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Bobbie 
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Location: North Shore Auckland
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 Topic: Bathroom cleaning
Posted: 06 July 2009 at 4:36pm |
Ok this is a boring topic if ever there was one but I need some advice please.
The place we've moved into has a tiled shower and the LL has just had to regrout it after the last tenants cleaned it incorrectly so she has left us written instructions not to scrub the grout or use jif.
Fine except I don't actually know what to clean the tiles with and I need some recommendations of stuff to use that won't strip the grout.
I've already used exit mould on it once because it looked hideous as the old tenants obviously interpreted her instructions as 'don't clean at all' and the new grout was all mouldy. It does say on the bottle that it's fine for use on grout but I don't want to be using that every time.
Also we now have a plastic bath which I've never had before and the ceramic on the bench seems like it has a plastic finish too.
Finally soap scum on glass shower doors?
Any help and advice for any of these greatly appreciated 
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flakesitchyfeet
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Joined: 23 March 2008
Location: A cute wee place in the SI
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 4:39pm |
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When in doubt of suitable cleaning products, I've been told to use dish wash liquid and warm water :)
It saves on cleaning products bills!
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  http://eggsineachbasket.blogspot.com/
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hannibal
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 6:54pm |
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The expert in my house cleaning these has said Ajax Professional Mold Remover, hasn't removed it all but its done a really, really good job compared to how it used to look. On the door he used CRC glass cleaner. Probably would have hubby do it if your pregnant. Good luck.
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MrsH
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 6:58pm |
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White vinegar and baking soda?
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emz
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 6:59pm |
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baking soda paste.
You can use Jif on the glass doors and a scrubber to help, but if its been like that for a while usually they're a lost cause.
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sadie
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 7:02pm |
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Easy Off Bam is good for the soap scum, then just used a shower clean spray every day after you are finished showering to keep on top of it.
Can't help with the grout thing sorry, I've always just used Jif or a bathroom spray & wipe.
Agree that baking soda and vinegar would do a good job as well.
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Bobbie
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Location: North Shore Auckland
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 7:17pm |
Thanks guys,
I was toying with the idea of easy off bam for the toilet as well since the last tenants don't seem to have cleaned that much either  so I'll give it a shot on the glass. Also I'll look out for the CRC glass cleaner - I didn't even know there was such a thing.
Spray and walk away type shower cleaners are death to grout apparently (according to my LL) so I can't use that sadly.
I'll give the baking soda and vinegar/ baking soda paste another shot. Didn't work pre- exit mould but now the shower's reasonable it might have better luck 
ETA: Hannabil I  the idea of hubby doing it since I'm pregnant. Heehee good excuse!
Edited by Bobbie
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ellen
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 7:21pm |
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I would be careful using Easy Off Bam as I used it in my shower and it took the coat off the ceramic - not very happy about that!
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sadie
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 7:28pm |
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I only used it on the glass, not the actual shower wall itself. I think you can get special EOB for glass, but I cheated and just used the regular one - worked fine.
If the toilet is scungy, I would just take to it with a large pair of rubber gloves, a vast bottle of bleach, and a scrubbing brush. Actually, I would get my DH to take to it instead, definitely play the pregnancy card when all these chemicals are involved!
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cuppatea
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Posted: 06 July 2009 at 8:12pm |
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White vinegar full strength put in a spray bottle, spray it on the tiles and leave on for a while. I normally spray and then leave then spray again when I clean and i use an old tooth brush to get any bits that need a wee bit of a scrub as a tooth brush isn't too harsh and won't scrub the grout away.
With the other stuff the best commercial cleaner I have found has been greenworks (the bathroom one) or I use baking soda mixed with dishwashing liquid to scrub any soap scummy bits and then go over with 1/2 white vinegar 1/2 water to remove any of the baking soda/soap.
The best thing I have ever found to clean glass is once again white vinegar, I swear I was in shock at how good it cleans glass the first time a tried it and cleaned most of the windows in my house and I have a lot of windows..lol Any soap scummy bits just leave it on for a bit and it pretty much eats it away. When ours gets really bad I clean with vinegar and a cloth and then I spray again with vinegar and use a window squegy thingy to get a streak free finish.
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Turtle
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 12:21pm |
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I am a big cleaning nerd and we use a squeegy everytime after a shower. I know it doesn't quite help you to get the scum off, but will help in having less buildup.
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kiwisj
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 12:57pm |
Bobbie, your LL seems very informed on what NOT to use - perhaps they can tell you what you CAN use to clean the shower?? 
We had a LL tell us to use liquid soap not real soap once, coz you don't get as much soap scum apparently. Or I could just clean the shower regularly, I said to her!
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SJ
Callum - Dec 2008
Daniel - Oct 2010
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Bobbie
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 1:35pm |
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Yeah you would think so. She said there was specialist stuff you could get but didn't know what it was called or where to get it.
I think we'll give the vinegar/ baking soda etc. another shot and see if we can remove some of the soap scum that's on the tiles currently.
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Flutterby
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 3:02pm |
I love the Cinderella bathroom cleaner, smells great and is good for getting off soap scum, mould e.t.c and is safe to use. Oh and smells like coconut .
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Babe
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 3:06pm |
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Haha there was a page long discussion about bathrooms and grout-cleaning in the fantastic tips thread. It seems to be a common PITA bathroom issue.
Hydrogen peroxide cleans grout and helps it stay clean.
White vinegar will do a good job removing the soap scum and keeping it off but if you need to scrub it off first then a mixture of baking soda and salt with a splash of white vinegar or water work wonders (on bath rings too). Take a handful and just rub it over the surface then rinse.
Baking soda, washing soda and vinegar helps keep the toilet sparkling. Get in there and cover the bowl, let it soak then give it a scrub.
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Babe
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 3:23pm |
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Oh yeah coke cleans yucky toilets too...
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cuppatea
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 3:42pm |
Apparently in America cops carry around coke in their patrol cars to clean blood off the roads after accidents  Even knowing that I still drink it 
I bought some borax to clean the loo, I think that might just be the same as washing soda? It's basically a natural bleach, you can get it at bin inn.
This website is quite good at telling you what you can clean with what (is meant for a green approach, but it's also cheap and effective)
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html
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Babe
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 4:36pm |
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No borax is definitely not the same as washing soda. I posted a warning about it on the fantastic tips thread. Its boric acid and you need to take care. It can build up in your system and be dangerous. Washing soda is completely different.
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cuppatea
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Posted: 07 July 2009 at 6:10pm |
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Ah ok, I've only used the borax down the bog so far and the bag had a load of warnings on it about wearing gloves etc, so I treated it the same as bleach. Probably won't use anywhere else now if it's that dangerous, I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to handling chemicals.
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Harry228270
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Posted: 02 March 2018 at 5:50pm |
Hi There, A mix of bleach and any soap base chemical e.g. floor cleaner or dishwasher is a good combination to clean the tiles and grout. For shower doors, it takes a lot of elbow grease. You can use any creame scourer and use hard scrubbing pad. Watermarks will disappear but you might need to apply and scrub 2-3 times. If you have one of those car polishing machines, it will make the job lot easier. thanks
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Bathroom cleaning
