Homeowners Struggle With Cleaning & Maintenance
Several posts express frustration with cleaning tasks, ranging from shower tile markings and OLED screen grime to mold smells and grease stains on clothing. Homeowners are seeking advice and solutions for these common household problems.
SOURCES (60)
“I always buy the fabric shower curtain liners, and they get moldy so fast! Washing/bleaching them doesn't usually help much, so I usually just replace them, which feels wasteful. I always close the curtains after getting out of the shower so they can dry properly.…”
“My husband and I just moved into this place last month and aren’t familiar with cleaning this type of shower and I’m not sure what kind of stone it is or how to properly clean it. Also pretty sure I’m starting to see spots of mold so I’m looking to do it properly submitted by /u/1218quiet [link] [comments]”
“Noted. Yeah, I wanna do it, plus the payday is good so. I do plan on removing everything and properly cleaning it.”
“Long story short im cleaning up my sister's house. She had a LOT of cats when she lived there. Her husband is in the military and got stationed somewhere else so they moved, and the house sat empty for a good few years. There is a very, VERY strong smell of cats and mildew. I've managed to reduce it significantly but it's definitely still there. I got a UV light and checked all around, and there were some spots that were very heavily spoiled. Pulling up the carpet is not an option un”
“Hello, please can anyone help with tips on how to clean all this gross stuff off my shower? I live in London in a hard water area, I’ve even tried scraping it off with a knife but it’s not budging - I can’t tell if it’s mould or a build up of limescale or what but any help would be greatly appreciated. I’ve tried vinegar, the pink stuff and bleach products Thank you! submitted by /u/AmbitiousFlow5127 [link] [comments]”
“My daughter moved into a house with shower glass that is incredibly cloudy. I tried my own trick of baking soda paste and it didn’t make a dent. Any ideas on how to conquer this? submitted by /u/LizziestLiz [link] [comments]”
“The bag isn’t moldy itself, it just smells like it was stored in the vicinity of mildew. Any tips would be great! submitted by /u/nonamouse1111 [link] [comments]”
“I clean my dishwasher trap and I store right side up. Why do my glasses smell musty? submitted by /u/SunburnedTomato [link] [comments]”
“Obviously a clean house mopped floors, trash taken out often, and dishwasher and drain cleaning often, will make it cleaner, however I am OCD so these things are done regularly (as in I can not sleep if my home isn't CLEAN) I mop and sweep 2 to 3 times a week trash goes out 2 to 3 times a week even if it isn't full depending on what goes in it (no pets). I also use the sprays on the furniture And we have a air purifier. However I feel like living in an older home especially with the orig”
“Hi I wonder if you could help me? I’m autistic and not very practical and really struggling to cope with a foul smell which seems to be triggered when I use the upstairs bath or bathroom sink or the washing machine. I live in the UK in a Victorian terrace. I’ve tried the following which hasn’t helped:- I checked under the manhole cover in the garden and water seems to be flowing fine (picture) I checked the main gully outside and although there a bit of black sludge I have cleaned around it and”
“I have a dresser and vanity that I bought a year ago from Amazon / Walmart that both have a fishy smell in the drawers. Over the past year I’ve tried deep cleaning/airing it out, baking soda, dryer sheets, air fresheners, etc. The smell isn’t as strong, but it’s still very noticeable. I just moved and brought the pieces with me, but really want to get rid of the smell before I put my clothes in the dresser and stuff in the vanity drawers. The material is ‘engineered wood’ if that helps. Is there”
“Is there a way to get rid of the smell - like an old musty smell? I notice it coming from my laundry sink and lawn chairs. Have tried leaving scented cleaners on them for a couple days and then rinsing, have scrubbed them with Pink Stuff, lawn chairs are out in sun and rain which hasn't helped. Has anyone found a way to eliminate or lessen this odour? Thanks! submitted by /u/CCR19 [link] [comments]”
“Thought about buying Zep and dousing it and letting it sit and then I guess maybe buying a nylon bristle brush drill and going to town but idk. submitted by /u/KabosuCheemz [link] [comments]”
“thank you! i have ran water regularly through the sink and the bath tub, i flush the toilet every now and again and even run the taps for a couple of minutes. unfortunately. that hasnt helped. the toilet has a normal amount of water in the bowl, and it remains filled when flushing. the toilet does not rock and feels solid. so the opening behind the toilet's waste pipe is a regular gap?”
“We’re moving out next week, so I’d really appreciate any advice on how to get it looking clean. Thanks! submitted by /u/Real_DCh101 [link] [comments]”
“We’re moving out next week, so I’d really appreciate any advice on how to get it looking clean. Thanks! submitted by /u/Real_DCh101 [link] [comments]”
“We’re moving out next week, so I’d really appreciate any advice on how to get it looking clean. Thanks! submitted by /u/Real_DCh101 [link] [comments]”
“Hi All I’ve recently bought my first home and well my budget is limited and I want to spruce up the bathroom. The shower enclosure has these dots on them and I wondered if anyone had any tips for how I could possibly remove them? I’m worried I might crack the glass with scraping… are there any cleaning products I could use to maybe dissolve/disrupt it to make it easier to remove? The bathroom is old and the longer I spend in there the more grossed out I feel… trying to find some cheaper methods”
“Hello plumbers, was just curious as to what solutions/products you guys would recommend for unclogging and deodorise a bathroom. The room has a noticeable pungent smell quite frequently, and I’m 95% the smell is coming from the shower and floor drains. Have tried baking soda and some cheaper products with minimal success. The help would be appreciated please and thank you. Hope you all have a great day. submitted by /u/kelpkelp12 [link] [comments]”
Any tips on this? submitted by /u/AppleTruffle17_ [link] [comments]
“Thrifted a pretty cool lamp but I want to clean off the gold base, how do you get rid of this kind of stain? submitted by /u/Iwannabecatwoman [link] [comments]”
“Background: Hello, it's me again from this post, with something else I need to clean! I have horrible contamination OCD, health anxiety, and have been depressed. You would think OCD would help, but my fear of making things worse or contaminating more surfaces if I do clean counteracts my ability to clean. I haven't cleaned my bathtub in 10 months and have been in a stress cleaning mode due to my cats having tapeworm and/or fleas. I was going to clean my tub this week, but there are spots”
“I have scoured this sub so much trying to find ways to keep my house smelling good but nothing seems to work and I am just wondering if there’s anyone in a similar situation that has found a solution. My home is on a dairy farm so the natural aroma outside is 💩 and inside is barn. I mop and vacuum our home every single day, open up windows if the wind is blowing the right direction to not flood the house with the scent of cow poo, I wash the walls biweekly and keep linens that absorb any scents”
“I don’t think it’s mold. It’s probably skin cells and wear and tear. I’d use a fabric cleaner and a brush. Wrap a microfiber rag around the brush and a good fabric cleaner and just scrub.”
“Inflatable water slide. Sitting outside for a while and had mildew on top. Tried dish soap. Also tried vinegar and scrubbing. It isn’t budging. submitted by /u/Starry_Knight_ [link] [comments]”
“I've got an orange residue of something-or-other down the sides and floor of my shower. Any advice on how to clean it up? submitted by /u/Quirky_Girl22 [link] [comments]”
“I'd spray it down very liberally and let it work for a little bit. Be prepared to do a few applications.”
“Could I please get some advice on getting rid of a strong sweat-like odour from a grey fabric sofa? I recently had my sofa professionally steam cleaned, and since then it has got a strong sweat/body odour throughout the entire couch—not just in the seams or areas that took longer to dry. I am not sure whether it's related to the cleaning process, moisture bringing out an existing odour, or something else. The smell is exactly of human sweat. There were no food spills on the sofa. So far I ha”
“The cleanliness of this shower has been neglected for the last few years and I’m getting around to making it less of a biohazard. As you can see I was able to de-funk it for the most part using Scrubbing Bubbles, but we’re on well water which has given the shower these orange stains that didn’t budge. Is there something I can use to remove the stains?? TIA! submitted by /u/aherring3 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all! my floor has started doing this weird thing where it gets all grainy instead of smooth as it should be. Let me add a bit of context: - i do clean and mop the floor often - this is basically all near the shower (which is next to the bathroom door) and expanda a little outside the bathroom - I don't know the material of the tiles It's just like there's some sort of crust layered on top of it, but it's definitely not junk and it does not go away when i mop any idea? how can”
“I did a deep clean of our shower this morning and noticed some dirt in there, and when I pulled it out, a bunch of black hair and gunk came out. 🤮 Then when I went to shower, I smelled mildew and freaked out. I went back in with q-tips, but I couldn't reach it all because of the door overlap. I'm horrified---we've lived here for seven months but I guess I never thought to get in there. How do I flush it out? submitted by /u/mizpixy [link] [comments]”
“I recently purchased a home with a very slight cigarette smell problem. It really isn't that bad, but you are hit with a cigarette smell upon walking in the home, and there is clearly residue on the wall that you can see because of picture frames that the previous owner has had hanging. You go completely nose blind to the smell within about 3 minutes or so, only 1 room seems to be badly affected by the smell, and in that room an air purifyer on plasma mode will kill the smell temporarily. I”
“Idk where this stain came from, but does anyone have any ideas or tips on how to remove it? It’s a blue-green stain :( submitted by /u/Weary_Fishing3306 [link] [comments]”
“I've used bleach, LA totally awesome bang, and bathroom scrubbing bubbles. Help! submitted by /u/Greenforests1158 [link] [comments]”
“We haven't been keeping good care of the shower tiles admittedly, and I was wondering if there are products that can clean this up well? I'm worried that the mold or whatever has penetrated the caulk itself and can't be scrubbed off. Edit(adding): Also, this is for an apartment; would re-caulking typically be something the tenant should take care of, or the landlord/maintenance people submitted by /u/Competitive_Ant2204 [link] [comments]”
“Any clothing in mine OR ny husband's dressers that isn't worn/washed within 3 weeks starts to smell off- like something that sat in an attic almost. Not mildew. Not BO or sweat. Just.... musty. This has been true for years, different dressers, different laundry detergents, different homes. I always use fragrance-free free/clear detergents- is this my issue? What causes the odor? submitted by /u/Squidbertz [link] [comments]”
“Hi ! I live with my brother and I’ve been so busy that I barely sit in the living room. I just noticed this stain. I don’t know what it is. How can I clean it please ? submitted by /u/overoverwhelmed123 [link] [comments]”
“I came looking for the “this isn’t a dishwasher” comment. Surprised to see people just helping for once 😂”
“Help! How do I get the grim off my shower cubicle floor? I’ve tried scrubby with bathroom spray and also scrubbing with a toothbrush and bleach. Thank you in advance x submitted by /u/ReputationOk9321 [link] [comments]”
“I have a fabric sectional that’s cream colour, but is looking kind of grey after a couple years. I have a small bissel cleaner but is there a solution I can buy in there that will lift stains easily. I’d rather try that first and not spend 500+ to hire someone. TIA submitted by /u/pardonmytits27 [link] [comments]”
“I don’t want to use harsh chemicals. submitted by /u/breathingMF [link] [comments]”
“I'm moving into a new flat, and the shower looks like this. It is particularly dirty between the tiles. So far, I tried applying bleach in spray with little success. Is there any ways to clean it? submitted by /u/Aru_growing [link] [comments]”
“I removed the old peel and stick floor tiles and scrubbed the old glue but the floor is still very dirty any tips on how to clean it ? submitted by /u/HauntingAd4228 [link] [comments]”
“Hi Cleaning community ❤️ Please can you help me with some advise on how to: Get these marks off the induction hob from cooking How to get this shower floor clean, it was already discolored when I moved in the other week. Then I think I made the mistake of trying to use pink stuff to lift the colour but looks worse now Any suggestions would be amazing whilst I get my cleaning skills up, lol Thank you! Xx submitted by /u/ssxg [link] [comments]”
“Stuck him in my pocket (he was my phone charm) and took it out shortly after to find out my jeans (I guess) had left some stains on him. I've tried lots, like Dawn dish soap (sat for 5 min in water) Windex Tide stain remover pen Spray-n-Wash (let it sit for about 5min) Goo Gone hand sanitizer (no 90% and above isopropyl) acetone eraser Magic Eraser I'm really out of options, and really bummed out because he is my favorite keychain. Although, I have read that vintage doll collectors have”
“My walls have this sort of texture. I'm unsure of how to clean it, and while there's no visual buildup of anything I suspect there's a large amount of cat urine on parts of the walls because my male cat has a tendency of trying to scrape his paws on surrounding walls after using the litter box. Any tips for how to clean something of this texture and specifically remove something like traces of urine? submitted by /u/Wandering-Glabella46 [link] [comments]”
“Please help. I am mortified at how bad I let this shower get. How would you guys attempt to clean this? Im not sure where to even start. submitted by /u/Raylansmama22 [link] [comments]”
“Smoke test, peppermint test. There may be a broken, or clogged, vent pipe somewhere in the house... A bird or a squirrel might have fallen down the roof vent... Someone could have hammered a nail through a pipe... Also, scope the main line. See if there are roots, blockages, collapsed parts...”
“Bathroom ventilation is poor any suggestions to help that as well would be appreciated not sure how much precaution I need when helping clean out this mold submitted by /u/YardHood [link] [comments]”
“I take full responsibility for putting candles directly on the dresser surface. Any ideas if it’s at all possible to mitigate the stains? Thanks submitted by /u/SunflowerMom1101 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, Me & my partner moved into a rented house and cleaned everywhere on the first day. One of the cupboards in the kitchen has a bad smell, i’m not too sure what it is, it smells like old spices if that makes sense and it’s very strong, and we cleaned it thinking the smell would go. but the smell is still there, we’ve tried airing the cupboard overnight, recleaning it, etc (i used just normal kitchen spray and a scrub daddy) and we just can’t shift this smell. I was wondering if anyone k”
“I've lived in this rental home with my parents for about 6 years now, and mold has been a problem since we moved in. My bathroom is a Jack-and-Jill with a water closet for the toilet and shower, with the sinks separate. There is only a small window for any steam to get out, and I leave it open all the time since I don't have an extractor fan. I even leave both doors entering the bathroom open with my bedroom fan blowing in, but mold STILL finds a way to grow. It's been driving me nut”
“Just got this and didn’t realize there was cat per on it. Dried. Is there any way I can get the smell out? I tried sprinkling baking soda and vacuuming it off but didn’t help. Lightly sprayed urine remover and blotted, didn’t help. It’s an early 1970s velvet chair cushion submitted by /u/Conscious_Peach1069 [link] [comments]”