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5 easy things to make your bathroom feel new

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Toilet tankIs it difficult to find enthusiasm about cleaning the bathroom? Are you living in a place that someone else rented or owned before you? If you said yes to both, try not to think about what may have happened in your bathroom before you moved in. Let's just get to making that place feel like you and your family or friends are the only contaminants.

Here are five inexpensive things you can do to make your bathroom truly feel like it is yours. Doing these will not make the room look new but it will make it feel much more new to you. You'll probably want to wear gloves for most of these. Absent from this list are the obvious cleaning chores that you should be doing regularly -- you know, things like scrubbing the toilet and washing the shower curtain every now and then.



  1. Replace the toilet seat. Let's face it, you don't want to be using a toilet seat that countless mysterious people have used as their own. This is an easy swap and will set you back less than $25. Consider buying new hinge bolts too.
  2. Scrub under the sink. The toilet brushes and plungers of previous residents might have been stored here. Keep that in mind while you have your head stuffed under there. If you can't get the wood clean enough consider putting in some contact paper or cutting a new piece of wood to go over the old one. This shouldn't cost more than the bit of cleaner you use.
  3. Clear your drains. Remove the stopper from your sinks and tub. Clean the residue off of them. Use a metal clothes hangar bent into a small hook and reach down your shower or tub drains to fish out any hair and then use a vinegar and baking soda mixture to finish the job. If you really want to be thorough, grab a bucket (to collect the water in the trap) and some wrenches and remove the U shaped piece under the sink. Give that a good cleaning -- if a valuable ends up in the trap you'll only have your own sludge to deal with.
  4. Clean the toilet tank. The water that collects in the toilet tank should be clean but it may appear dirty in there depending on your fixture's age, the pipes in your home and your water source. Shut off the valve that provides water to the toilet (that should be right behind and below the tank). Flush the toilet and then add a cleaner and scrub it out. While you're in here and have the tank drained you might think about changing the flush mechanism if you have toilet problems. Don't forget to turn the valve back on.
  5. Clean the shower head. You can remove your shower head and soak it in a plastic tub of vinegar, CLR, or other cleaner that will remove mineral deposits or you can put some of the cleaner in a plastic bag and tie it on to the pipe right on the wall. Some scrubbing with an old toothbrush or using a needle for stubborn spots may be necessary.

Tags: bathroom, drain, shower, sink, toilet, tub, vinegar

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