A cleaning fan has revealed that you don’t need harsh chemicals to get rid of unsightly soap marks and residue from your showers. Chantel Mila, better known as Mama Mila on TikTok, shared some of her favourite bathroom hacks that will leave the room sparkling again.
In a recent video, Chantel tackled some of the most common issues faced when cleaning bathrooms, such as soap residue, hard water marks, and even mould spots. However, you won’t need to look far for some ingredients to make a homemade cleaning solution. This is what you’ll need to do.
All you need to do is mix white vinegar with 10 drops of clove oil. This will help rid the shower of soap scum on various surfaces.
It can also be used to cut through hard water marks, also known as limescale, on shower glass.
White vinegar makes a really good household cleanser due to its acidity, specifically its acetic acid content. This makes vinegar good at dissolving dirt, grease, grime and killing bacteria, all of which can be found in soap scum.
If you want to ensure your shower has an extra sparkle, the team at Drench told House Beautiful: “Bring vinegar to a boil, then use the warm vinegar to wipe down the shower door and walls. Keep them damp by wiping down every five to eight minutes for 30 minutes. Next, dampen a microfibre cloth in vinegar, sprinkle with baking soda, and scrub.”
The addition of clove oil can also help clean and remove mould thanks to its antifungal properties, specifically its eugenol content. Eugenol is a natural phenolic compound.
Eugenol is widely used as a flavouring agent in food, cosmetics, and perfumes, but it is also used for its anaesthetic, antiseptic, and analgesic properties in medicines.
Chantel explained that this homemade solution is also multipurpose and can be used to help combat mould. As mould is a fungal growth, vinegar kills the bacteria.
Michael Golubev, CEO of Mould Busters, told Homes & Gardens: “Vinegar is a versatile, eco-friendly, and effective solution for preventing and treating mould in the home. Its natural properties make it a safer alternative to harsh chemicals, suitable for regular use in maintaining a mould-free environment.”
However, vinegar shouldn’t be used as a long-term substitute for mould removal. Ice Cleaning warned that vinegar is not considered an effective solution for removing and preventing mould.
While it can combat mould on surfaces, it won’t get rid of airborne mould spores.
They also warned about using vinegar to clean surfaces made of certain materials, as it could lead to damage. This includes concrete, leather, stone, and wood.