Maintaining the Newly-Remodeled Look of Your Bathroom
Bathroom Maintenance
You recently had the master bathroom in your house completely remodeled. Everything is new and sparkling clean, and you want to keep the room looking that way. If you follow The Viking Craftsman’s suggestions for bathroom maintenance, your luxurious bathroom will keep its newly-remodeled look.
Bathtub and Shower
If you have tile in your bathroom, regularly inspect the caulk and the grout. The caulk should have a good bead without any cracks or breaks in it. Water can get between damaged caulk and your wall, causing mold and other problems. Grout should not have any cracks or holes in it. Just as with caulk, broken grout creates a path for water to get between the tiles and the walls. You won’t know there’s a problem until the tiny bit of leaking water causes major damage.
When you see white material or black mold on your shower doors, especially near the bottom, lift the doors out of the tracks. Clean the doors thoroughly and inspect the tracks. If the tracks are filled with standing water, drill tiny holes on the interior side of the channel and let the water drain into the tub. Clean the channels before reinserting the doors.
Floors
Bathroom floors need to be cleaned as often kitchen floors and other high traffic areas in your house. If your floor is tile-covered, inspect the tiles for cracks and the grout for tiny holes or breaks. There is likely to be a wood floor under the tiles. The continual dripping of water through broken tiles or grout can cause mold to form or the wood to rot.
Bathmats and decorative bathroom rugs see foot traffic from shoe-clad feet, dirty shoeless feet and clean wet feet. The mats absorb a lot of water. Because air isn’t circulating through the mats, the mats remain damp, and mold forms very quickly. Bathmats, as well as the floor beneath them, need to be cleaned frequently.
Sinks
Bathroom sinks are often dirtier than kitchen sinks. Pull the drain stopper out every few weeks, remove the gunk buildup, soak the stopper in vinegar and then put it in the dishwasher.