If your shower screen is dull with streaky residue and your sinks are getting you down, it could be time to install a water softener system. It will completely transform the way you clean your home, and this, combined with our top tips on how to keep your bathroom shiny, will turn your limescale-laden bathroom into your favourite room.
Water softeners make chalky white surfaces a thing of the past, and they can extend the lifespan of your taps, showerheads, and metal fixtures and fittings by keeping them 100% limescale-free. You can install them in any home with ease, maintain them in just a few minutes each month, and spend more time soaking in the bath and less time scrubbing it.
Here are our tops tips on keeping your bathroom shiny:
1. Install A Water Softener System
If you live in a hard-water area (more than 60% of us do in the UK), your home will benefit from a water softener system. It removes the high concentrations of minerals calcium and magnesium from hard water to make it softer and more gentle on family homes, and this alone will make your bathroom shinier. Once installed, you only have to top it up with water softener salt to keep it running smoothly, and you’ll see a reduction of limescale almost immediately.
2. How To Get A Shiny Toilet
Many commercial cleaning products promise sparkling clean toilets, but most of them leave our loos looking dull, drab, and over-perfumed with chemical fragrance. One of the easiest ways to achieve a shiny toilet is with a homemade blend of white vinegar and baking soda, which not only lifts stains and unpleasant odours but removes any built-up limescale. Pour a cup of vinegar down the toilet, swish it around with your toilet brush, add a cup of baking soda to the mix, followed by another cup of vinegar and allow it to work its magic for 30-minutes (brushing regularly to remove stains) before flushing.
3. How To Clean Shower Doors & Screens
Shower screens and doors tend to get covered in limescale, and getting them shiny can be a real chore. You’ll see an instant improvement if you install a water softener, but you can get rid of built-up limescale and soap suds with ingredients you already have at home. Mix two cups of white vinegar with one cup of baking soda to create a paste. Once the fizzing has subsided, use a sponge to apply the paste to your shower screen or door and allow to it sit for 15-minutes. Using the sponge, gently remove your homemade solution, and thoroughly rinse with warm water. Finally, use a microfibre cloth to dry and reveal the shiniest shower screen you have ever seen.
4. How To Remove Limescale From Sinks & Baths
Limescale is the leading cause of dull sinks and bathtubs, but there are many ways you can remove it to restore a natural shine. You could buy a regular anti-limescale detergent, there are many options available, or you could use a home remedy such as white vinegar and baking soda or lemon juice and sea salt. Both formulas are highly effective at removing limescale, soap scum, and residue, and they’ll leave both your bathtub and sink shiny and spotlessly clean. Just mix to create a light paste, apply, let it work for 10-20 minutes, and rinse thoroughly with warm water.
5. How To Make Shower Heads Shine
If there is one area in the bathroom we tend to neglect, it is the showerhead, but it is perhaps the most important thing to keep limescale-free and hygienically clean. Showerheads can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, and once the holes become blocked, they are difficult to clean. For a shiny shower head, install a water softener to prevent the build-up of limescale, and clean it weekly (yes, weekly!) with white vinegar and a toothbrush. Rinse with warm water and repeat as necessary until it is sparkling clean.
6. How To Clean Taps & Plugholes
One of the easiest ways to descale taps and plugholes and make them shine is with bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. When combined, these natural ingredients are highly effective at removing limescale and soap residue, and they will restore your taps natural shine. Mix into a paste and apply with a sponge before rinsing with warm water. Take care when using this blend not to scratch enamel baths.
7. How To Clean Bathroom Tiles & Floors
If you live in a hard water home, chances are, your bathroom tiles have lost their shine. A water softener system will help remedy this, as will cleaning them with two homemade cleaning products. Firstly, make up a spray bottle of distilled white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and water, and spray onto your tiles. Use a sponge or damp cloth to remove all surface residue and rinse. Next, make a second solution of lemon and water, spritz onto your tiles, and wipe with a damp microfibre cloth. You’ll bathroom tiles will shine like never before.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive cleaning products to make your bathroom shine, and you may achieve better results with natural solutions that you already have at home. But of course, prevention is better than cure. A water softener system will prevent your bathroom from becoming dull in the first place, so why not install one today.
