What's your shower/tub cleaning routine?

[boogiemomz]

I was cleaning our bathroom/tub today and it had gotten a little grimy so it was tough to clean. I used some bon ami and it got rid of most of the soap scum but I had to apply some serious elbow grease. I have the Martha Stewart Homekeeping Handbook and it tells me that I have to wipe down and dry the walls of the shower/tub daily after each use (does ANYONE do this??? Please tell me!!), then do a weekly quick clean and a monthly deeper clean. I'm wondering if she's flipping kidding me. (Also, she recommended vinegar for soap scum but it didn't work nearly as well for me as the bon ami, which she recommends for the routine cleanings but not for soap scum). Anyway, I'm totally on board for regular, routine maintenance makes cleaning in general much easier (I do my daily Flylady swish and swipe of the toilets), but this tub routine just doesn't seem practical in my house. I told DH that we "should" be wiping down the walls of the shower every time we use it and he looked at me like I had three heads.

SO... is there a happy medium between daily wipe downs and an all out scrub fest battle with soap scum every three months ()? What do you do? Inspire me please.

[brittone2]

I squeegee after every shower. I started a few years back and it really does help. It was one of those things that once I formed the habit, it was easy to keep up. I take about 20 sec to do it while I'm dripping dry a bit.

For soap scum, I find baking soda plus castile soap works really well. A little elbow grease helps too If I have stubborn stuff to scrub off I usually use Bon Ami.

[boogiemomz]

What kind of squeegee do you use and Where do you hang/store it? We have two hooks just outside the shower where we hang our towels, but that's one reason I'm having trouble picturing actually doing this... I just don't know where I would keep it, how I would keep them clean, etc. How often do you wash the squeegee? Do you have several?

[brittone2]

I think I bought in the cleaning section of Target a few years ago? I just have one. It doesn't really "clean" the shower but it keeps us from getting so many water spots (harder water in my area). It has a hook on the end so it can hang.

[kijip]

I wipe down the tile and tub with my towel after I shower. Then the cleaner guy cleans the tub and tile every Monday. It is freaky clean now that the guy cleans it every week but it stayed pretty clean just with us drying it and cleaning e/o week or thereabouts.

[niccig]

The squeege/drying does help a lot. I need to start doing that again...but only I will do it...I can't see DH doing it if he showers after me. He will look at me like I have 2 heads. I've also got some method daily shower cleaner that your supposed to spray after every shower - again only I do it. I think doing that a couple times a week will help. And then do a longer clean every week or so (15 mins), with a deeper clean (30 mins) ever 4-6 weeks.

I use magic erase for stubborn stains on white grout and I do it while I shower every so often. I've found that and lemi-rinse is good for the doors - we have hard water so lots of spots.

I find that if I do a little often, it's not as much work as scrubbing for hours.

[lizzywednesday]

If you use the shower at my grandma's, you have to wipe down the walls. No joke. I've gotten in trouble for not doing it while visiting on occasion.

And, I have to say, the woman never had a mildew problem like they have at my dad's!

There's no squeegee, but she did keep an old, worn-out towel in the bathroom for that specific purpose.

[boltfam]

I also sqeege my shower every time I take a shower. It does seem to help a lot. I got my squeege at Lowes (under $5) and I just set it on the built-in seat in my tub. I should get something to hang it on, but it works fine where it is. As far as deep cleaning, I don't clean it nearly as often as I should.

[boogiemomz]

Thanks for all the replies! So, some people actually DO the daily wipe down. I'm honestly impressed, and motivated. (Thank you!!) I know DH will not do it, but I'll try and get in the habit at least when I shower. (Hilarious story about the grandmother's house!!) Our master bath shower is a garden tub with a curtain, and the biggest problem with soap scum is a ring around the bottom of the walls of the tub. I wiped it down this morning with a dry rag, though the water was still trickling out after I turned it off and splashing the walls some. I will look for a squeegie next time I am out. Thanks again for your input!