Clean the bathroom and avoid black mold

Black mold in bathrooms is common. We teach you to keep out black mold, wash shower curtains, shower floors and clean bathtubs!

Prevent black mold in bathrooms

Black mold in damp areas such as bathrooms and shower areas is common. You recognize it on dark black-green dots or areas and it's something that should be treated as soon as you discover it.

Get rid of black mold

Black mold is toxic, spreads in the air and can cause allergies and if you are unlucky other even more serious health problems. To get rid of it, there are products available that can be bought and used, but the best thing is to get help from an remediation company. Remediation means that the material that's been infested with mold is removed.

Prevent black mold

It's often poor ventilation that causes the mold to be able to attack and spread so use preventative measures so the problem doesn't arise. Make sure that there's good ventilation in your wet areas so that there's an exchange of air and that moisture from the bath and shower has the opportunity to dry up.

A dehumidifier prevents moisture from remaining in the air and on walls and floors after bathing and showering. The air should have 35-50 percent humidity. Air purifiers remove airborne mold spores.

Keep tile joints, other joints and surfaces clean in the bathroom. The fewer points of attack there are, the less the risk that mold will have the opportunity to bite. Prevent mold infestation for example with the help of vinegar. Pour equal parts vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray regularly over surfaces such as tile joints, shower enclosures and similar places.

Avoid red mold in the shower

Like other types of mold, red mold isn't something you want in your bathroom. The red mold appears as a pink or reddish mucous in the nooks and crannies in the bathroom and on the shower floor. It likes when moisture stays after the bathroom has been used and therefore it's important that the space is allowed to dry up between uses.

Get rid of red mold

Red mold can cause asthma and allergies, so if you think your bathroom is affected, it's important to get rid of it. If it's a minor attack, there are anti mold products to buy. Follow the instructions carefully and use the recommended protective equipment. If your bathroom has been hit harder by red mold, hire a remediation company that removes the material that's been attacked.

Prevent red mold

Prevent red mold and other mold through good ventilation so that the bathroom can dry up properly between uses and do install a dehumidifier that helps to dry up faster. Regular careful cleaning, especially in corners and joints also helps to keep away the red mold that has less chance of getting stuck.

Clean the bathroom - 3 tips

A clean and tidy bathroom has many benefits. Not only because it's so much nicer to stay in there when it's fresh and nice but also because a clean bathroom can keep mold and bacteria away.

Use eco-labeled cleaning products such as Hemfrid's own or homemade cleaners with natural ingredients when cleaning your bathroom. Don't clean bathrooms with chlorine, which has a major negative environmental impact.

Clean the bathroom with vinegar

Vinegar is a real housewife classic with countless uses and which works great in bathrooms too. Vinegar is bactericidal and disinfectant, which are excellent properties in the bathroom and shower. The moisture in the bathroom and shower attracts mold, but the water also creates limescale deposits, which makes it more difficult to clean. With vinegar, you can both prevent and remedy.

Mix 2 dl vinegar and 2 dl water in a spray bottle and use as an all-purpose cleaner. It works on all types of surfaces except natural stone such as marble and granite which can be damaged by acid. Spray and let your product work for a while before brushing or wiping clean and rinsing off. Protect your hands with gloves when handling vinegar and make sure to ventilate properly.

Clean the bathroom with bicarbonate

Bicarbonate is also an old faithful servant in cleaning contexts. Alone and in combination with vinegar, it's a real savior in times of need if you have hard-hit surfaces in the bathroom and shower.

To scrub tile joints in the bathroom, you can use bicarbonate with a little water and mix into a paste. Use a brush and scrub the joints, it may be enough to get them clean. If more is required, put on gloves and spray over the bicarbonate with vinegar. It starts to fizz and a deeper cleaning starts. Scrub, let it work for a while and then rinse with water.

Clean the bathroom floors

How to clean your bathroom floor depends on what material the floor consists of. If you have natural stone such as marble or granite, you can't use acidic agents such as vinegar, or purchased bathroom cleaners. They corrode on the stone which gets stains that can't be removed. For stone floors, oil soap works well because the soap both cleans and treats.

Wooden floors are not so common in bathrooms, but if you have an oiled or waxed wooden floor in the bathroom, oil soap is also recommended there. For most other floor materials, an all-purpose cleaner works well. Dose according to the packaging and don't overdose as it can have the opposite effect where the floor becomes sticky and absorbs dirt instead of cleaning.

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Clean the bathtub

The feeling when you immerse yourself in a hot bath after a long working week is wonderful. Cleaning the same bathtub probably does not attract as much, but is important for the next bath to be just as wonderful and at the same time hygienic.

Make a habit of rinsing the bathtub clean with the shower nozzle after each use and you will get rid of loose soap residue. When it's time for a more thorough cleaning to get rid of dirt, lime, grease and other deposits, there are several different methods and means to use. Start with the material in your bathtub and read the manufacturer's recommendations. Some materials are sensitive and don't withstand abrasive materials.

A good bathroom cleanser works well for most bathtubs. They're adapted to take on lime, which is what makes the tub feel rough and difficult to keep clean. Ordinary hand dishwashing detergent is good for dissolving grease and dirt in the bathtub.

Homemade cleaning products for the bathtub

If you want to use homemade cleaning products, you can use bicarbonate mixed with a little water. Spread the paste in the tub with a cloth or sponge, leave on for a while, rub on more exposed areas such as the water line at the top of the tub and on the storage ledges and then rinse with the shower hose.

Ugly limescale deposits in the bathtub are removed with vinegar and bicarbonate. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Soak the tub with water, powder over bicarbonate and spray over with the vinegar mixture. Let stand for a while until it stops fizzing. Put on gloves and rub clean with a cloth, brush or sponge. Rinse with clean water. Prevention by spraying a little vinegar solution after each bath is also a good idea.

Be careful if you have natural stone around your bathtub. Then don't use either bathroom cleaner or vinegar but stick to detergents without acid.

Cleaning the toilet - 3 tips

The fact that the toilet is clean sets the tone for the entire bathroom. Partly for your own and others' well-being but also from a hygiene point of view. For natural reasons, a toilet gets dirty faster than other surfaces in the bathroom and bacteria can spread. A fresh toilet is clean both on the outside, inside and around.

Clean the outside of the toilet

On the outside, you need a good all-purpose cleaner or even better a special toilet or bathroom cleaner that removes limescale deposits. Think about the environment and use eco-labeled products. Wear gloves when cleaning the toilet. Reserve a couple of special rags for the toilet and choose a color that for you and the rest of the family signals the toilet rag so that any bacteria do not spread to other surfaces. To access the nooks and crannies, for example around the toilet lid brackets, it's a good idea to use a used toothbrush. Text "toilet" on it with a marker. Dose the cleaning agent according to the packaging and let it work before you brush and wipe it off with clean water.

Clean the inside of the toilet

For the inside of the toilet bowl, you need a product that both cleans and removes limescale deposits. An environmentally friendly toilet cleanser with a child safety cap next to a fresh toilet brush is a good thing next to the toilet. This makes it easy to clean quickly when needed. Spray the product under the edge of the bowl, let it drain and scrub from the top down with the brush. Rinse the brush when the last of the clean water is flushed.

Every now and then you need to make an extra effort in the toilet bowl and then you can try these tricks. Flush so the inside of the toilet is wet. Powder over bicarbonate. Mix equal parts vinegar with water and pour into a spray bottle. Spray over the bicarbonate which begins to fizz. Scrub carefully along the inside of the porcelain ring with a small brush, for example a dish brush that you have set aside for toilet cleaning and marked "toilet". Use a regular toilet brush in the rest of the toilet bowl and let the mixture work for another 15 minutes. Rinse clean. Vinegar dissolves limescale deposits and your toilet is immediately fresher and easier to keep clean.

Clean around the toilet

Don't forget to clean carefully around the toilet as well. Water and other particles easily splash out of the toilet when you flush and scrub with a toilet brush, so keep floors and walls clean around. Here you can use the same all-purpose cleaner or bathroom cleaner as for the outside of the toilet, provided that the surfaces are not made of natural stone which don't tolerate the acid in those products. Natural stones such as granite and marble require milder agents such as oil soap.

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Cleaning the shower - 5 tips

In the shower we clean ourselves and therefore it's important that it's also clean. Limescale, grease, hair, skin deposits and soap residue get stuck on the floor in the shower but also on the walls around the shower.

Clean with vinegar in the shower

Cleaning a little and often rather than a lot and rarely makes it much easier to keep clean. Get in the habit of rinsing off walls and floors with the shower nozzle before you step out. In this way, what's loose is rinsed down the drain and is not allowed to dry in. A spray bottle with half vinegar and half water to spray walls and floors with after the shower helps to keep limescale deposits away and the shower fresher between the more thorough cleanings. However, avoid vinegar if you have natural stone such as marble in the shower, then milder agents that don't corrode the stone are required. A rubber scraper is also a good tool for keeping away limescale deposits. Scrape the shower walls and floor towards the drain after the shower.

Even in the more thorough cleaning of the shower, vinegar is a savior in times of need if you have materials other than natural stone in your shower area. You get the shower nozzle clean by threading a plastic bag with vinegar over and closing with a rubber band. Let the nozzle lie in the vinegar for half an hour and then brush clean with for example an old toothbrush. The limescale deposits disappear, it becomes clean and you get better water pressure. The vinegar is strong so wear gloves and make sure to ventilate properly.

To remove limescale deposits around shower doors, shower rails and the like, you can soak toilet paper with vinegar and apply. Let stand for half an hour and then brush with the toothbrush and rinse clean.

Clean the drain

Freshen up the drain by removing the strainer, pouring down 1 dl of bicarbonate and then vinegar. It bubbles and fizzes and the cleaning starts. Let stand for half an hour and then rinse clean. At some point in the year, it's also a good idea to clean the water trap. Then you remove the strainer and take out what looks like a bucket. There's often a twisting motion to remove the water trap. Lift the bucket, remove what's stuck, scrub clean with a toothbrush dipped in vinegar and rinse clean. Make sure it's tight when you replace the water trap so bad smell can't penetrate from the drain.

Clean the shower floor

The clearest sign that your shower needs an extra round of scrubbing is when the joints start to look dingy. Shower floors are easily discolored, especially in joints between tiles. Just wiping clean is usually not enough, it takes a little more. Cleaning the joints is unfortunately not as easy as cleaning the tiles and they also attract dirt and mold with their texture, but here are some tips on how you can go about it.

Grout cleaning

To access properly between the tiles, you need a brush. There are various special brushes that you can buy but one that you probably already have at home is a used toothbrush. It has just the right width to brush the grout joint. You also need a product that cleans the joint. There are special joint cleaners to buy, but you can also make your own from bicarbonate and vinegar.

Mix bicarbonate with a little water to a paste. Dip the toothbrush into the paste and scrub the joints. Let stand for 15 minutes and then rinse clean. For extra tough stains, you can spray vinegar over and then get an even deeper cleaning when it bubbles and fizzes. Scrub a little more and rinse clean. Wear gloves and ventilate when cleaning with vinegar. A face mask may be in place if you don't have the option of an open window or good airflow.

An alternative is to clean the shower floor with a classic scrubbing brush and detergent. Pour undiluted detergent on the wet brush and scrub along each joint a couple of times back and forth. The brush accesses the rough nooks and crannies between the tiles and brushes away the ingrained dirt.

When you have cleaned the joints and let them dry but they still look a bit dingy, there are grout pens to use. You simply paint over the existing grout to freshen it up. Avoid doing this if you have a mold infestation because the pen only covers and does not treat. If you have a mold infestation that you can't remove yourself with a store bought product, contact a remediation company that can remove the mold.

For preventive purposes, you can impregnate the joints with products available for purchase. This makes the grout less porous and facilitates cleaning.

Wash the shower curtain

If your shower curtain looks sad and doesn't smell good, it's time for a refresh. Start by seeing if there are washing instructions. The washing instructions are usually sewn into the seam at the top or on the side. They state whether you can wash the shower curtain in a machine or need to wash it by hand.

Many shower curtains can be run in the machine and in that case, in addition to detergent, you can add 1.5 dl 12% vinegar to the detergent compartment. It pulls out the musty smell and refreshes the fabric. If hand washing is required, fill a tub with 5 liters of water and 1 dl of vinegar. Put in the curtain, leave for 30 minutes and then wash with detergent and rinse.

The easiest way to dry the shower curtain is to hang it on the bar again.

Have a habit of spraying the shower curtain with vinegar at regular intervals between washes. Have a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water on hand so it's easy. Always keep your own and purchased cleaning products out of the reach of children and don't use bottles that can be interpreted as beverages when you make your own mixtures.