Cleaning the bathtub and shower may be one of my least favorite tasks, but this 2 ingredient tub and shower cleaner literally makes it so much easier. This tough cleaning mixture cuts through soap scum quicker and easier than any store bought cleaner I've ever used and is made with non-toxic ingredients!
Welcome to day 9 of the 4 Week Cleaning and Organizing Challenge! If you haven’t joined the challenge with Fox Hollow Cottage and I yet, it’s never too late to start. You can start any time by downloading or printing the free Printable Cleaning and Organizing Checklist and reading all about it HERE! All of the days of the challenge will be listed there if you’d like to follow along.
Bathtubs and showers get a lot of use, and can get pretty dirty. The worst thing is a buildup called soap scum. It's basically a mixture of soap, shampoo, oils from your body and dead skin cells that builds up on the sides of your bath and shower over time. It's definitely not the easiest thing to remove, making it a real pain! This bathtub and shower cleaner takes the work out of removing soap scum, making cleaning your bathtub and shower so much easier. Once you've gotten your tub and shower clean, you can use THIS Daily Shower Cleaner in between uses to keep your bathtub and shower clean between deep cleanings.
More Homemade Bathroom Cleaners
- Homemade Sink and Tub Scrub (2 Ingredients)
- Homemade Reusable Bathroom Cleaning Wipes
- DIY Bathroom Cleaning and Disinfecting Spray
- Homemade Soft Scrub Cleaner for Sinks and Bathtubs
- Homemade Toilet Cleaner
How to Make Your Own Bathtub and Shower Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of distilled white vinegar (
Purchase HERE ) - 1 cup of Dawn dish liquid (
Purchase HERE ) - Spray bottle (
Purchase Glass Bottles HERE ) (Purchase Plastic Bottles HERE ) - Chalkboard labels (optional -
Purchase HERE )
Start by warming 1 cup of vinegar in your microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute. Warming the vinegar helps it mix with the thicker dish liquid a little easier.
Next, pour 1 cup of warm distilled white vinegar and 1 cup of Dawn dish liquid into a clean spray bottle.
Replace the spray bottle lid and shake well before each use.
How to Clean Your Bathtub and Shower
Spray the entire bathtub and shower walls with the tub and shower cleaner and let sit for 20-30 minutes. The smell of this cleaner is pretty vinegar heavy, so you may want to open a window or run the exhaust fan. No worries...once the cleaning is over, the smell will dissipate.
Once the cleaner has had time to sit, use a scrub brush or scrub sponge to gently clean the soap scum away. You shouldn't have to really scrub much because the cleaner does most of the job for you.
Once you've gotten your bathtub, shower and/or shower doors clean, rinse them well with warm/hot water.
Looking for more easy cleaning tips and homemade cleaning recipes? Check out my Cleaning Page HERE!
Nelly says
Hi Jessica,
Will any dish liquid do .? I love your Home Tips but where I live some brands of products you use are not available. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Jessica says
Yes, ma'am! Any dish liquid can be used!
Myrto says
Hey Jessica, your tips and ideas have saved me many times and this one is amazing! I guess it also works for the bathroom sink, right? We get a lot of soap staines because of the perpetual hand washing of my 5 year old son :-)
STEVE BENCZE says
Can this vinegar, Dawn solution be used on acrylic tubs and tile?
Jessica says
Yes...that's what I have :)
Deb Rom says
Hi, Jessica!
Just wanted to thank you for all of
your cleaning recipes. I have COPD
so I can't have nasty smells in our
home. I also love using essential oils
with the cleaners.
I'll continue to pass your recipes to
everyone and your address.
Deb Rom
Jessica says
Thank you so much for the kind words, Deb! xoxo, Jess
Rebecca Payne says
Got to try this tip. Thank you for sharing.
Rosemarie von Boomhower says
Jessica, I have a 6x8 rug that I would like to clean but my vacuum cleaner is an old Hoover vacuum and I don't have attachments to clean anything so I will be doing it by hand. I cannot find any cleaner I can squirt on it and then scrub it clean so I really need help. The other problem is I only have one lung and also a Titanium rod in my femur from when I fell off of my roof trying to fix a leak. I'm also 81 years old. Not that, that makes any difference and 4 indoor cats that don't mess anywhere except in the three cat boxes I have for them. I wish you could know someway I can clean my rug without leaving it wet for very long. I can't take it outside so I have to clean it here inside my home.
,P.S. I can't afford to hire someone to do it for me. I pray you can help.
Nancy Stephens says
I’m going to try this but it seems like an awful lot of Dawn!
On another note.....
I would LOVE to know what would remove the black residue on my plastic succulents? I don’t know if it’s mold or what, but they last one season and then I end up trashing them. Any ideas? I’ve used bleach, vinegar, Dawn.........
Thanks in advance
Jessica says
It is definitely a lot of Dawn, but that's what makes it work so well...it busts through the grime. Have you ever seen the commercial where they save the ducks that were in an oil spill with Dawn? It's such a strong grease and grime buster...one of my favorites, and I really don't typically use store bought cleaners. As far as the plastic succulents, try spraying them with a some vodka, letting it sit for about 15 minutes, then use a microfiber cloth to wipe them clean. Vodka is a great mold and mildew remover...again, I know it sounds odd ;)
Ivory says
This sounds amazing and like love that it’s cheap in price to. Thank you fo your creativity and for sharing
Michele taylor says
I want to thank you for this shower cleaner recipe. I have used everything on our shower floor to get the grime out of the textured floor without any success. I tried this as a last resort and it worked like a charm! I just sprayed it on and waited about ten minutes, used my mop to scrub the the floor and walls and gone was all the build up!! Thank you soo much.
Jessica says
You are so welcome...I'm so happy I could help!!