White vinegar, also called crystal vinegar or alcohol vinegar, is a household product that can be found in all households. It acts as a degreaser, disinfectant, deodorizer and descaler, making it an ideal product for the bathroom. Here are our 10 tips for effectively cleaning your bathroom with white vinegar.
Clean the tiles without streaks
Tile is a particularly popular and widely used flooring in bathrooms because it is suitable for damp areas and is easy to clean. However, sometimes it gets dirty, especially at the joints. For cleaning, nothing better than brandy vinegar.
Fill a spray bottle half or two-thirds full of white vinegar and pour on hot or warm water. Add a tablespoon or two of baking soda, let the foam come down, stir vigorously and close the bottle. Then spray this mixture over the entire surface of the tiles, emphasizing the joints. Leave to act for fifteen minutes to half an hour before wiping, rubbing more or less depending on the degree of soiling of the tiles. Then iron with a dry cloth or mop to remove excess moisture. For heavily soiled grout, you can sprinkle in baking soda before applying the vinegar. If you leave it on long enough, you will only need to pass a cloth or sponge to get shiny grout.
Remove limescale and clean shower head
As explained above, white vinegar has a strong descaling power. Therefore, you can use it on all calcified areas of your bathroom, such as the shower head. All these elements tend to stain over time, and it is difficult to restore their original appearance.
To get rid of lime stains on the shower head and other surfaces, mix white vinegar in a plastic bag and wrap your shower head in it, securing it with a rubber band. Let it soak for about an hour before removing the bag and rinsing thoroughly with clean water. To descale other items like the shower column, sprinkle baking soda and spray white vinegar pure or diluted with water. Leave on for half an hour, then rub in vigorously and rinse.
Clean the sink
Despite daily care, the sink also tends to clog over time. Tartar builds up gradually on its surface, making it even dirtier. Therefore, it is important to offer it a more serious cleaning from time to time. To do this, prepare a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda , which you can dilute with a little water. Then dip a sponge in the mixture and scrub the sink. For an even more satisfying result, sprinkle baking soda directly over the entire surface of the sink and drizzle with vinegar. Let lather soak in, rub in if necessary, and rinse thoroughly.
Washing the bathtub
Like the sink, the bathtub can get dirty, its surface can become greasy, sticky or too slippery. Tartar can also accumulate on its surface and change its original shine. Here, too, vinegar is extremely effective. You can simply use it diluted in water and spray it on the bathtub before scrubbing. You can also mix it with baking soda and lemon juice or essential oil to scent your bathtub while you disinfect it.
Shine the faucets
Faucets, whether made of copper or other materials, are one of the most staining elements in the bathroom. It collects tartar, white spots and oily stains. To clean it, mix a few tablespoons of white vinegar with a quart of water and three teaspoons of baking soda. Dip a sponge in the solution and scrub the faucet until it becomes clean and shiny. You can also heat white vinegar in the microwave for 30 seconds and soak a cloth that you pass over the faucets while rubbing. The faucets will be clean and shiny as they were in their original condition.
Clean tile and shower grout
Bathrooms often have white trim, in tile or stoneware. Although aesthetically pleasing and hygienic, these coatings have the disadvantage of quickly staining and tarnishing grout lines. To clean them, fill a small container with brandy vinegar and a used toothbrush . Dip the toothbrush in the vinegar and scrub the joints. The latter will regain their whiteness in a few passes. You can also sprinkle the joints with baking soda before scrubbing with the toothbrush soaked in vinegar.
Cleaning and descaling toilets
The toilet is the most difficult part of the bathroom to clean. It has many hard-to-reach corners and not only scales very quickly, making it even dirtier. To get rid of the tartar that accumulates on your screens, alcohol vinegar can prove to be extremely effective. You can do this without too much hassle by pouring two large glasses of white vinegar directly into the toilet before bed and letting it sit overnight. When you flush the next day, you will find that all the deposits have been dissolved by the white vinegar.
If the limescale remains and the vinegar was not enough to remove it overnight, you can repeat the process and this time cover the entire inside surface of the bowl with baking soda powder. Then spray white vinegar over the entire surface. The foam that forms will remove tartar even more effectively. Leave overnight and scrub the next day with a stiff-bristled brush before rinsing or flushing. The result is always stunning, with perfectly clean and shiny toilets. Another advantage of alcohol vinegar is that it eliminates bad odors in the toilet effectively and permanently, so do not hesitate to spray it in the bowl from time to time.
Remove fingerprints and shine mirrors
Mirrors are the big puzzle in our bathrooms. They are often foggy, dull and covered with fingerprints, splashes of toothpaste, soap and other cosmetics. To effectively clean all your mirrors, use alcohol vinegar instead of window cleaner . To do this, fill a spray bottle halfway with alcohol vinegar and fill with clear water, preferably hot or lukewarm. Stir gently and spray the solution over the entire surface. Then run a clean, dry cloth over the entire surface, making concentric motions from the outside to the inside of the mirror. To complete the cleaning, you can iron the mirror with newspaper or a microfiber cloth to dry it.
Eliminate streaks on the windows
For mirrors, alcohol vinegar is very effective in removing marks on the windows. To do this, proceed as described above for mirrors. Depending on how dirty your windows are, you can use a more or less concentrated mixture of water and vinegar. Spray the solution on and wipe with a clean cloth. You can also use a window squeegee to finish the cleaning and get an even cleaner result.
Clean and maintain drains
You may have unprotected drains in your bathroom. These are real dust traps and sometimes serve as nesting places for spiders and other insects. Start by removing the dust by vacuuming or wiping with a clean, dry cloth. Then dip a sponge into a bucket filled with a mixture of water and vinegar in equal parts and wipe down the drains.
Alcohol vinegar is also effective in removing bad odors that rise from your pipes. You can do this by pouring a quart of vinegar water that has been heated in the microwave for 30 seconds. Do this preferably before going to bed so that it can work overnight. The next day you just need to run the water a little to find clean and healthy pipes.
