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The Week

Keeping your bathroom clean and fresh

Have you ever felt a certain unpleasant smell was coming from your bathroom even when it looks clean? Or did you recently just notice a stain that wasn’t there before on your bathroom tiles? Bathrooms tend to be a little tricky when it comes to cleanliness and smell in comparison to the other rooms. But this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to keep it looking fresh and smelling good. Here are some tips and tricks you could use to keep your bathroom in good condition.
By The Week Bureau

Have you ever felt a certain unpleasant smell was coming from your bathroom even when it looks clean? Or did you recently just notice a stain that wasn’t there before on your bathroom tiles? Bathrooms tend to be a little tricky when it comes to cleanliness and smell in comparison to the other rooms. But this doesn’t mean it’s impossible to keep it looking fresh and smelling good. Here are some tips and tricks you could use to keep your bathroom in good condition.


Stop moisture in its tracks

When you get out of the shower, chances are the things on your bathroom counter will be covered in condensation from the steam. Dry them regularly to keep the moisture from collecting. Also, dry the floor and use bath mats so that you don’t get much water on the floor in the first place. Hang a squeegee over the showerhead and make it a rule that the last one to take a shower has to wipe down the walls, tub, and shower doors. A couple of extra minutes of work can minimize cleaning time in the long run. You can also quickly zap moisture by opening a window while showering. Leaving the door open, even a crack, helps the moisture dissipate. And finally, don’t forget to stretch the shower curtain open so that it dries well and doesn’t end up smelling bad.


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Make sure there is proper ventilation

A poorly ventilated bathroom is never a good thing. It keeps moisture trapped in the bathroom, and there will be bacteria build up and it will also start smelling. Consider opening up your bathroom windows when you have the opportunity or leaving the bathroom vent running from time to time. Moreover, it’s better if you can get sunlight in the bathroom as it’s a great natural disinfectant. Proper ventilation also helps to release the steam from your shower, airs out the bathroom, and can help to bring in some fresh air.


Keep your drains clean and deodorized

Bathroom drains are another common culprits when it comes to bad smells in the space. Cleaning your drain regularly is a good idea. Use a good quality hair catcher to keep hair and other particles from building up in your drain pipes. This build-up can cause potent smelly gasses to emit from the drain, causing your bathroom to smell really bad. To deodorize the drains, use a combination of baking soda and water to keep them flushed. This not only helps to cut back on odors but it also cuts through anything that may be building up within the pipes. If you have a clog, however, you may need something a little stronger like caustic soda (easily available at your nearest hardware shop) that can clear your drains and pipes in minutes. 


Routinely clean your bathroom 

Everyone knows one must clean the bathrooms but, for many of us, cleaning the commode seems to be enough. But for truly clean and fresh smelling bathroom one has to clean all the things that are in the bathroom. This means cleaning the shower floor and walls, shower door and frame, sink, tubs, and shelves, and emptying your wastebaskets.

This should be done at least once a week, and probably even more often than that if a lot of people use the same bathroom. This regular cleaning helps keep your bathroom sanitized that is essential for good hygiene and to keep it smelling fresh as well. No one likes to clean bathrooms but doing it every week, rather than leaving it for a long time, only to have things stained for good, is probably the biggest key to keeping it clean and fresh in the long run. 


Invest in automatic bathroom air fresheners

Freshening up the air in the bathroom can be difficult (as you have to keep on replacing your bathroom freshener) but with an automatic air freshener, you can just leave it be and be sure your space will smell pleasant. Automatic air fresheners run on electricity and diffuse fragrance at regular intervals of time. Moreover, buying packet fresheners might not be sustainable or economical in the long term either. Just remember, if you are using this to freshen the air without really cleaning the bathroom regularly, you are just covering up the smells. An automatic bathroom air freshener alone will not do the job but it can add a pleasant scent to a bathroom that is already clean. So make sure your bathroom is clean beforehand and just use the freshener to give it that extra touch of cleanliness and freshness.  


Upgrade your soaps

Keeping quality soaps with pleasant fragrances in your bathroom can make a huge difference compared to using cheap commercial soap bars. While luxury soap brands tend to cost more, they can really help mask unpleasant odors as well as keep the bathroom smelling pleasant. Use traditionally made soaps from around the world that use natural oils, essential oils, and fragrances which will keep your body as well as your bathroom clean and smelling really good. Similarly, one can also keep essential oil diffusers and scented candles in the bathroom to make it smell simply divine. 

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