The easiest ways to keep your bath clean

Keeping your bath clean can be easy if you follow a few simple tips. Your bath can very easily build up a combination of germs, lime scale, soap residue, hair and skin if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. All baths have a shiny surface when new, but this surface can be very easily damaged over time if it is not maintained correctly. You can prevent your bath from encountering long term damage by regularly cleaning the bath with the correct products. However, you can very easily damage your bath if you use abrasive harsh products.

Often when you purchase a bath, the manufacturer may offer advice on what products you should and shouldn’t use on your bath when cleaning it. Products that could damage your bath may include;

• Scourers and abrasive cloths – these may scratch the glazed surface of your bath, leave marks and open up the surface to further damage.
• Undiluted bleach – Bleach is a strong chemical that when used neat could very easily damage the glazed surface of your bath over time. Using bleach products is okay but you should be diluting them with water before pouring them onto your baths surface.
• Sharp objects – Often people are tempted to use a sharp object such as a knife to remove the build up of lime scale and dirt that may have collected around the plug area of the bath. However, this can cause deep scratches and open up your baths surface to far worse damage.

There are various techniques and products you can use that should prevent you from having to use any of the above products. Below are some handy tips to help you make light work of cleaning your bath.

• Cleaning products – There are many bathroom cleaning products you can buy that should be ideal and safe for cleaning your bath. Try and use something that cleans but also combats mildew and lime scale and this should prevent you having to buy and use multiple products. Most all purpose bathroom cleaners are more than suitable.
• Application – Once you have chosen your bathroom cleaner, it is a good idea to apply the product to your bath and leave it for just a few minutes so it can get to work on dissolving that stubborn grime. This should make it easier for you to clean and you shouldn’t need to use an abrasive cloth or sponge to remove the grime.
• Stubborn Grime – If you have stubborn grime around your taps and plugs that doesn’t seem to be shifting with an ordinary cloth then there are a couple of options you can try. If you have a hand held steam cleaner then these can be great for removing this kind of grime. If you don’t then something simple like an old toothbrush can give you great results and shouldn’t damage the surface.
• Rinse – After each time you clean your bath, make sure you rinse all of the cleaning solution away thoroughly. Any remaining cleaner can damage your bath if it is left for long periods of time. Each time you use your bath or even shower if it is over your bath, try to ensure you rinse away any remaining hair or soap and this should help to prevent a large build up of grime.
• Drips – Always make sure that you don’t leave any taps or shower heads dripping into your bath. Constant dripping can and will cause staining on your bath if it is not rectified. Make sure your taps are completely turned off and if there is a leaky tap then get it repaired ASAP.