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All your new bathroom fixtures and surfaces have protective coatings that help preserve their appearance and performance. But just because they’re protected, doesn’t mean they’re bulletproof. By keeping these surfaces clean and taking preventative measures to avoid damaging them, you’ll be able to better preserve their look and functionality throughout your time with them.

Care and Maintenance

Follow these care and maintenance suggestions for your home’s bath fixtures.

General Care Guidelines

Run exhaust fans or open windows to remove moisture from the bathroom.

Don’t use sinks, bathtubs, showers, or other bath fixtures to hold paint cans, trash, or tools.

Cover plumbing fixtures when you’re painting walls and ceilings.

Don’t step into a bathtub or shower stall with shoes on. Shoe soles carry gritty particles that can scratch the surface.

Don’t dispose of photographic developing solutions in sinks, tubs, or toilets. Developer stains are extremely difficult to remove.

Mirrors

Clean mirrors with an ammonia-free cleaner. Using ammonia-based mirror cleaners will cause de-silvering along the edges of the mirrors.

Showers

Wipe the shower area dry after each use.

Clean the shower with an ordinary dishwashing detergent unless hard water minerals have been deposited. Use Rain-X®* on glass to help reduce watermarks.

*Rain-X® is a registered trademark of SOPUS Products.

Never use steel wool or scouring pads on the metal portion of shower enclosures. They remove the protective finish applied by the manufacturer and cause unsightly scratches.

Make sure water isn’t escaping the shower enclosure. If it is escaping, make sure the door is completely closed.

If hard water minerals have been deposited, use a commercial glass cleaner containing ammonia or 1 tablespoon of household ammonia diluted in 1 quart of water.

Bathtubs

Clean bathtub with a foaming bath and tile cleaner to remove normal soil.

Never use any type of abrasive to clean the bathtub.

Don’t use the tub spout as a support when getting in or out of the tub. Using the spout as a support may permanently damage it.

Fiberglass Bathtubs and Showers

Use special fiberglass cleaners, which are available at most supermarkets. Spray window cleaners also are effective.

For long-term protection, wax your fiberglass units with high-quality automobile wax immediately upon move-in and after each major cleaning.

Never use powdered cleansers or any type of abrasive on fiberglass tubs and showers.

Toilets

See Toilets

Caulking

See Interior Caulking