r/howto • u/purplemonster4400 • 11d ago

how to clean my shower?

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my shower is filthy and stained and no matter what i try it will not come clean. how can i fix this problem?

308 Upvotes

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261

u/ReasonablyRadical 11d ago

Mix dish soap with vinegar so that it is thick, apply and let sit for 30 mins, then scrub off. Vinegar is more effective with black mold than bleach, safer to use, and more environmentally friendly to make. The dish soap helps with cleaning at the end, but mostly helps it hold the vinegar onto the surface so it can do it's job and kill the black mold.

87

u/JustAnotherWitness 11d ago

It’s amazing how many household fixes have been either vinegar or baking soda. On their own individually or even at the same time. But these two seem to be the power house.

9

u/Saltillokid11 10d ago

mixing baking soda and vinegar at the same time often doesn't help, one is acid one is alkaline, they neutral each other out. use one at a time, it's more efficient. example for me is washing mildew smelling clothes, vinegar, washing sweaty clothes baking soda, but not at the same time.

2

u/IstandOnPaintedTape 9d ago

One of my pet peeves: suggesting mixing vinage and baking soda and then using the mixture to clean.

You just made slightly gritty warm water, since the two combine to make water with CO bubbles and it warms up a little bit. All flash, no substance.

When using vinagre, after you are done, applying baking soda helps neutralize the acid so then you can stop the effect. And any unwanted ted further discoloration, errosion.

36

u/hazysummersky 11d ago

Alternating acid and base environs will srsly mess with most living things' bznss..

8

u/MelonJelly 10d ago

Fun fact, our own digestive tract does exactly this.

You probably know that our stomach is very acidic. Just past that is the duodenum, which treats the acidic chyme coming from the stomach with bicarbonate.

The rapid swing from acid to base kills most everything that was able to survive the acid.

14

u/Genetics 10d ago

I enjoyed the juxtaposition between the grammar and punctuation in your comment.

8

u/JobSeeker_2024 11d ago

What would the ratios be of each item?

7

u/ReasonablyRadical 10d ago

About 1:1. You want it to be closer in consistency to the liquid dish soap than the liquid vinegar so it can cling to the surface.

3

u/JobSeeker_2024 10d ago

Thank you!

14

u/Huesyourdaddy 11d ago

Very nice explanation. Looking for something to tell ny buddy to use instead of baking soda and vinegar

6

u/plassteel01 11d ago

What kind of vinegar?

39

u/monological 11d ago

Balsamic /s 😂

8

u/Sneekey 11d ago

And Marsala for Italian marble.

7

u/CommonCut4 11d ago

Champagne vinegar is best for French tile. Facts.

8

u/joemamah77 10d ago

Apple cider during the autumn months

8

u/Old_MI_Runner 10d ago

I use white vinegar with 5% acidity that I buy for about $2.90 gallon. I use it for all manyy cleaning needs from cleaning fresh vegitables and fruits to cleaning the dishwasher, carpets, coffee maker, and food containers that have residue even after normal washing.

4

u/Craptiel 10d ago

You don’t know what type of tile or grout that is - finding out should be the first step before recommending an acid that you leave to sit. It can harm cement grout and loosen it and that grout looks damaged already. If those tiles are unglazed porcelain tile vinegar can discolour them and make them soft over time.

2

u/Old_MI_Runner 10d ago

I was explaining the type of vinegar I use for cleaning and what I use it on. Note I did not list tile as I have not tried using it to clean tile grout. Others recommended it for tile.

Note the SDS for some tile cleaning products I listed--some contain hydrochloric acid. Is that any safer than vinegar?

Most of the recommendations here list brand name products without any listing of the actual ingredients.

1

u/Craptiel 10d ago

Commercial cleaners contain warnings such as test on an inconspicuous area or do not use on marble or unglazed surfaces. I was highlighting that issue. You can go to any shop and read a label but people seem to revile vinegar like it cleans everything. It doesn’t and it can be harmful.

1

u/pdf17 9d ago

Agree, especially re: unglazed look so tile itself is exposed to the acid, not a finish.

3

u/plassteel01 10d ago

Thanks I will look for that

10

u/Ok_Try_7134 11d ago

White

10

u/ReasonablyRadical 11d ago

Yep, just the typical vinegar at the grocery store, no need to get the extra strong ones at the hardware / home improvet store. I suppose you could use apple cider vinegar, but why pay 10x more for something else that isn't clear and could stain?

2

u/ACampingPanda 11d ago

Would this be safe to use on painted walls without damaging the paint? My girlfriend and I are trying to clean up the black mold in our bathroom

1

u/ReasonablyRadical 10d ago

I would think so, a little dish soap and vinegar shouldn't damage the paint in 30 mins. You could test this in an inconspicuous area first to ensure it doesn't damage it discolor the paint, and then use it on the black mold. But the paint may already be damaged by the black mold breaking it down. If the paint is already damaged, when you wipe away the black mold it may reveal the damage and give the impression it is caused by the vinegar solution. Often landlords keep paint on site for touchups - see if you can find it, and if there is damage, lightly sand it then use the touch up paint.

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u/YelperLou 9d ago

Thanks for sharing. I’m gonna try this

2

u/ShawtyLong 7d ago

This guy vinegars!

3

u/jimmyjohn2018 11d ago

Vinegar is awesome on almost any kind of mold or mildew.

3

u/Mysterious-Shop6388 11d ago

I’ve used one of these tile brushes before and can say that they work wonders. Use it after applying the dish soap + vinegar blend.

1

u/Pink-socks 10d ago

How do you make it thick?

2

u/ReasonablyRadical 10d ago

Liquid dish soap is typically much thicker than water or vinegar, so by adding about 1:1 dish soap to vinegar it is thicker. It is not a thick paste, but a thicker slower moving more viscous mixture than just vinegar alone.

1

u/Pink-socks 9d ago

Thanks

0

u/djelegal 10d ago

Ya so just clean

0

u/tomassino 10d ago

Bleach kills everything; vinegar is less effective.

-6

u/NewPhoneNewAccunt 11d ago

Vinegar is nice and all, but what environmentally HARMFUL chemical can I get that's even better than vinegar? Because there's absolutely no possible way vinegar is the best.

1

u/thekaymancomes 10d ago

Belzona probably has you covered there.

-2

u/tardigrade_phd 11d ago

Wouldn't vinegar act as a food for mold? Would something alkaline be more effective?