Congrats on your new Corvus bathroom! We hope you will enjoy your new space for years and years to come. Part of that is how you care for your surfaces and fixtures. To help you keep your new room as beautiful as it was on completion day for years to come, we’ve compiled our favorite tips, tricks and cleaning products show you how to care for your new bathroom.
These tips will keep your bathroom sparkling clean year-round, and hopefully let you spend less time scrubbing and cleaning. From all-purpose cleaners to scouring mixtures, we’ve got you covered.
Top tips for how to care for your new Corvus Construction bathroom
All purpose cleaner – white vinegar and water
If you’re looking for a non-toxic cleaning solution, look no further. Although the white vinegar solution smells strong, thankfully it also fades from surfaces quickly and doesn’t leave your house smelling like a salad bar. Bonus: Good old white vinegar cleans both glass shower doors and most tile surfaces, so you can potentially use the same cleaning solution for all parts of your new shower. One thing to note is that you should not use vinegar on travertine or some stone surfaces.
To make basic white vinegar cleaning spray
- Fill a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and warm water
This wondrous (and thrifty) solution is easy to use, just spray it on your shower door and walls, give it a few minutes to penetrate, then use a brush in a circular motion to clean. Rinse with warm water thoroughly and then squeegee any glass to leave it streak-free and keep water marks away.
For daily maintenance, you don’t need to leave it on long. Simply keep the bottle in the shower, spritz after you shower, squeegee, and then hop out, leaving a clean shower behind.
All purpose super charged white vinegar and soap spray
The cleaning powers of vinegar are widely known, but did you know that there are ways to make cleaning with vinegar even more effective? By heating the vinegar first, or adding plain dish soap, or both, you can have a non-toxic spray that can rival what you’d find in the cleaning aisle of your local market. Pair with a stiff-bristled brush and you can tackle even the toughest of showers.
White vinegar and soap solution:
- Heat 1 ½ cups of white vinegar in microwave for 90 seconds and carefully funnel it into your spray bottle.
- Funnel 1 cup of Dawn (or other vegetable-based dishwashing soap) into the bottle.
- Add 1 cup of water
- Put the sprayer lid on tightly and shake to blend.
- Gently shake the bottle before each use.
For really stubborn stains, spray the soap and vinegar solution on your shower door and walls and leave it on to penetrate. After 15 minutes, scrub with a stiff-bristled cleaning brush, then rinse and squeegee any glass surfaces.
Quartz cleaner – baking soda scour
A spray is great for light duty work, but if you need some deep scrubbing power, our next recipe is perfect for you. The scrubbing power of baking soda combined with white vinegar and lemon juice give you a scouring cleaner for non-porous surfaces without a bunch of chemicals. Use a soft-bristled scrub brush or toothbrush to work the mixture in, and then wipe with damp paper towels.
White vinegar and baking soda solution:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup of warm water
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Granite cleaner – disinfecting granite spray
The disinfecting properties of alcohol added to the de-greasing powers of dish soap will banish bacteria and grime from the granite surface. Use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe as you go so you don’t leave streaks behind. If you choose to use essential oils, we recommend basil, lavender, Theives and cinnamon scents. Note: while acidic liquids like lemon juice can corrode sealant and make the underlying granite vulnerable to chips, citrus-scented essential oil is pH-neutral and completely safe to use on your new granite surface.
To make the disinfecting spray solution:
- ½ cup of rubbing alcohol
- ½ teaspoon of dish soap or castille soap
- 1 ½ cups of warm water
- 10-20 drops of essential oils, if desired
Glass surfaces – cleaners, tips, tricks and more
Keeping soap scum from sticking is much easier than taking the time to scrub it. Here are a few tips for products that can help keep soap scum from forming:
Use dryer sheets. After the shower glass is clean, you can use a dry dryer sheet and wipe the glass. It will get soapy, but just rinse and then squeegee. This will help repel water and make your glass surface easier to clean day to day.
Use baby oil and a soft cloth or paper towel on a clean and dry shower door. A little goes a long way with this hack, and you really only need a nickel-sized squirt to keep soap scum under control. Run the dry towel over all glass surfaces to leave a light coating for baby oil. It shouldn’t be drippy or look greasy when you are finished. If you apply too much, just buff some of it off the glass. The oil will prevent soap scum from sticking, and you will only need to reapply every week or two. Take care to avoid the floor of your shower or bathtub to keep it from becoming slippery.
Use Rain-X on your glass surfaces. Rain-X glass repellent was designed for cars to increase visibility by sheeting rain off your windshield, but it has the same effect on glass shower doors. Simply spray their line of cleaning products onto your shower door and it will repel water so you don’t get soap scum. Reapply every few weeks to keep your glass doors looking great.
Citrus shine, naturally. To give this glass shower door cleaning hack a go, look no further than your kitchen. You’ll need a large grapefruit or lemon and coarse kosher salt. Cut the grapefruit or lemon in half and sprinkle a heavy coating of salt on it. Keep a bowl of spare salt on hand to refresh it. Use the grapefruit like a scrubber and run it all over your shower door. When the salt is all gone, squeeze it a bit to re-wet the grapefruit and re-drip it into the salt. The acid in the fruit and abrasiveness of the coarse salt work together to loosen and clean soap scum.
Shower grout – cleaners, tips, tricks and more
Grout paste. If you need more cleaning power than the all purpose vinegar spray, step up to a paste made of baking soda and water. Apply it to the grout lines and then spray them with a solution of equal parts vinegar and warm water. The mixture will foam. When it stops, scrub with a stiff synthetic brush and rinse with clean water.
The power of hydrogen. For another way to clean shower tile grout, pour some hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle and spray it on the grout. For tougher jobs, make a paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in a bowl. Scrub with the paste, the rinse or sponge with fresh water and repeat if needed.
Scrubbing brushes. Synthetic scrub brushes made of nylon are recommended for grout and tile. Use one of the mixtures above and work it into the grout with a stiff bristled synthetic brush to make easy work of cleaning tiled surfaces.
Steam clean. If you have a handheld steam cleaner with a grout-cleaning nozzle and nylon scrub brush, this is a quick and easy way to clean up your shower and floor grout. Not only is it easy and quick, it’s also environmentally-friendly because you don’t need any chemicals at all. Some steam cleaners work only on floor tile, so be sure your model will work on wall and shower tiles first. Stop every now and then to rinse the dirty water, so it doesn’t settle back into the grout.
What’s your favorite tip for how to care for your new bathroom from Corvus Construction?
Ready to start your new bathroom remodel?
Contact Corvus Construction about a bathroom remodel complete with gorgeous glass shower doors and surrounds. We’re family-owned, one of the top-rated full-service construction company in Snohomish County. Call 206.355.4981 to get started with a free in-home estimate.