[curlybenswife]

I'm looking for tips on cleaning certain parts of the house, firstly it would be the toilet now we live in an extreamly hard water area and keeping the loo clean is one hell of a task I use anti lime agents and you will often find me with my rubber gloves on scrubbing the heck outa the bowl.
Same kind of problem with the bathroom tiles I can clean them up with viakel and a week later bam there all murky and chalky again from the scale in the water same for the taps too.
Now does anyone have any home remedies rather than using chemicals??
And what about the kettle?? Any anti scale tips there??

Ooooo just one other thing I can't have a anti lime filter fitted to the water supply its not my house the landlord will not pay thousends for something like that.

Thank's in advance.

[RubyPitbull]

CBW, if you don't want to use chemicals, it is a bear of a job. But, this is what I do because I am on a septic system and want to keep it running properly. Every month in warmer weather I just throw some yeast or Rid-X to keep the septic system's good bacteria up.

Regarding the toilet and hard water stains, I have found a pretty good solution. In the cleaning aisle section of the store, you have to look really hard, but you should be able to find a pumice stone. If you can't find it, ask someone who works there, where they keep it. It is a small rectangular object.

I usually flush the toilet and when the water level is down all the way, take a bucket of very hot water with a bit of bleach mixed in and pour that into the toilet bowl, close the lid and let it sit for a while. When the water mixture has completely cooled, put on the rubber gloves and use that stone. It won't scratch up the toilet finish. You just use some old fashioned hand scrubbing with the stone in the stained areas and they should come clean.

Cleaning the taps and tiles, I usually use some bleach mixed in hot water. Take a sponge or mop, depending on what you are cleaning (floor, sink, tub) and leave a heavy coating of this mixture on the affected areas. I usually use a rough coated sponge and mop, the kind that doesn't scratch but can take off stains. Once you have let it sit for 10 minutes or so, go back over the areas with the hot water and bleach mixture, scrubbing well. The final cleaning should be with a vinegar and hot water mixture to take off the remaining dirt and cloudy residue that bleach leaves behind.

As far as ratio of bleach & vinegar to water I usually use about a 1/4 cup of bleach to every gallon and a half cup of vinegar to every gallon. I am old and never learned how to convert gallons to liters so I am hoping you know how to do that!;) It doesn't have to be precise.

Hope this helps and you may want to reach out to shygrneyzs in a PM and link this post to it. She has some good cleaning ideas too!

[JoeCanada76]

Get some coco cola and poor the bottle in the toilet. Let it sit for a half hour to an hour and then scrub and flush.

Vinager in a spray bottle does wonders in cleaning many many things around the house.

Baking soda also works for cleaning. Just do not mix vinager with baking soda, you might start an eruption. Lol

Joe

[RubyPitbull]

That's true about the baking soda and vinegar, Joe. But, I have a large open tiled floor in my bathroom and sometimes I do that. The combination makes a great grime buster but you have to be really careful how you do it.

And yes, vinegar in a spray bottle is like using a glass cleaner. Works really well on tile and faucets too.

I have heard about the Coca-Cola thing but I thought that was an urban myth. Have you tried it?

[JoeCanada76]

Ruby,

Oh I have tried it before. The acid in the cola eats away the grime.

I do not think it's a myth. Worth a try, especially if you want to quit drinking cola. (;

[RubyPitbull]

I don't drink cola but I keep some in the house for company. I am assuming that the carbonation is a factor in cleaning? I can't use it if it is flat?

[curlybenswife]

Oooooo look at all these fab tips I can try thank you thank you