How to Clean a Shower

A clean shower is the joy of any homeowner. No one likes taking showers in a dirty bathroom. For this reason, it is important to have the necessary cleaning skills that will leave your shower sparkling and smelling fresh. Cleaning the shower might not be the easiest home chore to do but having the right skills will make it easier for you. Below are some easy tips on how to clean a shower:

Understand your shower

In order to do a great job when cleaning your shower, you will have to first understand it. Different kinds of showers will require different approaches to cleaning them. If your shower has a glass door, for instance, ensure to wipe it every time you take a shower. For the dried-in stains, a spray of 1/4 cup mixture of vinegar and 3/4 of water will do the trick. After spraying, use a microfibre cloth to wipe it off.

There are two main types of showers that you need to be aware of:

Bathtub/shower combos:These are the most popular; they combine both the shower and the tub. For the showers, you will need soap scum and hard water stain removers and a microfiber. For the tub, you can use a soft brush to access the hard-to-reach corners.
Stand-alone showers: These ones can either be built into walls or in sectional units. Most of them make use of glass doors so you will need to use a soft but dry cloth to clean the doors. You may also need the hard water stain removers if there are dried-in stains. For the ones with sliding doors, ensure that there is no dirt in the sliding panel.

Cleaning the showerhead

Showerheads are some of the most easily forgotten areas when cleaning your shower. If left uncleaned, showerheads get clogged which affects the flow of water. To unclog them, mix one part of white vinegar with one part of the water in a sandwich bath and then fasten it on the showerhead using a rubber band. Ensure that the showerhead is completely submerged in the mixture. Leave it for 15 minutes, it will unclog all the soap and hard water in the shower holes. After the 15 minutes, spray the showerhead with a jet of clean water.

Unclog blocked drainages

If you have people with long hair using your bathroom there is a good chance of having blocked drainages in your shower. Blocked can act as breeding grounds for a number of harmful organisms like bacteria. To avoid this, install a hair catcher in the drainage pipes. This should be removed and cleaned on regular intervals of say, a week. Flushing the drainages with clean water after taking a shower will ensure that no deposition occurs in the drainage pipes.

Remove mildew

If you live in a tropical climate, there is a good chance of having a mildew buildup on the walls and the floor. If your shower walls and floors are made of ceramic or porcelain tiles, there is a high chance that you will encounter this problem more often. To deal with mildew, you will need to have a hard water stain remover, commercial mildew remover, and a hard brush. A mixture of two teaspoonfuls of baking soda and a quarter cup of vinegar can act as a good substitute for cleaning shower tiles.

Spray the mixture on the tiles and use the brush to scrub it off. Extra care should be taken when cleaning the floor tiles as the floors might become a bit slippery, so watch your step. It is also good to give extra attention to the corners in the showers as this is where most deposition occurs. Once you are done with the scrubbing, flush the floors and walls with clean water. At this point, the drainages should be clean to ensure that the water flows out.

The above are just a few tips that will help keep your bathroom sparkling. Regular cleaning, at least twice a week will make it easier to clean. In the event that you have a leaking showerhead or a tap, it is always good to get a plumber to have it fixed. Whenever possible, leave the windows of the shower open to allow air circulation and also to get rid of the moisture that might cause fungi formation on the shower ceiling.