The bathroom is perhaps the most germ-ridden room in your home, but that doesn’t mean you have to use harsh chemicals to kill bacteria and viruses. If you’ve made it a priority to ensure your home remains chemical free, you can still have a spotless bathroom and a green environment.
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Soap Scum
Commercial products have made you believe the only way to get rid of soap scum is with abrasive cleaning products. However, some items you find in your kitchen are just as effective as store-bought concoctions. For minor soap scum, you can make a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to cut through thin layers of grime. Scum that’s harder to remove in the shower and tub can be cleaned with a thick paste of baking soda and water, or baking soda and vinegar. Make sure you scrub it vigorously.
The Porcelain Throne
Toilets don’t require bleach to be sparkling clean. To remove stains, you can simply mix 1/2 a cup of vinegar with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Just pour the mixture into the toilet and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before scrubbing with a clean brush. This only needs to be done once a week for a clean bowl.
Killing Mold
Major mold problems are best handled with bleach, but minor mold and mildew is easily tackled with vinegar. Spray the areas with vinegar and let it dry before spraying it again and wiping clean. The acidity of the vinegar loosens the mildew particles and eliminates bacteria, so if you’re constantly battling mildew in your shower, simply spray it down with a vinegar/water mixture after each use.
Unclogging Drains
One of the ugliest places in the bathroom is the drain, especially if the shower is being used by people with long hair. If you can’t bear the thought of pulling hair from the drain one more time or using toxic drain cleaners, you can clear your drain with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. If there’s any visible debris in the drain, you’ll have to pull it out, but once it’s relatively clear to the naked eye, pour 3/4 cup of dry baking soda down the drain and follow it up with a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let it sit for a half hour, then pour boiling water down the drain to completely clear any clogs.
A clean bathroom doesn’t require a host of dangerous chemicals. With products you can easily pick up at your local drugstore, your bathroom will be spotless with no dangerous fumes. Use a Discountrue coupon for added savings and you won’t be spending on harsh chemicals ever again!
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.
