This Weird Trick Is the Best Way to Clean Your Bathtub

bathtub cleaning trick

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

bathtub cleaning trick

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:

bathtub cleaning trick

Step 1 – Add Soap

Grab a bottle of dish soap and squirt some onto the bottom and sides of your bathtub.

bathtub cleaning trick

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.

bathtub cleaning trick

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!

Put dish soap in the tub and use a broom to scrub it clean.
Cleaning your bathtub with a broom and shaving cream is easy on your back and knees!

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!

bathtub cleaning trick

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.

bathtub cleaning trick

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?

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Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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117 Comments

  1. I use a child’s broom and mop for places hard to reach with a big broom.

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  2. I have an antique bathtub. does it work for that? I don’t want to buy a new broom if it doesn’t. My tub is old and somewhat pitted on the bottom.

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    • So is my tub. An old tub won’t be like new of course, but this way will be the easiest, and it will be clean with a lot less wear and tear on you.

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  3. Jillee, I use a broom for many cleaning chores. I’ll even put a rug in the tub and use a variation of your method. I like all of your tips and none of them seem weird to me (unlike all the ads for cures for removing belly fat, toenail fungus, and every gross ailment on the planet with “try this one weird trick”). Look forward to each and every email. Thanks Jillee.

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    • Hahaha! I am so sick of the animated belly fat ones!

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      • Haha. Thought it was just me! Leave the belly fat out of it!

  4. Will be trying this tip! Does the Dawn/vinegar shower cleaner need to be made fresh each time so the vinegar will be hot when used? Can the mixture be reheated in the microwave?

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    • No need to reheat it – just heat it up for the initial mixing :-)

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  5. Appreciate the idea of a broom/mop because of mobility issues but the soft/flexible water guard on the bottom of my over bath shower screen has marked visible (though not ‘feelable’) lines on the surface of my good quality acrylic bath so I use a soft cloth to clean mine, with what we in GB call washing up liquid – usually Fairy! Can American Jillee followers please help a Scot with explanation as to difference between Dawn dish soap and any other dish washing liquid?

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    • Dawn is a grease cutter. If you soak anything in Dawn for 10 minutes, all the grease just disappears. It’s so good that environmental groups use Dawn to wash birds caught in oil spills. I couldn’t live without it…hope that helps.

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    • Beth..there are other good dish liquids out there but Dawn is noted for cutting through grease and grime so much better.My sisters use it religiously on laundry stains,they love itI believe it’s one of the best for many different things.

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    • I’ve read in the past that Dawn and Fairy are pretty much the same thing. Don’t know it for a fact.

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      • Thanks for that Pam because the cost of Dawn in UK is prohibitive! I’ve used Fairy washing up liquid for years to clean all sorts of things, (as did my mum) so I can now continue without feeling deprived!

      • They are!

    • Fairy liquid is very similar to Dawn – it will work really well!

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  6. I use the swifter mop and attach a micro cleaning cloth. I’ll have to try the broom, sounds great!

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  7. Can you use a rubber broom or does it have to be a “normal” broom? I have dogs, so I purchased a rubber broom a few years ago, and never went back to the “normal” brooms, but would love to give this a try in my tub.

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    • Although I haven’t ever tried one, I think a rubber broom will work wonderfully!

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  8. I’ve been using my string mop for years to scrub my tub and the tub surround. I’m going to give the broom a try to see if it’s as good.

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    • I think the mop is better because it can hit the curves of the tub ! Used to be my method too until I got the spin scrubber

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  9. Very good, For real I will now be showering with my BROOM!
    (I wish I could vote on my own comments.)
    I love ideas outside the box in life, keep them coming.

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  10. I use my drill & attach a round brush to it! I also use this method to clean the grout in my kitchen floor then I reseal it!

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    • I have one of those, just haven’t tried it yet! It still involves getting down on the floor or edge of the tub and my body parts just can’t take it anymore. I like this broom idea!

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    • i use shampoo that i don’t like. i heard the cleaning people in motels use shampoo.

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    • I do,too, Jill! I’m “differently- abled” and have limited mobility. It helps to sit in my shower chair while cleaning my tub/shower with my trusty drill with a 12″ bit extension and brushes. I also use it to clean my cabinet doors with Murphy’s Oil Soap.

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