Perhaps you enhance your baths with sparkling, multicolored bath bombs and scented salts. Or maybe you prefer a simple soak in steamy, hot water. No matter your method, a bathtub can be a welcome haven after a long day. But when it’s time to clean your bathtub, the method you use can make a sizable difference for the health of our planet.
To keep that tub in tip-top shape and protect the earth and your health as well, it’s important to use eco-conscious cleaning tips and plant-powered cleaners that are made without harmful ingredients.
Eco-Conscious Bathtub Cleaning Tips
Before we cover all the how to clean bathtub basics, let’s take a quick moment to talk about what “eco-conscious cleaning” really means.
Many products claim to be eco-conscious but the truth lies in the label. When you shop for cleaning products, you can peruse their labels and ingredient lists for some key indicators that the item you’re purchasing is truly earth-friendly.
Some terms to look for include:1
- Biodegradable cleaning formulas – Many popular cleaning products contain ingredients that take a long time to degrade, meaning that after washing down your drain, they can remain in our waterways and threaten wildlife. Readily biodegradable formulas degrade much more quickly, posing less of a threat to aquatic life.
- No harmful chemicals – Keep an eye on that ingredients list—many cleaners contain harsh ingredients that can irritate your eyes, your lungs, and hurt our environment, too. These harmful chemicals aren’t necessary to clean your bathtub or any other part of your home.
- Safer Choice certified – To easily identify safer cleaning products, look for products with the Safer Choice logo. The Safer Choice program was developed by the U.S. EPA to help consumers find cleaning products made with ingredients that are safer for your health and the planet.2
If you want to learn how to clean a bathroom in a way that’s safer and better for you and the planet, choose cleaning products made from gentle but effective, plant-powered ingredients like those from ECOS.
Method 1: The Quick Clean
Taking a bath is often a time for us to unwind, light some candles, breathe in some soothing scents, and put on our favorite playlist. But afterward, we don’t always have time to scrub our tub surface from top to bottom.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to keep your bathtub stain free and clean on the daily, and it only requires two steps:
- Spray your tub surface, tiles, faucet, and fixtures with a plant-powered bathroom cleaner like ECOS Bathroom Cleaner.
- Allow the product to remain in the tub, if it’s part of a tub/shower combo. Your next shower will do the rest (aka, the work of rinsing the cleaner away). If you prefer, you can briefly run the shower to rinse before your next bath. If you have a stand-alone tub, after spraying the faucet and fixtures dry them with a soft cloth.
This method can help to keep away mold and mildew, fight soap scum, and prevent bathtub stains in between deep cleaning sessions.
So how often should you clean your bathroom? We recommend using this method at least once a week, but feel free to use it as often as you like, or after every shower or bath.
Method 2: The Deep Clean
Say you slip into a warm, soothing, lavender-scented bath, and just before you pick up a compelling novel to read while you soak, you may notice your bathtub is growing a little ecosystem of its own.
Luckily, this deep cleaning method can help you banish mold and grime and shine your faucets till they look brand new.
Since this method takes a little longer, it’s best to perform when you have a little more time on your hands. We suggest doing a deep clean once or twice a month to prevent bathtub stains but feel free to use the quick clean method in between.
Step 1: Gather the Materials You’ll Need
Before you begin, you want to make sure that you have all your cleaning supplies within arm’s reach. We recommend having the following tools and supplies on hand:
- An eco-conscious scrub brush made from compostable or organic materials
- Soft cleaning cloths
- A plant-powered shower spray like ECOS Bathroom Cleaner
- If your tub has a glass enclosure, a vinegar-based glass cleaner like ECOS Window Cleaner
- An mildly abrasive cream cleanser to fight tougher stains and spots
Once you have everything you need, you’re ready to begin your bathtub cleaning extravaganza.
Step 2: Remove Everything In and Around the Tub
Whether your bathtub features rubber duckies or exfoliating scrubs, it’s always a good idea to put any items and products elsewhere during your deep clean. This will keep them from being in the way of your cleaning and covering up any spots that need to be cleaned.
Next, either unhook your shower curtain or loop it over the curtain rod so that it’s out of your way. Check your shower liner for signs of mildew. If you notice any orange or brown spots on the liner, you can toss it into the wash while you clean or include it in your cleaning process below. (Don’t worry—we’ll detail how to do this, too.)
Step 3: Clean the Walls First
Our bathtubs and showers can do an incredible job of making us sparkling clean. But they can also take on plenty of soap scum, smudges, and dirt in the process—especially on the walls and tiles. This is where your safer shower spray comes in handy.
To return your shower walls to their beautiful selves, you should:
- Spray the walls thoroughly with the cleaner.
- Let the cleaning product sit for a few minutes.
- Using a soft cleaning cloth, gently scrub at the stains.
- Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth.
- Re-spray and wipe any stubborn stains.
Cleaning Your Bathtub’s Enclosure or Curtain
If your bathtub’s shower curtain also needs a little TLC, spray it with ECOS One-Step Disinfectant at this time. Allow the product to sit on the liner for 10 minutes and then wipe it (and any mildew) away with a cleaning cloth.
If you have a glass shower or bathtub enclosure, then turn to ECOS Window Cleaner instead. This vinegar-based formula will remove the dirt and grime from your glass shower and leave you with a crystal clear clean. Simply spray this solution onto the glass surface and wipe with a clean cloth.
Step 4: Tackle the Tub
Once you’ve cleaned your walls, it’s time to make that tub sparkle. Because the tub is the lowest point of your shower, it’s a natural place for certain things to accumulate—such as:
- Chalky or gritty soap residue
- Orange-colored mildew
- Red or brownish hard water stains
You can make your work easier by choosing a slightly more abrasive cleaner at this step. Look for a cleanser that uses safer ingredients with extra scrubbing power, like ECOS Cream Cleanser.
When it comes to the best bathtub cleaning tips, you’ll need to:
- Apply a dab of your cream cleanser onto a clean cloth and work it into the tub’s surface.
- Use a sponge, cleaning brush, or an old toothbrush to scrub at the more stubborn stains.
- Wipe away the remaining cleanser with a cleaning cloth.
- Repeat on tough stain if needed.
- Rinse the tub thoroughly.
Once you’ve scrubbed away those stubborn stains in your tub, splash a little water around to remove the remaining cleaning product. As a final step, grab a bottle of ECOS All-Purpose Cleaner and check for any left-over spots or smudges. A quick spray and wipe of this easy-to-use all-purpose cleaner will help you put the finishing touches on your bathtub’s deep clean.
Give Your Bathtub an Earth-Friendly Clean with ECOS
For a bathtub that inspires your at-home spa days, you want to use the best, plant-powered cleaning products to scrub it from top to bottom. Keeping your bathroom cleaning routine eco-conscious can give you the thorough cleaning you desire without the harsh ingredients.
At ECOS, we make safer household cleaners that get the job done. We have everything you need to keep your tub and bathroom clean and safer for you and your family.
For a sparkling clean bathtub without any of the nasties, try ECOS cleaning products today.
