Vinegar & Water - the holy grail of cleaning

Hi, and welcome back to another post. Today I want to share with you a simple recipe I was always skeptical of. Mind you, and this is very important, this recipe is not for consumption. 

As much as I enjoy cleaning, I always try and find ways to facilitate the process. Between working a nine to five job, working on transforming our house into a home, trying to have a social life (the little the pandemic allow us to have), maintaining my dad's house (where I still live),  I have little time to clean. And I get really frustrated when I know there is a persistent problem and I cannot find a solution for the problem.

So, I am always on the hunt for environmental friendly multipurpose products that will save me time and money. And today I am going to share with you two recipes which solved one annoying problem.

The concoction of hard water, soap scum and products which are ineffective created one ugly mess and sorry looking bath. It took me hours at a time to try and remove the stains, to a point where I was about to give up. So I decided to try and look for a solution online. 

Four key ingredients kept being mentioned, ingredients which are commonly found anywhere.

Recipe 1: Water, vinegar & soap treatment

The recipe is very simple. Measure equal parts water and vinegar (I did 1 cup of each) in a measuring jug. 

Pour it in the spray bottle ( I could fit around a cup and three quarters).

Add a tablespoon of dish soap.

Shake well.

Water:
The water supply effects the water content. For example, since Malta has no lakes, rivers or reservoirs, we obtain our water supply from the surroundings.  The water is extracted from deep shore wells sunk in Coralline Limestone.. The water then gets desalinated and filtered  through a process called reverse osmosis. This is why our local water is hard water. 
By definition, hard water means water which has high mineral content. If you are worried about using hard water to solve the issue, there is no need. I used tap water and still worked wonders. However, you can easily use distilled water if need be. 

Vinegar:
The sources online called for distilled white vinegar. I could not find any, so I used normal white vinegar. It worked just fine.

Dish soap:
The sources online called for Dawn. However, this brand is not found in Malta. Dawn is also a degreaser. So I looked for dish-soaps which are also degreasers. I ended up buying Fairy Platinum. It has a fresh lemony scent and worked really well. However, it did leave the treated areas a little tacky (I will speak more about this hereunder).

Oils:
The smell of vinegar can be overpowering. So if it gets to you, online sources suggest to add a couple drops of essential oils. To be honest, because the dish soap was scented, I did not need to add any oil. 

Treatment:

Spray the concoction of the area you would like to treat. In my case was the entire bath tub. I used almost the entirety of the bottle (300ml). I might have done well with less, but I wanted to be sure it works. So I was generous. Let the product sit on the water and soap buildup.

The sources online recommended between fifteen minutes to even an hour. However I left it on for about five minutes. It was enough.

Then I started scrubbing with a soft bristled brush in concentric circles. Low and behold, the buildup started to melt.

Once I was done, I rinsed very thoroughly with hot water. The concoction of products and buildup left a sticky residue. So make sure to rinse the treated area very well. 

After drying the tub well, I realised there were still some areas that could have used a little more buffing. So I moved on to the next treatment.

Recipe 2: Bicarb paste

Mix some bicarb with vinegar into a paste consistency. Add the vinegar a little at a time.

Bicarb:
I used bicarb for cleaning. But if you can get your hands on such bicarb of any brand, it is not a big deal. Use your usual brand of choice. You'll only need a small amount.

Treatment:

With a spoon, I put some of the paste on the areas I wanted to treat and scrubbed with a soft bristled brush. 

Once done, rinse well with hot water and dry thoroughly.

End result:

The entire process to clean the entire bath tub took me about 30 to 40 minutes.

For the most part I did not have to scrub very hard. Many of the buildup melted effortlessly, even stains I thought cannot be cleaned. The bath tub hasn't been this shiny in years (and we tried all sorts of name brands and products).

The bathroom did not smell funky at all. I ended up cleaning the sink, toilet and partly the floor with the remaining mixture of  water and vinegar. The bathroom was so shiny and fresh at the end. 

In light of this successful experiment, I am now left with a clean bathroom and a cupboard full of products I don't know what to do with!

Tips:

Wear gloves. My hands have been especially dry of late because of the constant washing and rubbing of hand sanitizer. But cleaning and cleaning products dries my hands so much, the skin flakes. Also, make sure you moisturize your hands once done as well. 

Aerate the rooms, especially when cleaning. While the mixture does not smell funny, it is always advisable to aerate the rooms, especially when cleaning. In doing so, any harmful substances and moisture in the air evacuate the rooms. 

Keep cleaning with the water & vinegar mixture. Between body scrubs, bath salts, body washes, hair products, shaving products, it is very easy for soap scum to buildup. In this way, you'll avoid buildup and at the same time, buffing the tub without using harsh chemicals which are not only harmful to us but also damages the surfaces.

Know your areas. While many sources advised for 15 minutes, because I was afraid of damaging the bath tub, I left the mixture to sit for 5 minutes and it was enough to get the desired results. If you feel you need to leave it longer, do, as long as you not damaging the finishes or areas.

Mishaps:

I cannot not share this recipe without sharing the mishap I had with this recipe.

Firstly, mix only as needed. I mixed a large quantity and I needed up throwing away the bowl and spoon because the mixture hardened.

Secondly, be careful as the mixture changes in temperature and becomes hot.

Thirdly, sources online recommended the use of sponge. And so I did. Only the sponge absorbed the mixture and ended up scalding my fingers. Use a spoon to treat the areas and scrub with a soft bristled brush.

Fourthly: Do not breathe into the mixture while the vinegar is reacting to the bicarb. It burns and stinks.

Conclusion:

I cannot recommend this recipe enough to clean your bathrooms. I wish I took pictures of the tub how it was before I cleaned it. The results are impressive. I know that I will not be buying another product for the bathroom. It took only two minutes to mix. However be mindful of the fact that the mixture cannot be used on all surfaces.

What cleaning tips would you like to share with me? I'd love to hear from you as I'll continue to learn and find ways to expedite and simplify the cleaning process.

Until next week, stay well and stay safe.

L

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