One of the most despicable household activities is cleaning the bathrooms. Yet, it can’t be avoided and the bathroom has to be cleaned frequently, depending on the size of the family to maintain its cleanliness and hygiene.
The materials used for construction and décor of bathrooms are easy to clean and maintain. That’s one reason for using ceramic or porcelain tiles in the bathrooms. These materials are stain resistant and don’t encourage build up of scum and dirt.

To help its cleaning, every user in the family should rinse the tub or shower immediately after use. Develop the habit of just spraying the internal surface with water; apply a bit of soap in the tub with a moist sponge before finally rinsing it. This simple activity further reduces the chances of scum getting accumulated.

Tips for cleaning bathtubs

Different materials are used for making of bathtubs, though porcelain is traditionally associated for their making. Modern bathtubs are also made from fiberglass and acrylic, are lightweight and can resist stains and scratches. The trend these days is to use these materials and householders consider replacing the porcelain variety with such tubs.

Porcelain tubs can be cleaned using nonabrasive liquid or powder based cleansers with a damp sponge. Stubborn stains can be removed by using a synthetic scouring pad and subsequent rinsing.

Though fiberglass can resist scratches, one should be careful while scrubbing tubs made from this material. Commercial cleaning agents are available for cleaning such tubs or you may use any nonabrasive liquid cleaner with a moist sponge and finally rinse it with water.

While handling any of the chemicals used for cleaning application it is recommended to use rubber gloves as a protective measure. You may be required to use rust removers for removing rust or stains from the bathtubs. It’s imperative to use rubber gloves for stain removers have strong concentrated chemicals and acids.

And, don’t forget to get rid of hair from drain traps before cleaning bathtubs else the drain might get clogged. The rind formed on the tub can be removed using a nylon net ball or pad. Stubborn stains are conveniently removed by using peroxide of hydrogen or applying a thin layer of cream of tartar as per instructions of the manufacturer.

Another source of annoyance is the yellow discoloration of bathtubs. This may be removed by applying a solution of salt and turpentine followed by thorough rinsing. Again, do use your rubber gloves for the purpose.

Care of your shower stall

You can prevent formation of mildew on the shower stall by wiping its walls with a towel every time after you use it. It helps to keep the shower door open for a while for circulation of air that discourages formation of mildew.

You would have noticed that hard water gets deposited on the shower enclosures. You can remove these using a solution of vinegar and water. Get back the shine of glass doors of your shower using a sponge dipped in white vinegar. For loosening the scum in shower doors use a solution of one cup of water with a quart of warm water.

The easiest way to get rid of salts that get deposited in the shower heads is to remove them from the socket and keep them soaked in vinegar till the salts get dissolved and can easily be removed using an old toothbrush, while you may use an ice pick or thick wire for clearing the holes.

You’ll find these tips helpful in maintaining a clean bathroom with shinning glass and sparkling bathtub.

There is none denying that most of us like to enjoy our stay in the bathroom, though we may not afford that due lack of time and many like to indulge in long luxurious baths in the evenings after reaching back home at the end of a hard day at work. Time spent in the bathroom helps your nerves to calm down and water under high pressure rejuvenates the body and mind. The important consideration here is the pressure of water, which is usually insufficient and one is deprived of that pleasure of a long relaxed bath. But, that shouldn’t be a matter of concern with ways to increase the pressure. Here, let’s look into some of the ways to enhance water pressure in the bathroom to have added enjoyment while undergoing this daily ritual.

Raise the cold water storage

One way of doing it is to raise the level of water tank; the higher you go the more will be the pressure. This would involve construction of raised platform for housing your tank and extending the lengths of your existing water pipes to reach the raised tank. This method works out expensive and time consuming, being labor intensive.

Install a Shower Pump

A shower pump is driven electrically and increases the water pressure of shower stall.
Installation of pump delivers water at higher pressure and can be regulated to get a steady pressure and water flow into the shower. The specification or capacity of the pump that you need are decided by the already available pressure and the kind of water system you have at home, as there are different kinds of pumps available, depending upon the kind of water system you have.

These are the types of shower pumps that you can choose from for your bathroom.

Single Impeller

Such pumps have a single driving blade and are fixed between the mixer valve and the shower head. This kind of a pump proves useful if the water is not too low. This is a simple straightforward pump without any additional features or benefits.

Twin Impeller

This is the latest kind of shower pump. This comes with two valves, one each for controlling pressure of cold and hot water. If the pressure of water that you are getting is less than 0-5 bar, you will need this kind of a pump. These pumps can have additional features. Some have the facility of automatic regulation of water temperature and automatic shut down in case the pressure of either the hot or cold water gets too high to cause scalding.

Both of these pumps can have positive and negative head. Positive head comes into play if your cold water storage is above the shower level while the negative head is used if your cold water storage is below the shower level.

You should understand that any of the pumps can only be installed if your water system has a tank. Never install any pump if water supply to your home is coming straight from the mains. Further, the pump should not be installed directly on the broiler as it adds pressure to the broiler and may shorten its lifespan.

It should not be difficult to understand that installation of pump incurs additional expense by way of higher bills of power and water. However, the additional expense is worth if you like to have energizing showers that rejuvenate your body and mind.

Many of the modern shower pumps are designed to work like a thermostatic shower mixer, meaning they regulate the temperature of water coming out from the shower, thus there are no fears of getting scalded with hot water.

A refreshing shower at the beginning of the day is a great way for starting the day. The experience becomes all the more enjoyable by inclusion of specially designed bathroom accessories. There are many designs available and most remain affordable for most of the householders.

The heart is the head

Well, the most significant accessory for a good refreshing shower is of course the shower head. You get them in varying designs and capacities. It’s nice to learn that most of them are designed to remain environment friendly and help conserving water efficiently. For saving on your water and power bills, you necessarily need to install an efficient shower head. Modern shower heads are designed to aid conservation of utilities and make worthwhile investment and you recover your money in a matter of weeks. Of course, you still have the choice of those traditional showers for an invigorating shower. It’s good to opt for a shower that allows you to have some kind of a control on volume of incoming water, allowing the user to switch from moderate to heavy flow of water. Having rain shower head is real fun. These have a broader head and get installed at higher level and give the feel of being drenched in rain water. However, the pressure of falling water is low and slower. Another option is to have installed multiple shower heads at varying heights. Such an arrangement throws water at you from all the sides and really energizes the whole body.
Hand held shower heads with an attached hose prove to be very useful. These come in handy for rinsing of hair after having washed the same and may additionally be used for cleaning of shower walls. You can reach those otherwise difficult to approach areas.

Useful shower caddy or shelves

It’s quite usual for the bathing tubs to include arrangements along its rim for storing toiletries like soaps and gels, making it convenient for the bather in the tub, but while showering you need to include arrangements for storage of toiletries. You may consider having a shower caddy that generally gets fixed in a corner close to the shower. You get
such caddies with two to five shelves and hooks for hanging bath brush. The shelves may be installed at any convenient point.

Think safety in the shower

Safety in the bathroom can’t be overlooked. Some shower floors are made slip resistance by suitably treating them for increased friction. In the absence of such floor, incorporate
a safety mat or safety strips to prevent slipping on wet floor and avoiding accidents. The other safety accessories are safety rails and handles. Even if you have arrangements for non-slippery floor, having handles is very convenient and provides stability while getting in or out of the tub or while cleaning one foot and standing on the other.

Soap and brushes

Some of the other popular accessories that add to convenience and fun would include a bathing brush to scrub your back. Including a built-in soap, shampoo and shaving cream dispenser further adds to the convenience.