleaning for a Sparkling Shower
High-temperature steam removes dirt and grime without harsh chemicals. Steam loosens dirt and soap scum, making it easy to wipe away without scrubbing. Once the dirt and soap scum are loosened, they can be rinsed away effortlessly, leaving your shower sparkling clean.
One of the primary reasons your bathroom might not look its cleanest is due to hard water stains. Hard water contains high levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can leave behind a residue that looks like soap scum or spots on faucets, tiles, and shower doors.