Do you struggle with soap scum in your bathroom? It’s a sad fact of housekeeping that even the most well-maintained bathroom surfaces can suffer in silence under the residue of your favorite soap. Here are three environmentally safe soap scum hacks that will make your bathroom shine.
Soap Scum 101
Soap scum happens when you mix soap with hard water. The minerals found in the hard water mix with the soap, causing a chemical reaction that results in soap scum. Any part of your bathroom that comes into contact with the soapy water can end up with a thick layer of scum.
What’s more, soap scum often plays host to nasty things like mold and mildew. The mold and mildew buildup turns the soap scum into a moldy mess and causes that dreaded bathroom smell that is so hard to eliminate no matter how hard you clean.
Three Soap Scum Hacks
The good news is that you don’t have to live with unsightly soap scum in your bathroom. People have battled soap deposits on such surfaces as
- tile
- tubs
- sinks
- glass shower doors for decades and all of that experience means that you can count on practical solutions. Read on for three of the best scum hacks to bring the shine back to your bathroom.
1. Baking Soda with White Vinegar
An earth-friendly approach to removing soap scum from glass shower doors is to mix one cup of baking soda with one-quarter cup of distilled white vinegar to make a thick paste. Once the gooey mix stops fizzing, use a microfiber cloth to spread it across the glass door. Return to the door after fifteen minutes and rinse the door.
2. Baking Soda and Dishwasher Soap
You can also use baking soda to take care of the soap scum on your tub and shower surfaces. Mix a cup of baking soda, a squirt of your favorite dishwashing liquid, and one or two cups of water to form a potent paste. Apply the batter-like paste to the soap scum with a soft bristle brush. Come back in fifteen minutes and rinse the area thoroughly. Dry the area with a soft towel.
3. Just Plain ‘Ol Vinegar
Vinegar is also a terrific scum remover. Mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water with a little bit of dishwashing liquid. Spray the vinegar solution onto the scummy surface and relax for fifteen minutes. Scrub the area with a soft bristle brush and rinse the solution and soap scum off with hot water.
Note: Not all surfaces respond well to vinegar cleansers. Read here to learn when you should avoid using vinegar.
Long-term Solutions for Soap Scum
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you didn’t have to work at removing soap scum in the first place? It’s possible to prevent scum from forming in your bathroom by
- Use a squeegee each time you shower
- Wipe down tile after taking a bath or shower
- Switch to a gel soap
- Add Epsom salt to bathwater
It takes a little planning to prevent soap scum, but the reward of a scum-free bathroom is well worth the preventative measures.
Lastly, don’t let soap scum take over your bathroom. Fight back with our three environmentally gentle soap scum hacks. Contact us at Love My Maids for more help in eliminating soap scum from your home. A good and thorough deep house cleaning will get your bathrooms back in order and sparkling clean.
