Household Surfaces Get Damaged During Routine Cleaning
16 posts across 4 communities in the last 60 days; 81% from r/CleaningTips.
“Is there any benefit to nuking the bath tub with a bleach cleaner, or would these other options be sufficient I keep my bath tub fairly clean, but when I do clean it I would always use Clorox's multi-surface cleaner with bleach, but I always thought it was a bit overkill + the…”
“For the longest time I thought the problem was the floor. I would vacuum, mop, clean the toilet, wipe the sink, and somehow the bathroom still looked kind of grimy. Turns out it was the bottom half of the walls. I noticed it by accident when I moved the little bathroom cabinet…”
“Ok so my fault - I had a bath bomb on the counter and it stained it. I saw using bleach would get rid of it online, so I did but I left the bleach on too long on accident and it's staying the tub. Now the bleach has left yellow stains in the tub. How do I get it out? I've tried…”
Several posts express frustration and difficulty with common household cleaning tasks, ranging from refinishing tubs to cleaning figurines and TVs. Users are seeking advice and solutions for unexpected issues like discoloration and damage during cleaning processes.
SOURCES (51)
“When my bathtub was wet (it is traditional ceramic), I noticed white streak marks, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t come off. You can’t see it when the bath is dry, but I was worried it was going to get taken off…”
“How often are you guys cleaning the bathroom/shower? It feels like every 2 weeks I’m having to deep clean our shower because it starts to look nasty. I do the bowl once a week and the sink a quick wipe down every day ish. The shower is the least favorite task lol. We also don’t have a detachable shower head OR a spout so the entire shower has to be on for source of water 😭😭😭 submitted by /u/R_heidari [link] [comments]”
“I was cleaning my tub and when I turned on the water it started coming out blue?? By the time I managed to get a video of it it wasn't as pigmented but you can definitely see that its blue as it goes down the drain. How concerned should I be about this?? Should I report it to maintenance?? Edit: I think @zimzom98 was correct about it being a result of cleaning my shower head with vinegar as that’s the only thing I did that was different. Thanks everyone! submitted by /u/Cayaftw [”
“I have only been working in this kitchen as a dishwasher for a few weeks. I start to not feel good after a bit of time (~2 hour spent around where these photos are taken. Is this mold? Grease stains? Something I'm not aware of? And should I say anything about it? submitted by /u/ChampionshipLivid952 [link] [comments]”
“Is there any benefit to nuking the bath tub with a bleach cleaner, or would these other options be sufficient I keep my bath tub fairly clean, but when I do clean it I would always use Clorox's multi-surface cleaner with bleach, but I always thought it was a bit overkill + the fumes afterward is a bit annoying for like 20 minutes submitted by /u/I-Always-Ask [link] [comments]”
“so, i needed to bleach my mop head. and im trying to wash the bleach out of it before i use it to mop my wood floors (idk what kind, it's orange and grainy). but im struggling to get all the bleach out of the mop head. right now im just swishing it around in the bucket with hot water and soap, but im afraid i used too much bleach initially. should i just try letting it soak and giving it a go anyways? (saturated image to show full color) edit: it's a spin mop, and i don't have access”
“Okay, I genuinely feel like an idiot. I was trying to get rid of mould in my bathroom and decided to make a cleaning mixture with bleach, salt and vinegar. I thought I was being clever and making some kind of super mould-killing concoction. Nobody stopped me. Nobody warned me. Apparently I was supposed to learn basic chemistry before adulthood. I sprayed it around and within a short while I was standing there thinking, “Why the hell can I suddenly not breathe in here?” Turns out bleach + vinegar”
“Hello, everyone! A few days ago, I ran out of the multipurpose bathroom cleaner I use. I picked up a new one and, being the idiot I am, I didn't read the instructions. I know, I screwed up BIG time. I'm renting, and I really don't know what else to do to fix this. Tried baking soda, dish soap, scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing some more. I've scrubbed for hours over these 3 days, yet it just doesn't go away. I assume the spots that are still white are where the product didn'”
“For the longest time I thought the problem was the floor. I would vacuum, mop, clean the toilet, wipe the sink, and somehow the bathroom still looked kind of grimy. Turns out it was the bottom half of the walls. I noticed it by accident when I moved the little bathroom cabinet. There was this faint grayish dust along the baseboards and a bunch of tiny splashes near the sink that I apparently never noticed. I wiped the walls with a damp microfiber cloth and a little diluted cleaner and it made a”
“I just moved in to a rental yesterday. I really want to take a bath, but the tub is gross. There's buildup of some kind on there. Any tips would be appreciated, especially for what kind of cleaner would work best. submitted by /u/tips-the-scales [link] [comments]”
“Long story short, I put powder comet down in the shower first, then after rinsing it, bleach. I didn’t feel like I was around it that long, but after finishing cleaning I have had slight trouble breathing and throat tightening, and it wasn’t so bad at first, but now it feels like it’s getting tighter and my breaths shorter, I was coughing but now not really and I am do a tiny bit of a wheeze. I don’t want to go to the er, basically I am broke, but also with a relative who is not the most underst”
“I had an old kitchen item that looked so dirty that I was honestly ready to throw it away. It had years of built-up grime and stains that regular dish soap wasn't touching. I'd tried scrubbing it normally a few times, but it barely made a difference, so I assumed the staining was permanent. Before replacing it, I decided to give it one last proper cleaning. I soaked it in warm water with dish soap for a while, then used a paste made from baking soda and water with an old toothbrush. I le”
“As the title says I’m curious about everyone’s experience and or preference when it comes to cleaning are you using vinegar or is bleach better? I come from a clean everything with a vinegar solution family and my husband comes from a clean everything with a bleach solution family. He also HATES the smell of vinegar and has a nose of a blood hound. So over the years I’ve just used a generic multi purpose spray to clean surfaces and everything has seemed fine. However we’re starting the project o”
“hot water + bleach run fo 20 min drain fill again with clean water run for 5~10 min drain. Then do the same with hot water + PBW but run the pump for a min then stop leave it for 10 min then run again for a min then leave for 10 min then run and drain. Finally do at least two fill, run and drain cycles with as hot water as you have.”
“Hi all, how is it possible to clean one of those jet/massage bathtubs properly? I have no experience with this, just regular old bath tubs or shower stalls submitted by /u/gabilromariz [link] [comments]”
“Ever since I moved out, I haven’t bought bleach. I always buy bathroom cleaner for the bathroom and surface cleaners for the surfaces and toilet cleaner for the toilet, should I be using bleach instead? Is it more effective? submitted by /u/qs_al [link] [comments]”
“Ok so there was a poop incident in the bathroom. Grand sure. We have Domestos spray. My rule of thumb for most cleaning agents is 5-10 minutes before wiping, obviously pre cleaning first. We'll come to think of it, the bottle says 15 minutes. This surprised me as it's less concentrated than the thick liquid you use to clean the toilet bowl. So to Google we went. Every single site selling the product, and labels on the back of other bottles, says to leave for 2 minutes! So when in doubt y”
“Hello fellow cleaners! I work at a senior living facility that has independent apartments we clean weekly. These are like any other typical apartment (though our residents tend to have very fancy things because they are on the wealthy side). Soft scrub with bleach—specifically the gel form (it’s in a blue bottle) has been our main savior in cleaning. All of us rely heavily on it but suddenly we are unable to find it ANYWHERE. It is a staple everyone uses, literally the worst of our cleaning supp”
“My bathroom isn’t considered dirty, just very grimy and has a lot of buildup. im a very big germaphobe. I keep all of my bathroom stuff in my room m, my toothbrush soap conditioner all that. I don’t like the current state of my bathroom, )not that there’s much wrong with it) but every time I enter I immediately focus on the dirty stuff, and I try to clean it but every time I do I get EXTREMELY icky and uncomfortable, sometimes I can power through but when it comes to the toilet and shower I imme”
“I used Cif Cream Original, covered the tub with it and left it for 30min. I then scrubbed like crazy for 1h with a Scrub Daddy. Not perfect, but much better. submitted by /u/riririnnn [link] [comments]”
“First time poster so apologies in advance. Our bathroom has these weird vinyl type floors and no matter what products I use or the amount of times I clean in or scrub it, it just doesn’t feel or look clean. The small stains don’t come off and it just looks discoloured 😩 please help me before I make the irrational decision of ripping it off the floor submitted by /u/Spiritual-Ruin6400 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, I realized very recently that I have been cleaning my apartment's gas stove quite wrong. I have been spraying things like Bathroom Cleaner - Tea Tree Bathtub & Shower Cleaner Spray for Glass and Tile or All Purpose Cleaner - Plant Based Home and Kitchen Cleaning Spray for Glass, Countertops, Appliances, Upholstery & More but I realized that cooking after with such chemicals on it with fire might not be a great idea... how bad is it for my health, and how should I clean it from”
“Previous posts here and here. I put off cleaning my bathroom for 10 months because of my contamination OCD. It may seem bewildering because you would think that I would clean more...but my fear of spreading something and getting infected overtakes my compulsion to clean (ringworm is my trigger because it can live in the environment for 18 months and caused me nerve damage on my finger). I also think "out of sight, out of mind", and since I don't wear my glasses when I shower, I lit”
“We have hard water and pretty quickly our bath gets a brown greasy film on it (that sounds more dramatic than it is but it's the best way to describe it) that is hard to scrub off. Thanks! submitted by /u/Crafty_Pop6458 [link] [comments]”
“I am stupid, I’ll be the first to admit it. I was just cleaning my bathroom and thought to myself, hey! Let’s spritz some bleach in the toilet with the toilet cleaner, that’ll make it even cleaner! Wrong. I made mustard gas lol. All my windows are open, fans are on, my lungs only slightly burn, and the smell is dissipating. I managed to flush the concoction as soon as I started feeling an irritation so hopefully we’re all good on this end. Anyway! Just don’t do it! Signed, An idiot. submit”
“Painted my bathroom floor 2 years ago, it’s held up amazingly, but now I can’t get it clean. What would you do? Two years ago, I decided to update the floor in our upstairs guest bathroom. The tile was pretty dated, so I wanted something more modern. I’ve included a picture of the original tile color from our downstairs bathroom because it is the exact same tile that was in the upstairs bathroom before I painted it. I used the Rust-Oleum floor tile refinishing kit (I’ve included pictures of the”
“Our house is six years old, and we live in Wisconsin so the outdoor lights get hit with pretty extreme weather year-round. They’d gradually yellowed over time, and I assumed once plastic yellows it’s permanent… As it turns out, I was wrong! I’m not mad about it 😅 submitted by /u/SophieTurdeaux [link] [comments]”
“We recently moved into an old apartment that doesn’t seem like it’s been regularly cleaned in a decade. My brother in law is visiting next weekend and I’d like his bathtub to look better than the rough shape it is currently in. I’ve tried Bar Keepers Friend and a magic eraser but they’ve not helped much. The yellow stain on the edge of the tub came from a sliding glass door that was removed, if that helps. Thanks so much!! submitted by /u/highkaiboi [link] [comments]”
“Previous homeowners made a lot of "aesthetic over practical" design choices, many of which we could fix but this has been a challenge Tried bleach in many forms (pen, spray, foam) sparingly due to septic system Tried scrubber with vinegar and Dawn (not with the bleach) Tried baking soda slurry Shower always feels dirty Is this a "strip and reseal" situation? Is that DIY-able? Or does someone need to be called in? submitted by /u/Geogiraffeologist [link] [com”
“Got the dishes mostly taken care of and I’m still alive after the bleach. I washed them multiple times with water after air drying just to be safe. Now I’ve got more stuff I need help cleaning, with pictures attached. I was a clean freak before depression took over and I stopped caring, and a lot of this seems to be above my understanding and methods. First is this kitchen wall. The stove that was here when I moved in last year was infested with black mold but I kept using the spring tops for a”
“as the title says, like an absolute moron whose blatantly never cleaned a bathroom, i used bleach thinking it’ll be fine, because it’s a disinfectant right? wrong! my bath is blue! and im terrified of some heinous maintenance cost to fix it — because quite frankly, i can’t afford it. help! somehow it looks even filthier on camera iv scrubbed as much as my arms can take and it got rid of a lot, but im still left with the photo :,) submitted by /u/blahblah__blahblah [link] [comme”
“This tub doesn't get regular cleaning, just rinsed down with the shower hose. For years now. So there's build up. How should we tackle this before just going in blind? I'd like to clean it good and then stay on top of it, so any tips for the initial deep cleaning and then what should be done (weekly? monthly? daily?) after that to maintain it. I'm sure the people of Reddit have the knowledge we need. Also it's an apartment, I don't want to damage anything. Thanks everyone”
“I have a brand new master bathroom and I want to be gentle on the brand new tile and read that anything too acidic can be rough. What’s the best thing to use for shower/floor etc? I thought about Dawn dish soap and I like norwex rags. Is a steam mop with water okay for the floor? What do you suggest? I want to stay on top of it now that it’s brand new. submitted by /u/cheeseburghers [link] [comments]”
“Ok so my fault - I had a bath bomb on the counter and it stained it. I saw using bleach would get rid of it online, so I did but I left the bleach on too long on accident and it's staying the tub. Now the bleach has left yellow stains in the tub. How do I get it out? I've tried Barkeeper's friend, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, and the pink stuff (I was careful and it was a last resort when the other stuff didn't work). I'm at a loss for what to do now. Is there anything”
“I used to think some cleaning jobs always had to take a long time but changing my routine made a big difference. Whether it is cleaning the bathroom kitchen floors or laundry I am curious what small habit or routine has saved you the most time or effort. What change made the biggest difference in your cleaning routine? submitted by /u/Swimming_Resolve9502 [link] [comments]”
“Hello, we just moved to a new house with a jet tub and assuming it has never been cleaned since 2009 that it was built. Have used Oh Yuk for 18 cycles now. Following advice both from AI summaries and this app, have tried 4oz, 8oz, turning jets off and soaking for hours, and continuous/back-to-bqck purges. Have also tried 6 or so cycles with dishwasher pods and white vinegar or bleach. After the first few cycles, pods+vinegar and pods+bleach cycles no longer bring any gunk out. However, running O”
“My gross roommate just moved out and I’m in the process of cleaning her room and bathroom. Where do I even start with this? I’ve scrubbed with that blue toilet bowl cleaner but I feel like it’s not doing the job good enough. What products do I use? She also has mold on the shower floor, I got a mold spray from Walmart, should I get anything else? Her carpet was also disgusting, I’m going to rent a carpet cleaner from Home Depot, do you guys recommend any pet friendly carpet cleaner? submit”
“I used to finish cleaning a room and feel like I was done only to notice later that the room still did not feel completely clean. I eventually realized I was often forgetting the small areas that collect dust and dirt over time. Now after cleaning the main surfaces I take a quick look at the edges of the room around furniture and other spots that are easy to overlook. I also try to clean from top to bottom so dust that falls onto lower surfaces can be cleaned afterward. Finally I leave the floor”
“Any general tips for glowing up my bathroom? I hate the overall yellow-ish and calcium feel of everything and don't get me started on the old floors. Where do I start? submitted by /u/bird_underground [link] [comments]”
“I’m looking for advice on how to clean the yellow/brown discoloration on my apartment’s acrylic bathtub. So far, I’ve tried: Bar Keepers Friend powder A regular scrubbing brush An abrasive grout/tile/tub scrubber Bleach-based bathroom cleaner None of them removed the staining. The tub still feels smooth, but I’m worried about using anything stronger or more abrasive because I don’t want to scratch, dull, or permanently damage the acrylic finish especially since this is a rental. Has anyone dealt”
“hi, i just moved into a new apartment and im doing some deep cleaning and these yellow streaks are everywhere in my bedroom all along the trim. does anyone know what it could be?? i scrubbed with cleaner and put in a lot of elbow grease and it will not come off. i also need the paint to not come with it haha. thank you!! submitted by /u/BoysenberryOk1066 [link] [comments]”
“When we first moved into our house this was spotless, but after having a ceramic toothbrush holder there for 6 months (with regular bi-weekly cleaning) it began to yellow over time Fast-forward to almost 2 years here it’s never coming out regardless of products we’ve used, even spirit vinegar and baking soda and everything we’ve tried I’m showing the unclean still dusty photo because we don’t want to put any products on this without getting advice first on how to get this out please :) sub”
“hi, sorry for posting again i am disabled and in my mid 20’s, begging for help! i was never taught how to clean (even the most basic things). i watch tutorials and have even read a bit of some cleaning books but i still have no clue how i am supposed to clean! everyone says different.. i get overwhelmed and have no clue how i am supposed to clean, with what products, how to use the products and how often. does anyone by any chance have any resources or recommendations that could help me? i am au”
“I have been trying to make my bathroom cleaning routine better and I noticed that small grooming habits can create extra mess if they are not handled properly. For example after trimming small things like nose hairs or doing other personal grooming tiny pieces can easily end up around the sink area and become annoying to clean later. I started checking the sink and counter after grooming and doing a quick wipe so the bathroom stays neat. I am curious how others keep their bathroom clean during d”
“I moved into an apartment with a newly refinished tub about 9 months ago (not a super great refinish job as it starting peeling within my first month here lol) but I bought this new bleach foaming bathroom cleaner recently. I sprayed it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes… and it turned bright yellow exactly where I sprayed it. It’s like lemonade yellow, the picture does not do it justice. I’m afraid it may have caused a chemical reaction and permanently damaged the tub. Any ideas on how I co”
“Hey guys! So my fiance and I just purchased a home. This is the state of the shower. Apparently it’s from the previous homeowners hair dye (idk that’s what they said) Any idea on what I can put on this to get it off. I’m tired of looking at it. Idk if I should use CLR or maybe toilet bowl cleaner?? Thanks! submitted by /u/Significant_Pen9376 [link] [comments]”
“I'm waiting for that satisfaction people say they experience when they clean- of putting something in order. I don't understand how that satisfaction happens. I was never taught how to clean growing up, i've been learning by the skin of my teeth, and it is the most depressing experience I could imagine. Scrubbing the same dish over and over again after multiple dries because a new spot appears. Vacuuming but never being able to get all the things off the floor. Sweeping, but not gett”
“I moved into an apartment with a newly refinished tub about 9 months ago (not a super great refinish job as it starting peeling within my first month here lol) but I bought this new bleach foaming bathroom cleaner recently. I sprayed it on and let it sit for about 10 minutes… and it turned bright yellow exactly where I sprayed it. It’s like lemonade yellow, the picture does not do it justice. I’m afraid it may have caused a chemical reaction and permanently damaged the tub. Any ideas on how I co”
“any ideas on how to clean up this mlp figurine? submitted by /u/cameronpierce444 [link] [comments]”