Dealing with bathroom scale, grime and drains

Not all grime is the same

To clean a bathroom well, first work out what you are dealing with. White crusty marks on taps and glass are minerals left behind as water dries, and they dissolve in acid. A grey film of soap and body oil is greasy, so a neutral or mildly alkaline cleaner works best. The slippery pink film around drains is a bacterial film that spreads in damp spots, and black dots in silicone joints are mold. Pick the wrong type and no amount of scrubbing will shift it.

• White marks: minerals, use acid
• Grey film: soap scum, neutral or mildly alkaline
• Pink film: bacteria, wipe often
• Black dots: mold, use a mold remover

Removing white scale

For white scale on taps, shower heads and glass screens, acidic solutions such as citric acid in water or vinegar work well. Soak a paper towel, stick it on, wait a while, then scrub with a soft brush and you will need much less effort. For a shower head, you can also fill a plastic bag with the acidic solution and tie it over the head. Natural stone such as marble can be damaged by acid, and plated fittings may discolour if soaked too long, so test on a hidden spot first.

• Stick on a paper towel soaked in citric acid or vinegar
• Wait, then scrub with a soft brush
• Test first on natural stone and plated parts
• Rinse with water and dry with a cloth afterwards

Pink slime and soap scum

Pink slime comes back quickly wherever moisture lingers. That is why it reappears in the same spot a few days after you clean it, and why frequent wiping and leaving no water behind matter more than strong chemicals. A neutral bathroom cleaner and a sponge are enough to remove it; wipe the places where water pools, such as under shampoo bottles, at the same time. Soap scum on the bath and walls comes off the same way, and the earlier you catch it, the easier it is.

Why you must not mix cleaners

The most dangerous mistake in bathroom cleaning is mixing products. Using chlorine-based cleaners such as mold removers or bleach together with acidic cleaners or vinegar can release toxic chlorine gas. If you need both on the same day, rinse thoroughly with water and ventilate after the first before using the second. In a small bathroom, work with the door and window open and the extractor fan on, wear rubber gloves, and rinse immediately with water if anything splashes into your eyes or onto your skin. If you feel dizzy or start coughing, get outside into fresh air at once, and seek medical advice if symptoms continue.

• Never mix chlorine-based and acidic cleaners
• When switching, rinse and ventilate in between
• Fan on, window open, rubber gloves on
• Get outside at once if dizzy or coughing

Blocked drains start with hair

The most common cause of a blocked bathroom drain is a clump of hair tangled with soap residue. If there is a strainer, clearing the hair after every shower, or at least every few days, is the most effective prevention. Once water starts draining slowly, lift out the strainer and pull out the clump caught below with tongs or a drain hook. If that does not work, use a drain cleaner exactly as the label says, or try clearing it with a rubber plunger.

• Clear hair from the strainer after showering
• If it slows, pull out the clump below
• Use drain cleaner in the amount and time stated
• Clear it with a rubber plunger

When the drain smells

Drain pipes are built so that a little water stays trapped in a bend, which stops sewer smells from rising. If a bathroom or floor drain that has not been used for a while starts to smell, that water may have dried out, so pour in plenty of water. Quite often the gunk stuck in the strainer and drain cover is the source of the smell itself, and taking them out and scrubbing them with a brush solves it. If the cover is missing or does not fit, smells come straight up, so check that too.

Drain care to avoid

Pouring boiling water straight into a drain can damage plastic pipes and joints, so use hot water instead. Baking soda and vinegar fizz impressively, but they have little power to dissolve a tightly tangled clump of hair, so keep your expectations modest. Pouring different drain cleaners one after another is dangerous. Pushing a wire hanger deep into the pipe can scratch it or push the clump further down, so if several methods have failed, call a professional.

Habits that keep grime away

In the end, scale and mold grow wherever water stays for a long time. After showering, squeegee the water off the walls, glass and floor, then leave the extractor fan running for a while or keep the door open to dry the room. Hang shampoo bottles and soap dishes on hooks or shelves rather than standing them on the floor, so the bottoms can dry. A light wipe about once a week is far easier than a hard scrub once a month. Mold that has soaked deep into silicone sometimes survives remover, and then it is better to have the silicone redone.

• Squeegee the water off after showering
• Run the fan longer or leave the door open
• Keep bottles on hooks or shelves, not the floor
• Give it a light wipe once a week