When we polled 5000 Good Housekeeping readers about their cleaning habits, it came through loud and clear that the bathroom is not only one of your home's most important rooms to keep clean, and but also one of the most difficult.Here's how to get more mileage out of your efforts and help this high-traffic room stay fresh longer.1. Stop moisture in its tracks.Nothing helps delay mildew stains like a dry shower. Hang a squeegee over the shower head and make it a rule that the last one to take a shower wipes down the walls, tub, and shower doors. A couple extra minutes of work can really minimize cleaning time in the long-run.You can also quickly zap moisture by opening a window and turning on the exhaust fan while showering. Leaving the door open, even a crack, helps it dissipate. And don't forget to stretch the shower curtain open when it dries, too.2. Coat shower walls and doors with a water repellent.We like EnduroShield or RainX. They help water, minerals, and soap scum bead up and run off, so there's less for you to scrub away.3.
Skip bar soap at the sink.Use a liquid soap with a pump or a even hands-free soap dispenser instead. Eliminating the grimy soap dish with help your sink and countertop stay cleaner.4. Create order in your cabinets.If you dedicate spots for cosmetics and hair tools in your medicine cabinet or vanity, they can be can be stashed away but remain within reach. A clutter-free counter instantly makes a bathroom look and feel cleaner.RELATED: Super-Smart Ways to Organize Under the Sink »5. Install ample towel bars.Towels will dry more quickly and your bathroom will look tidier, too, when you hang them across a bar. Consider an over-the-door towel bar or hooks.6. Reach for long-lasting cleaners.We like Mr. Clean Bath Cleaner with Shine Shield and Lysol's Click Gel Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaner. These formulas help sinks, tubs, and toilets resist stains for up to seven days.7. Stash a canister of disinfecting cleaning wipes under the sink.This way, you can quickly zap toothpaste splatters, water marks, and other messes when you see them, and they won't have a chance to dry and become tougher to remove.
We also like the new tap-and-clean products from Lysol or Clorox; they're great for spot-cleaning.8. Keep a stash of used dryer sheets nearby.You can use them to quickly and easily nab hair and dust bunnies from the floor without dragging out the vacuum cleaner, and delay a major clean sweep.9. Combat shower curtain buildup. Spritz the bottom of a vinyl shower curtain liner several times a month with a bleach-containing all-purpose cleaner to keep soap scum, water minerals, and mildew at bay. Just let the shower rinse it off (before you hop in) and you won't need to launder the curtain as often.Carolyn Forte is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Appliances and Cleaning Products Lab. TELL US: What's your trick to keeping your bathroom clean?More Cleaning Tips:• The Best Way to Sanitize Kitchen Sponges • The Fastest Way to Clean Your Bathroom • 9 Lies You Tell Yourself About Cleaning Pros and Cons of Frameless Shower DoorsWhy doesn't Angie's List rate attorneys?
Landscaping: What do your neighbors do that drives you crazy?How much does it cost to be a member here?How much does it typically cost to paint a 2100 square foot house on the exterior? That's very difficult to answer without seeing the house. As one poster said, the prep is the most important part. On newer homes that don't have a lot of peeling paint, the prep can be very minimal even as low as a couple or a few hundred dollars for the prep labor. On a 100 year old home with 12 coats of peeling paint on it, then the prep costs can be very high and can easily exceed 50% of the job's labor cost.A 2100 sq ft two story home could easily cost $1000 just for the labor to prep for the paint job. That number could climb too. Throw in lots of caullking or window glazing, and you could be talking a couple or a few hundred dollars more for labor. Painting that home with one coat of paint and a different color on the trim could run roughly $1000 or more just for labor. Add a second coat and that could cost close to another $1000 for labor.
For paint, you may need 20 gallons of paint. You can pay from $30-$70 for a gallon of good quality exterior paint. The manufacturer of the paint should be specified in any painting contract. Otherwise, the contractor could bid at a Sherwin-Williams $60 per gallon paint and then paint the house with $35 Valspar and pocket the difference. $25 dollars per gallon times 20 gallons? That's a pretty penny too. That was the long answer to your question. The short answer is $2000 to $4000 and up, depending upon the amount of prep, the number of coats, the amount of trim, and the paint used.“I have water spots all over my shower door.”Melanie O., via e-mailThe fix: Soak a few paper towels in distilled white vinegar, then lay them over the splotches in a single layer, says Melissa Homer, the chief cleaning officer for MaidPro, a nationwide housecleaning service. Let sit for 15 minutes, then remove the towels, rinse the area, and wipe dry. Spots are typically caused by mineral buildup from hard water;
), says Veronica Curti, the housekeeping manager at the Waldorf-Astoria in Naples, Florida. ) after every cleaning, says Christine Satterfield, the founder of the blog iDreamofClean.net. It’s designed to repel raindrops from windshields but works wonders on showers, too.How often should you? Here's how often you should be cleaning your shower — and the right way to do it No one likes to bathe in a tub that hasn’t been cleaned, yet how many of us hop in the same shower day after day without cleaning it at all? It’s time to tackle this chore like a pro. We asked cleaning coach Leslie Reichert and Glenn Angelora, owner of The Grout Guy in New York, for advice on keeping the shower squeaky clean. Both suggest that the shower needs a little daily TLC and a good cleaning once a week. Surprisingly, shower care is just as much about prevention as it is about cleaning. Read and watch on! Since a dark, damp environment is perfect for growing mold, mildew and germs, you can minimize shower funk by leaving the shower as dry as possible when you’re finished.
After every use, Reichert suggests taking the following steps: Squeegee the water off of walls, floor and door.Wipe these areas again with a towel to remove any leftover condensation.Leave a bathroom window open for an hour or run the vent fan for 20-30 minutes to reduce humidity.Leave the shower curtain or door ajar to allow humidity to disperse. RELATED: Yes, you do need to clean that: 27 items to scrub around the house Check out your bath products You may be adding to your shower’s problems without realizing it. Did you know opaque bar soap leaves behind soap scum? Make the switch to liquid body wash or shower gel and soap scum will be a thing of the past. Is the grout in your shower turning pink, green or some other unusual color? Check out your shampoo’s ingredient list. If it contains dyes, consider switching to one without added color. According to Angelora, the colors in these products can stain grout that is worn. Where you keep bath products in the shower is also a factor in the growth of slime and mildew.
Is your shampoo, conditioner and body scrub stored on the floor of the shower? This allows water to collect under them and form slime and mildew. It’s better to keep them on a shelf or a shower caddy that does not have a solid bottom. Even though you do your best to keep the shower dry, it’s inevitable that some moisture will remain. Left untouched, this moisture can form slime, mold and mildew that is not only unsightly and stinky, it’s downright unhealthy. To nip that problem in the bud, two to three times a week, spray the entire shower with a well-diluted shower cleaner or full-strength distilled white vinegar with a few drops of tea tree oil. Reichert suggests one drop of oil to every 2 ounces of vinegar. The vinegar combats scum and slime; the tea tree oil fights mildew and mold. Allow it to air dry. As always, follow the manufacturer’s directions for your particular surface. Do not use vinegar on travertine or stone. RELATED: 3 tips to organize the cabinet under the sink once and for all
Wipe down the shower door, floor and wall tiles with an eraser sponge, like Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, suggests Reichert. It’s free from harsh chemicals, so you can use it while you’re still in the shower.Clean grout every week, or as needed, depending on how many people are using the shower. For this job, Angelora suggests using a soft scrub brush, a mixture of one-part vinegar to two-parts water and “a little elbow grease.” Stay away from using harsh chemicals, especially bleach, on grout. Sure, these products give you fast results but they also strip away the built-in water repellent that’s in grout. With less "repellency," grout discolors and is susceptible to mildew. Seal grout once or twice a year, depending upon shower use. It’s easy to do, states Angelora, and it will give worn grout added protection against staining and mildew. You’ll find grout sealer at home stores.Remove soap scum build-up from shower doors. Apply a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Allow this mixture to work for 20 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of scum present.