The bathroom-cleaning hacks we swear by |
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| Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter |
Sanitizing and disinfecting your bathroom frequently is unfortunately an unskippable chore. But a little regular maintenance can go a long way in reducing the ick factor and cutting down on deep cleans. Below, three somewhat unexpected hacks that Wirecutter’s cleaning experts swear by to keep your entire bathroom — even perpetually stinky bath towels — pristine.
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Toilet bowl cleaner is surprisingly great at brightening grout |
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| Liam McCabe/NYT Wirecutter |
In home-improvement expert Liam McCabe’s quest to restore his grout to its original alabaster finish, store-bought sprays and DIY recipes fell short. But one household supply succeeded: toilet bowl cleaner.
Popular toilet gels often use the same active ingredients as grout sprays, and in the same concentrations. So chemically speaking, they do the same job. That being said, toilet bowl cleaner can be harsh — so Liam says it works best for deep-cleaning really grimy grout a couple of times a year.
“In about 20 minutes, my previously grubby grout looked much closer to its initial pearly shade”→
How to banish the mildew scent on towels |
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| Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter |
The solution to perpetually funky-smelling towels is actually quite simple: a scoop of borax and a hot laundry cycle. Borax brightens and deodorizes laundry — and gives a nice cleaning boost to detergents, too.
Our favorite towel de-stinking hack→
“The secret to keeping my toilet stain-free is in my kitchen” |
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| Photo illustration by Dana Davis/NYT Wirecutter; source photo by Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter |
If your toilet is constantly plagued by brownish mineral deposits around the rim and a faintly pink bacteria buildup along the waterline, as writer Caroline Mullen’s was, you might try sprinkling on a bit of Bar Keepers Friend. It’s not gritty enough to damage the porcelain, but its slightly abrasive ingredients can break down rust and mineral stains.
A surprisingly effective toilet bowl cleaner→
Today’s great cleaning deal: A supremely satisfying showerhead |
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 | This good-looking showerhead offers a truly drenching rain-shower spray — as well as a bevy of other useful water settings. It’s simple to install and easy to clean, too. We found the chrome version for $15 off today.
Get the deal→ |
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READ THE REVIEW
The best showerheads→
One last thing: It’s time to retire the loofah |
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| iStock/kool99 |
Your warm, damp shower is essentially a microbial hotel that turns your loofah into a festering ground for bacteria. Every time you use it to lather up your soap, you’re spreading bacterial film across freshly cleansed skin. Also, it can be too harsh on your skin barrier and lead to over-exfoliation.
For smooth skin, try this exfoliating body wash instead→
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Happy cleaning.
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