How to keep your new bathroom looking “new”. Caring for your tiles, P.C. Items and accessories in your newly renovated bathroom.
Stunning freestanding bath with chrome floor mount bath filler, bath niche and shower recess with twin rainfall shower heads – bathroom renovation by Master Bathrooms & Kitchens
You’ve just had your bathroom renovation completed. Everything is bright and shiny, fresh and clean. Not a water spot to be found. The grout is bright and white. The mirrors gleam. The vanity, bath and tiles sparkle. Your newly remodeled bathroom is like a showroom and its almost a shame to use it.
You then spy that new deep bath we installed and the amazing new shower head that offers a massage after a long hard day. What is life if we cannot enjoy all we have worked for? Our aim is by sharing these tips, your new bathroom tiles and PC items will look just as bright and shiny in 10 years time as they do now.
There are certain products and cleaning tools that are a main staple in almost everyone’s cleaning product cupboard that should be avoided when cleaning your new bathroom, so as to not spoil those very expensive PC items and fittings you took great pains shopping for. Here are some tips:
Bleach and products containing ammonia – These type of products are not only hard on your hands and your lungs, they are also damaging to your newly purchased vanity, bath, toilet cistern and seat. Ammonia based products will take the shine away from these items. These products also damage your tap-ware, causing it corrode and “green” around the crevices between where the tap-ware meets your vanity bowl, bath and shower tiles. There are many store bought disinfectants that do not contain ammonia that do the job just as effectively.
Strongly bristled scrubbing brushes – We have all had an occasion when cleaning, that no matter what product we use, a little extra elbow grease it needed. This is quite a common occurrence in the shower recess. No matter how tempting this may be, try to avoid this if possible. Or use as soft as a bristle brush as you can and even then, only do this sporadically. Scrubbing the grout joins vigorously between tiles over time can wear and loosen the grout. Remember grout is porous and no matter how high quality the grout and no matter how talented the tiler, if you constantly scrub away week in week out, wearing away is inevitable. This wearing away can affect your waterproofing system causing leaks. Remember leaks cause damage. So avoid scrubbing over the grouted areas. Prevention is better than cure. Weekly cleaning the shower recess will help to avoid the need to scrub and will in addition avoid mould growth. Ensuring adequate ventilation during showers is key to avoiding mould. Be sure to leave the shower screen door open after to shower to allow the area to dry more effectively.
Shower Screens – Using a small window squeegee or a chamois on the shower glass after showering will avoid water spots staining your shower screen and the need for scrubbing.
Air flow – Creating good air flow within the bathroom can help avoid mould. Leaving a window cracked open, opening the blind during the day to allow light in and using your exhaust fan whilst showering and bathing will all help avoid mould.
Drain maintenance – Regularly cleaning drains, especially the shower drain is imperative. Have you ever noticed your shower pooling that little bit whilst showering or experienced a bad smell coming from your drains? These are both signs of a blocked drain. Cleaning the drains on a monthly basis is not only something that should be done for hygiene, it helps to keep your waterproofing system working the way it should. It’s amazing just how much hair and soap residue builds up in a short period of time. This build up creates a blockage that can cause the water to pool up inside the drain and seep under your waterproofing instead of draining off the waterproofing and straight down the drain as it should. This chore can vary depending on the amount of people using the shower, how often it is used and the length of hair of the people using the shower. Parents of daughters with long hair, I can sympathize with you. I’m always amazed at just how much hair has collected in our shower drains even having performed this chore regularly for years.
Abrasive cleansers – Avoid using abrasive cream cleansers on your baths, vanities and cisterns. These over time, will dull these surfaces and create scratches where bacteria can latch on to. Abrasive creams and products are perfect however, for that shower recess we mentioned earlier and done weekly avoids the need for bleach and mould removers.
Vinegar – Using a mixture of vinegar and water on all surfaces of the bathroom is a perfect way to keep vanities, baths and tiles clean and sparkling. Use a 50/50 vinegar and water solution, a squirt of dish soap for sudsy effect and a couple of drops of essential oil for a pleasant aroma (lavender is pleasant and has calming effects) however we will leave you to peruse the web for your favourite “DIY natural bathroom cleaner” if that is your preference, there are plenty out there. Whether you’re into natural cleaners or not, vinegar is the very product that tilers have used for years to effect the final clean in bathrooms and kitchens for that finished sparkle way before natural cleaners were chic. Vinegar is also recommended by many white good repairmen for the regular cleaning of the insides of washing machines and dishwashers. Vinegar is safe, effective and easy on the pocket too.
So there are our tips for keeping your new bathroom looking “new”.
Related Articles:
Create a Hygienic & Easy to Clean Bathroom
3 Steps to a Sparkling Clean Shower
Master Bathrooms & Kitchens have been renovating bathroom and kitchens in Castle Hill, Hornsby and surrounding areas since 1995. Be sure to peruse our website for more renovation inspiration and when considering your bathroom renovation or kitchen renovation call us on (02)9899 9330 and have Fred come out to discuss your ideas, measure, create a plan and build a bathroom or kitchen that will make you happy to be home.
Here is a video of just one of our beautiful bathroom and kitchen renovations.
