BATHROOM HINTS

+ To clear a sink blockage, sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda down the plughole, then follow it with some white vinegar so that it froths up. Leave for a minute then place the plunger over the plughole with the hot water tap running and suction firmly.

+ Save the plastic caps from 2 litre milk or juice bottles and press onto the bottom of a bar of soap. This will help to keep the soap dry by raising it up in the soap dish.

+ If they aren’t used often, cans of hairspray and shaving cream can leave rust marks on bathroom shelves and surfaces. To prevent this, when you buy a new can, turn it upside down and paint the bottom with a coat of clear nail polish.

+ After shaving, rinse the razor and shake it dry, then smear a coat of Vaseline across the blade. This prevents tiny particles of dust (invisible to the naked eye) from blunting the edge of the blade.

+ If you buy a shampoo that doesn’t agree with your hair, there’s no need to waste it. Pour it into a pump action bottle and use it as liquid soap for washing hands.

+ Cut up old stockings or tights into small squares and use instead of cotton wool to remove nail polish. When dipped in nail polish remover, it does a better job than cotton wool and doesn’t leave behind cotton fibres that can ruin the next coat.

+ To get a great deal more out of tubes of toiletries and expensive creams, just cut off the bottom end of the tube bit by bit as you use it. Seal the end with a peg to prevent it drying out. This is a money-saver for all sorts of tubes.

+ Buy a hat stand for extra hanging space instead of going to the expense of having wall fixtures installed. Keep it in a corner of the bathroom where the curved arms take up little space. Use it for towels, shower caps and bathrobes. A PVC hat stand is good in the bathroom as it won’t be affected by moisture.

MIRROR

+ To stop the bathroom mirror fogging up, rub it with a dry bar of soap. Alternatively, rub it with a mix of equal parts glycerine and methylated spirits, or wipe with silicone furniture polish. Polish off with a soft dry cloth.

+ To clean the bathroom mirror, screw up a sheet of newspaper into a ball and then damp with white vinegar.

+ Turpentine wiped over a mirror will keep it sparkling clean and spot free. Stubborn stains on a mirror need a mild borax solution.

+ To remove hairspray from bathroom mirrors, wipe with a cloth dabbed in neat methylated spirits.

+ To restore dull mirrors, save your tea leaves (just cut open the used teabag if you use them), pour boiling water over the top, leave a while, then strain off the liquid. Use this to dampen and wipe.

BATH

+ If your plughole clogs up and you don’t have a plunger, get a tennis ball and cut out a section that will firmly over the plughole. Push down on it with the palm of your hand 20–30 times. The suction will clear the blockage.

+ Save old nylon stockings and tights to use instead of cloths for cleaning baths and wash basins. They will remove dirt without harsh rubbing.

+ To easily clean low-set baths without taxing your back, leave a little water in the bottom of the bath and sprinkle cleaner over it. Scrub with a nylon broom.

+ For a mild abrasive to clean baths, sinks, toilet bowls and tiles, make a light paste of bicarbonate of soda and water. Shine with white vinegar.

+ Stains in the bath can be removed with a paste made of kerosene and bicarbonate of soda, or a paste of borax and lemon juice.

+ Remove rust stains in the bath by rubbing with a cloth dipped in white vinegar.

+ To remove unsightly lime scale around sink and bath taps, sprinkle with a little white vinegar, leave for a few minutes and rinse off with cold water.

+ If you are going away for an extended time and want to prevent stains forming under the taps of porcelain baths and basins, smear Vaseline on the porcelain.

TAPS

+ To remove rust from chrome taps, dip a wad of aluminium foil in water and rub vigorously. Rust and other marks will disappear. Chrome can also be polished with methylated spirits.

+ Wipe chrome taps with silicone furniture polish – water will then run off and not dry on the chrome.

+ Chrome fixtures will sparkle if you spray them lightly with a commercial window cleaner or white vinegar, then polish off with a soft dry cloth.

+ To clean chrome fixtures, make a solution of 1 teaspoon powdered water softener and 1 teaspoon washing detergent dissolved in 1 cup warm water. Wipe the marks off the chrome, then rinse and dry with a soft cloth.

+ Polish stainless steel sinks and fittings with a soft cloth moistened with kerosene, then a soft dry cloth.

TILES

+ Tiles in the shower recess can be easily and quickly cleaned by wiping with a steel wool pad dipped in white vinegar or methylated spirits.

+ Clean grouting between tiles with salt on an old toothbrush.

+ To remove mould from tiles, use a brush or scourer and scrub with bicarbonate of soda, methylated spirits, cloudy ammonia or Epsom salts.

RECIPE

Bathroom tile cleaner

+

Dissolve 12 drops eucalyptus oil in 2 teaspoons methylated spirits and add 2 litres tepid water (this helps dispel the oil). Keep in a spray bottle and use to wipe over ceramic tiles.

TOILET

+ If you drop something down the toilet, bend a wire coat hanger into a long hook and use it to remove the blockage.

+ To clean the toilet, pour in 1 cup white vinegar, leave for a couple of hours and then scrub well. Give the toilet a soapy scrub every couple of weeks and use the vinegar as a regular disinfectant.

+ For badly stained toilet bowls, make a thin paste of bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar and scrub well.

+ A few drops of lemon oil will make the toilet smell nice.

+ Tablets for cleaning dentures are also great for removing stubborn and unsightly scale and rust stains in the toilet bowl. Simply drop 2–3 tablets in the toilet and leave for a few hours. When you flush, the stains should vanish.

+ Alternatively, to remove rust stains from the toilet, pour in half a bottle of Coca Cola and leave overnight. In the morning, flush and the rust will all be gone.

SAFETY

+ If you’re a bit unsteady, living alone and nervous when taking a bath in case you slip or feel faint, then attach a long cord to the plug and the other end to the bath tap or an object that floats. This will help you pull out the plug and drain the water out of the bath quickly if you ever need to.

+ If you find it difficult to pull the plug out of the bath (this can become tricky if you have arthritic fingers), put the plug in the toe end of a knee-high stocking. The plug will still fit in the plughole but will no longer be slippery and hard to pull out.

+ Keep a small piece of shower mat (15 x 10cm will be enough) with your travel wash bag. You can use it in the shower recess when you’re travelling to prevents slips and falls.

SHOWER CURTAINS

+ To clean plastic shower curtains, scrub with white vinegar.

+ Every few months, take the curtain down and wash it in detergent and bleach. Test the bleach on a hidden piece of curtain first to ensure it won’t damage the material.

+ To slow down the mildew process on shower curtains, dip a cloth in a solution of supermarket chlorine bleach and rub down the inner side of the curtain every couple of weeks.

+ If a slimy soap residue builds up on shower curtains or mats, sprinkle with undiluted liquid bleach, leave for 15 minutes and then rinse off thoroughly with water.

+ If the rail for your shower curtain is a little too high, you can add length to your shower curtain by hanging it from two rows of curtain hooks.