Easy fixes for tough bathroom cleaning issues

Cleaning your bathroom is a necessary evil. But if you use time-tested cleaners and cleaning methods, you won't need harsh chemical cleansers to keep sinks, tiles, and fixtures spotless.

The bathroom needs to be cleaned regularly, as lime and soap will leave their traces in the tub and in sinks. To keep your bathroom sparkling clean, try some of these surefire tricks:

• Clean your sinks daily with a mild bathroom cleaner, then rub them down with fabric softener — the water will run off easily, leaving no residue.
• Rub off stubborn dirt or lime residue with a lemon peel dipped in salt.
• Scrub bathtubs, sinks, and tiles with a paste of salt and turpentine to renew lustre.
• Wipe fibreglass tubs with a damp cloth and a little baking soda.
• More delicate acrylic tubs have a reputation for being hard to clean, but as long as you shine them up regularly, all you should need is a little dish soap and water.
• Make shower stalls crystal-clear with a dish soap solution and a soft cloth. Rub off minor soap scum buildup with vinegar, or treat serious buildup with a paste made from salt and vinegar, applied with a scrub brush in a circular motion. After you've finished cleaning, rinse and dry your shower stall. Use a squeegee daily to prevent lime spots. Rub off minor chalk streaks with vinegar.
• Apply a little petroleum jelly to the shower curtain rod to allow the curtain to slide on the rail more easily. Soak new or freshly-washed curtains in salt water to prevent mould growth. You can treat mould stains with vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda.

• Use a strainer to prevent hair from clogging your drain.
• Ensure pipes are clean by pouring boiling potato water down the drain.
• Sprinkle baking soda into the drain and rinse down with hot water to unclog pipes.
• Eliminate most unpleasant smells by sprinkling a little baking soda directly into the drain and letting it work on the odours overnight.

• De-lime the toilet bowl by placing a layer of toilet paper soaked in vinegar over the deposits and brushing them off the following morning.
• Avoid urine scale by putting a dash of vinegar in the bottom of the toilet bowl once a week and letting it work overnight.

This bathroom cleanser is good for the environment; it's easy on your nose, too.

You will need:

• 10 ml (2 tsp) dish soap
• 5 drops lemon oil
• 25 g (1 oz) citric acid
• about 250 ml (1 cup) water

1. Mix the dish soap and the lemon oil.
2. Stir the water and citric acid to produce a clear fluid.
3. Stir in the dish soap-lemon oil solution and store in a bottle for up to three months.