According to research, over our lifetime, we’ll spend over 2 years in the bathroom. When it comes to decorating, most time and effort was spent on living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms, with only some basics for the bathroom – but that’s all changed.
Today, designer and fitted bathrooms are big business. From ceramic tiles to beautiful bathroom flooring, lighting, stylish mixer showers, and everything in between, the bathroom is an important room in the house.
Here we’ll discuss the bathroom fixtures you’ve carefully selected to complement one another, specifically sink and bath mixer taps.
The buildup of grime will make even the most attractive bathroom taps look shabby. There are some bathroom taps that are difficult to clean because of their finish (matte black, for example) or their structure, but we’ll show you some home remedies to keep them looking fresh.
Two weekly cleanings are recommended as a minimum to maintain shine. Keeping faucets (fancy word for taps) clean shouldn’t take much time or effort.
In order to keep the tap finish in good condition, only certain cleaning solutions should be used. You should check the tap material and cleaning instructions before trying these methods. Regardless of the cleaning substance, stay away from using anything abrasive, such as brushes and scouring pads.
What Causes Taps to Get so Dirty?
Limescale: If you live in a hard water area, you’ll start to notice a deposit of limescale, a hard, chalky coating of calcium carbonate around the spout. This not only looks bad, but also reduces tap efficiency by slowing down the water flow. Calcium and magnesium deposits in water can discolour the tap spout, neck, and handle, a brownish colour.
Pink bacteria: You may notice a pink residue around your bathroom taps, shower, bath, and toilet bowl. Most cases of these pink marks can be traced back to a bacterium found in the air called Serratia marcescens. It’s a harmless yet widespread bacteria that grow well in wet conditions. Unfortunately, bathrooms are perfect breeding grounds for the bacteria since they contain phosphate or fatty compounds, and are notorious for appearing on waterfall mixer taps.
Grime: The knob that controls the valve and water flow is the most handled part of the tap. A busy household will see the tap handle being turned on and off all through the day, from mostly dirty hands. Of course, fingerprints and all kinds of dirt will show up on this part of the tap.
Soups and Toothpaste: Yes, even the stuff that we use to clean our hands, body, hair, and teeth in the bathroom can cause taps to become dirty. When you brush your teeth or activate a powerful electric toothbrush you will create a spray of toothpaste that will land on the tap. The same with handwash and shampoo that lands on your bath taps will dry in leaving a murky or white residue, which gets worse if left unchecked.
Now that you know what’s causing your taps to become slightly, here are some cleaning suggestions.
Baking Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate
Thanks to the “soft” abrasive physical components, baking soda crystals dissolve dirt without scratching while providing a detergent-like effect. It’s a versatile and all-natural super cleaner, perfect for kitchens and bathrooms.
Here’s what to do:
- Put some baking powder on a wet sponge or microfibre cloth
- Rub over the dirty taps
- Rinse off thoroughly with warm water (use the shower head)
- The efficiency of baking soda can be increased by moistening the sponge with white vinegar.
Baking soda can cause aluminium to oxidise if left to settle for too long, so be sure to rinse off all residue.
For tough stains on tricky areas such as around the spout and joins on your tap, use a clean soft-bristled toothbrush and some baking soda.
Use a (soft) toothbrush to apply a small amount of baking soda and a few drops of water, ensuring everything is rinsed off well after cleaning around sinks, plug drain, and taps.
Cleaning With White Vinegar
Using white vinegar is an easy way to get rid of limescale and grime deposits left around your taps, which is one of the worst things that can happen to your faucets if left unchecked. This low-cost, high-efficiency household staple can be used to descale, scour, deodorise, and purify bathrooms.
Instruction:
- Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar.
- Spray all over dirty taps (also toilet bowl, sink, or shower head can be cleaned with this spray)
- Wait a few minutes so the vinegar can work its magic
- Use a soft cloth to wipe clean
- Give everything a good rinse with clean water to finish
Caution: vinegar should not be used on marble or other porous surfaces.
If your tap is extremely unclean, your best bet is white vinegar. Faucets can lose their shine if they are stained or discoloured by soap residue, lime buildup, or both. The power of white vinegar will bring life back to your faucets.
Take a cleaning cloth and soak it in a solution made from half a cup of white vinegar and half a cup of hot water. If you’re unsure about the material of your taps and concerned about damage, try a small test area first.
For limescale that won’t shift…
- Soak a large strip of kitchen roll (paper towel) in white vinegar
- Encase the taps by wrapping them in vinegar-soaked paper towel
- Leave for 1 – 2 hours
- Remove the paper town, and use a soft brush or cloth to wipe off the limescale
- To increase the effectiveness of vinegar, carefully warm it up first.
Lemon Tap Cleaner
If you hate the scent of vinegar, you’ll appreciate the zesty smell of lemon to clean. In addition to preventing tartar buildup, its high citric acid content makes it an effective disinfectant. Although it may be used on a wide variety of surfaces (including ceramic, metal, and more), its best application is in smaller areas.
How to clean with lemon:
- Prepare a 1⁄2 lemon.
- Use the pulp side as if it were a sponge and rub over taps.
- Leave for 10 minutes
- Clean with a damp cloth or spring, then rinse with warm clean water
If you clean your taps on a regular basis, they will be less likely to build up scale and will require less effort to get back to looking like new.
Washing Up Liquid
You can clean your sink tap with dishwashing liquid and some hot water.
If you use this “secret” twice a week, your faucets will always look like new. This non-abrasive cleaning fluid can break down grease, dirt, and grime with a nice fragrance left behind.
- Take a sponge or soft cloth and soak in warm water
- Drizzle some washing-up liquid over the cloth/sponge
- Give the taps a good scrub
- Rinse with warm water, ensuring all soap lather is washed off
The tap is used daily in almost all households, whether it’s for brushing teeth, washing hands, or disinfecting the sink. This object’s primary function is to clean or rinse, however, the dirtiness of its use is inevitable. Greasy fingerprints, particles, and remnants are all things we might leave behind. And of course, limescale is always going to be a battle with hard water.
If you don’t clean it at least once every two weeks, deposits will accumulate and may be tough to remove later on. These deposits not only block the outlets but can also increase the amount of energy used. This is why it’s so crucial to keep your sink’s faucets clean.
By regular cleaning, you’ll maintain the function and looks of your new bathroom taps for years ahead.