How to prevent soap scum

There's nothing fun about spending a day scrubbing your shower, but there is a way to prevent soap scum. Here are some easy ways to stop soap scum stains from taking over your tub!

 

Clean it first
To maintain a clean shower and tub that's free of soap scum stains, start with a clean one! Scour the area with a cleanser appropriate for the surface of the shower or tub.

Make it slick
Once the surface is entirely clean and dry, use a rag to apply car wax to the shower or tub walls, which will make it harder for soap scum to stick to the surfaces.

Do it daily
Invest in a daily shower cleaner to stop soap scum from returning. If you have a glass shower door, keep a squeegee in your shower and simply squeegee the door after every shower. You can also keep a small stack of dry, clean rags by your shower to wipe the surfaces down after your shower. If you do this on a daily basis, you can avoid a major cleaning project that will take up half your day and prevent soap scum from getting out of control.

Remove tough scum
Give finished ceramic tiles the once over with a paint scraper for glass windors - really no more than a wide-edged razor blade with a handy grip. Be gentle, and double back with the scrubbing sponge to banish remaining deposits.


Change your soap
As its name suggests, soap scum is caused by bar soap (well, the paraffin in bar soap is actually the culprit, if you want to get technical). To really stop soap scum buildup, switch to synthetic soap, liquid soap, or gel body soap.


Do double duty
To prevent soap scum while you enjoy a nice hot soak, sprinkle some Epsom Salts into your bath. The soap residue from the bath will go right down the drain and won't get stuck on your tub.


If you have marble, Travertine, slate or granite tile:
Since natural stone tile is softer and more porous than finished ceramic tile, you'll need to use a gentle, non-acidic cleaner to tackle soap scum. Abrasive scouring pads will damage these surfaces, too. Use a regular, soft-sided kitchen sponge to remove soap-scum from delicate, natural-stone tile. Find Tile & Floorcare products at your local Builders Warehouse.

she knows - diylife

 

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