Did you know that regular tub bathing may cut the risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or stroke? In one study, folks who took hot baths every day had a 28% lower risk for CVD. The same habit seemed to help reduce their risk of stroke by 26%.
One reason is that soaking in a tub full of warm or hot water can help lower blood pressure. So, it’s no wonder that warm or hot baths feel so good; they can benefit your health, after all.
Cleaning a bathtub, however, is just as important, lest you want to bathe in water full of germs. Your naked eye may not be able to discern them, but infection-causing bacteria can cover your tub.
Don’t worry, though, as we’ll share the top bathtub cleaning tips and steps in this guide, so make sure you read on.
Don Cleaning Gear
Thousands of eye exposures and injuries from household cleaning products occur each year. From 2000 to 2016 alone, poison control centers in the US received 319,508 calls for such incidents. While not all lead to permanent eye damage, these cleaners can still irritate the eyes.
So, the first step to bathtub cleaning or any other deep cleaning task is to don protective gear. At the very least, wear a face mask, a pair of gloves, and, if you have some, safety glasses. These can help lower your odds of getting injured by cleaning solutions, even by the mild ones.
Remove Everything in and on the Tub
Once you have your PPE on, remove everything that’s not part of your tub, including bottles and toys. You’d want to clean these items, too, especially bath toys, which may be full of harmful bacteria. You can place them in a separate basin and let them soak in water mixed with detergent or vinegar.
Give the Tub an Initial Rinse
If you have an adjustable shower, turn it on to clear away loose debris in and on the tub. Alternatively, you can use a bidet if you have one. If you don’t have either, just fill a bucket with clean water and pour it all over the tub, including the rim.
You don’t want to skip this step as it allows you to spot damages that a cleaning solution can exacerbate.
For example, the folks at https://miltonsbathenamelrepair.co.uk/ say that a black spot in a steel tub can be a sign of a chip. The same goes for baths made of cast iron. Other signs to look for are cracks, crevices, dents, holes, and scratches.
If you see those, avoid using chemicals other than mild detergent to clean your tub until you get them fixed. Otherwise, acids and chemicals can seep into the damages and cause more corrosion.
Use a Natural Scrubber
If there’s one chemical you can use to clean surfaces with minor rust, it’s sodium bicarbonate. You likely already have this in your pantry, in the form of baking soda. However, if you’re going to use this to clean damaged spots of your tub, apply less pressure when doing so.
One reason sodium bicarbonate is great for deep cleaning a bathtub is that it’s a mild abrasive. Best of all, it’s tough on stains but gentle on most materials, including glass, rubber, and some metals. In fact, this chemical compound played a huge role in the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.
Moreover, baking soda is safe and non-toxic; it’s the same stuff used as a food riser, after all.
To make the most out of this natural scrubber, mix some baking soda with just enough water to turn it into a thick paste. You can then cover your entire tub, including the ledge, with this solution. Unless your tub’s faucets have gold plating, you can also smear them with the mixture.
Then, let the paste sit for about 15 minutes to give it enough time to work its way through dirt and grime. From there, use either a sponge, a piece of cloth, or a cleaning rug to scrub away. For more stubborn build-up, mold, or mildew, you can use an old toothbrush to lift the debris.
You can then rinse the entire tub with warm or hot water. This can help dissolve any remaining baking soda particles as the used water drains from the tub.
Make Your Tub Sparkle With Distilled Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar consists of about 5% acetic acid. It’s this ingredient that makes the stuff sour and acidic. What’s more, it’s this compound that makes vinegar a mild antibacterial.
Vinegar can break down minor crusty limescale deposits that form due to hard water. It can also kill certain molds, mildew, and fungi, including some of those you often find in baths. For the same reason, you can use it to clean your kitchen and many other surfaces at home.
However, make sure you don’t use pure distilled vinegar to clean surfaces. It’s best not to use colored vinegar, either, especially not on your tub, as it can cause staining.
To make your homemade white vinegar cleaner, start by mixing equal parts of the stuff with water. Then, place the mixture in a spray bottle. Spritz away and let the solution sit on your tub for about 10 minutes.
You can then scrub your tub with a sponge, cloth, or cleaning rug. Next, rinse away the mixture with warm water, and then polish your tub with a piece of dry cloth.
Enjoy Healthy, Safe Baths With These Tips for Cleaning a Bathtub
As you can see, cleaning a bathtub doesn’t even have to involve pricey, harmful chemicals. However, even if you only plan to use baking soda or vinegar, you should still wear face and hand protection. This way, you can avoid getting them into your eyes, nose, mouth, or wounds while you carry out your cleaning task.
Interested in even more home-related cleaning, improvement, or maintenance guides like this? Feel free to have a look at our most recent blog posts for other useful hacks, then!
Leave a Reply