As much as I enjoy unwinding in the bath after a long day, I find cleaning my bathtub a lot less relaxing. Fortunately, I’ve discovered a bathtub cleaning trick that makes this particular chore a lot easier!
You only need a broom and some dish soap to do it (although if your tub is seriously grimy, I’d recommend upgrading to my two-ingredient tub and shower cleaner). Ready to see how this trick works?
How to Clean Your Bathtub With a Broom
You’ll need:
*I recommend using a new broom for this purpose because a dirty broom won’t get you very far! Pick up the cheapest one you can find and reserve it for cleaning your tub.
Directions:
Step 1 – Add Soap
Grab a bottle of dish soap and squirt some onto the bottom and sides of your bathtub.
Step 2 – Scrub With the Broom
Get the broom slightly wet, then use it to scrub the soap around the tub. The scrubbing action of the bristles and the grease-cutting action of the dish soap will break up any soap scum, mildew, and other residues that may have built up in your bathtub.
Step 3 – Rinse the Tub Clean
Finally, grab a cup, bucket, or your shower wand (if you have one), and use it to rinse all of the soap and loosened grime down the drain. Then stand back and admire your clean, shiny bathtub!
Less Bending & Reaching = Less Pain!
While anyone can use this cleaning trick to get their tub clean in a flash, it can be especially beneficial for people with limited mobility. Using a long-handled broom to scrub your bathtub eliminates the need to bend, stretch, or kneel to get at those hard-to-reach spots, making it a lot less painful!
So if you or someone you love has limited mobility due to arthritis, injuries, age, or any other mobility-restricting condition, make sure they know about this tip! After all, you shouldn’t have to endure discomfort or soreness just to keep your tub clean.
BONUS: 2 More Bathtub Cleaning Tips
Tip #1 – Use Baking Soda to Erase Stubborn Stains
Can’t seem to get rid of a particularly stubborn stain? Take a handful of baking soda and add enough water to create a paste, then apply the baking soda paste to the stain.
Let it sit for a few hours to dry, then wipe up the paste and try scrubbing the stain again. You’ll be able to erase it much more easily!
Tip #2 – Wipe Out Your Tub Frequently
About once a week, take a few seconds after getting out of the bath to wipe down your tub with a microfiber cloth. The cloth will pick up lingering water and soap residue and keep your bathtub cleaner over time.
What’s your best cleaning trick for bathtubs and showers?
More Ideas You'll Love
Here’s my trick/hack to keep the tub clean. I have a shower squeegee that I bought at Home Depot. After I shower, I use it on the sides of the tub (as well as the tile walls and sliding shower doors). This really helps to stay on top of the soap scum/grime that accumulates. My tub has lost the smooth glazing, so this daily hack makes it a lot easier when I do the “big” tub cleaning. Also, I’ve use toilet bowl cleaner (in place of Dawn) on the tub as well.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love the broom for cleaning the tub! I use a scrubber with an extension handle. I am going to use Dawn next time though.
As far as the broom, my mother had linoleum floors 50-60 years ago, and I remember her using a broom to scrub the floor then mopping. I recently used this method to clean my kitchen floor. It worked great.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I hired a team for cleaning the house from NILMAR It’s less expensive and did very efficient work!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi, I love this idea, but my comment has more to do with the “dawn” soap you referred to using. I love dawn and if dawn won’t clean it then throw it away . However I just learned that Dawn tests on animals. All those commercials about using dawn to help animals then to find out they test on them, I was shocked & immediately sent an email, although I haven’t received a reply. I just wanted to mention this because I don’t know how many are aware of this. Thanks so much
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would love to know how to get a yellowish tub,white..I think I read one time if you use any kind of chemicals in your tub, they can go into the pores of the tub and make it look yellow.Maybe it’s th e bleach I have used on it,not sure.Any ideas from anyone on how to get it to look white again?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It depends on what material your tub is made from. Acrylic, fiberglass, enamel, etc. may use different products. Find out what yours is and check labels or ask janitorial store personnel for help.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Ok, this is totally unrelated to the post, but Jillee, I love those pants!! I love chino ankle pants, but have such a hard time finding ones that are not to snug fitting. I’ve often bought them a size too big and then taken up the waist, just to keep them from being clingy on my butt and legs.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Will this work on glass shower doors? It’s nearly impossible to get them clean (especially where they overlap).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sure Deborah, I would definitely give it a try. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been using this trick for a few years now. It is so great! I have Fibromyalgia and arthritis so having this trick to use makes it much less painful to clean my tub. Plus it makes it quicker and easier than any other method I’ve tried! I wouldn’t advise using a dollar store broom though. I tried that and those brooms tend to bend easily as the handles are made of aluminum (I believe).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks, Jillee! Great idea. I started using one of those dish scrubbers that you can fill with soap. It has a scrubby on the face if it and works really well. If it was longer, it would be even better.Love your post, keep up the good work!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found this scrubber with an extending handle to clean my tubs with. I love it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.https://amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Extendable-Scrubber/dp/B00L9X4WCE/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2MJNATNEFLEZP&dchild=1&keywords=long+handled+scrubber&qid=1595344553&sprefix=lond+handled+scrub%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-3
Thank you! Now can you help me find a very long and narrow bottle brush? I have a bottle from France that has a very narrow neck and is 13″ high. I can not find a bottle brush that will clean it.
Try a straw cleaner.
The last time I read this post I incorporated the broom trick. It’s great! Now I am going to try the baking soda trick to remove a stubborn stain. Thanks, Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Glad you have had success with this trick, Jo. I think you will love the baking soda addition.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Another tip for clearing slow drains is to drop a couple of denture tablets down the drain followed by a couple of cups of heated vinegar. Let sit for an hour or so and rinse with boiling water. Pick up the tablets at the dollar store, usually 16 in a box for $1.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for re-posting this. I’ve tried to explain this trick to my mom and she had a hard time picturing it. I’ve been trying to tell her this would be much easier on her knees and arthritis pain.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Girl this is absolutely genius. I have back problems and cleaning my tub has been a chore to say the least. I can do this with hardly any problems. Thank you so much for sharing this insanely way of cleaning my tub.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A friend of ours uses a Swiffer wet pad to clean the tub surround. It’s not much for the tub itself, as it is not flexible, but works a treat on the walls.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My first husband was a hairy fellow and his shower could get rather furry. The first step to clean it was VACUUM IT. With the hair gone, any cleaning method was so much easier!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We have about 6 hard blue plastic 5 gallon bucket lids. I dislike just putting them into the garbage. Do you have any idea how we could use them. They have a nice rim and they are tough, not really flexible. Thanks to anyone with an idea.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use them under potted plants inside/outside. The lid will catch any excess water.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve never thanked anyone for a pin before, but just had to this time. The Dawn worked like a charm!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use the wash and wax car wash soap on my acrylic tubs. After 5 years they still look new.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s so funny! I don’t use a broom; instead I have a toilet brush that’s used specifically for cleaning the tub and shower. It has been so much easier on my back since I started doing it this way.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For the tub cleaner, do you start with water and then add the dawn and vinegar? If so, how much water? Or, just combine the dawn and vinegar, no water added to the mix?
Will this also remove the mildew that gathers along the edge of the tub and tends to be under the caulk? Or do you have some other DYI cleaner for this?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do not add any water. :-) Yes, it is great for mildew. However, if you have mildew inside of/underneath your caulking, then I would recommend replacing the caulking – not many cleaners can fix this issue once it starts.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Where was the vinegar in this post? I just saw Dawn and a broom. I’ve started using a room, so much easier and the tub gets ral clean, even my old tub!
I only have Dawn ultra apple harvest scent. I hope it works.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use dawn and a mr. clean eraser, to clean the tub. It works like magic, lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been using dawn for years, I have several tricks I’ve discovered over that time by using it as a last resort in cleaning something, it ends up cleaning many things really really well. I’ll list some I use off the top of my head.
1. Stubborn grease stain or food stain on fabric. Apply undiluted to the spot and agitate gently with your fingers. Toss in laundry wash. Sometimes I just add a squirt to laundry wash when I’m washing my clothes from the restaurant job.
2. Shower, bath and floors, stripes the dirt right off the floor in usually one pass. Leaves most floors without streaks.
3. To wash paint brushes especially oil paint. This tip works if you wash immediately after painting. If you can’t wash right away, fill a small container with water and mix in a squirt of dawn, let the brushes soak until you can get to them. When ready to wash apply undiluted dawn to the brushes. Works well with latex paint brushes too. Extra tip, I found wd-40 works to remove enamel paint if you don’t have paint thinner.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My shower floor is small tiles. Is there any reason not to just pour bleach over it and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Bleach is pretty heavy-duty for regular cleanings! That method is great every once in a while, but I would clean with something a little more gentle for most regular cleanings :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I will use dawn on my husbands shower, with a broom. I did use a broom one time on my basement tub once when we had a flood and it really helped get to the back of the tub where the sliding doors are in the way.
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