If you take showers and baths as regularly as you should, you’ll probably encounter soap scum. It’s one of the biggest ironies that our cleaning and personal hygiene efforts should actually cause grungy residue to be left behind on our appliances.
The stubborn, scaly deposits build up when the fatty acids, talc, and other ingredients in washing soap react with the minerals in hard water. To make things even worse, soap scum also contains body oil, dirt, bits of dead skin, and bacteria. In short, it’s not a good idea to leave it sitting around for too long – especially as if soap scum is left to harden, it’s incredibly difficult to remove from your tub or shower.
Luckily, there are plenty of methods you can try out to remove soap scum, and you don’t need to pay out of pocket for an expensive commercial cleaner to get the job done, either. Here are some of our favourite tried and tested approaches to removing soap scum that should have your shower or bathtub sparkling in no time:Anyone who knows anything about household cleaning will have a good stock of baking soda to use in all manner of emergencies. To use this product to remove soap scum, it’s most effective when paired with vinegar.
Pour a cup of baking soda into a small bowl and add enough white vinegar to make a paste. The mixture will fizz like an impressive science experiment, so give it time to settle down.
Once the mixture has stopped fizzing, dip a sponge into the solution and apply it to your shower and tub. Leave it to it set for about 15 minutes, before wiping the surfaces down with a non-scratch sponge. Finish by rinsing thoroughly with water, then dry with a soft towel.
Vinegar can be used with almost anything as a cleaner, thanks to its acidic properties, which help it to cut through tough grease, grime, and mineral deposits. You can use vinegar with dish detergent for a sure-fire remedy against soap scum on your bathroom surfaces.
Combine equal amounts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle, then add one tablespoon of dish detergent. Spray the solution on the soap scum, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
When you return, scrub the surface with a soft-bristle scrub brush, and rinse with hot water. Dry thoroughly with a soft towel.
If you have a porcelain tub, you can use a wet pumice stone to remove soap scum—but make sure to proceed carefully. You can probably imagine that an improper technique or a dry stone could cause all sorts of damage to your surfaces, especially glass doors or tiles.
To give this method a try, dampen both the pumice stone and the surface you’re working on. Then very gently rub the wet stone over the soap scum.
As the soap scum transfers to the pumice stone, use a stiff-bristle brush to clean it off, then continue with the process. If a pumice stone isn’t enough, or you’re dealing with a surface with very bad soap scum, you can try scraping it off with a razor.
Again, be very careful not to scratch your surfaces – that’s a lot more difficult to fix!
Soap scum isn’t actually an inevitable aspect of showering or taking a bath, and there are things you can do yourself to prevent it from forming in the first place. This involves:
So, there you have it – there really is no reason to buy the most expensive “quick fix” chemical cleaner to tackle your soap scum stains in your shower or bath. Most likely, you have the equipment and ingredients you need for the job in your own kitchen cupboards right at this moment.
Just make sure to tackle your cleaning with caution, and don’t go too OTT with your formulas – a little goes a long way in all instances!
If want to see some ready-made products then click on one of the below
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