For many people, their bathroom is their own private haven. The bath is where people can really be themselves—stripped of their fears, worries and pretenses—and cleansed of the dirt and pollution that is part of their everyday life. It’s a place for recharging, relaxing and getting refreshed.

But many people take their bathrooms for granted. Bathtubs have rings of oil or soap residue. Bathroom tiles need major cleaning and scrubbing. Faucet areas sometimes have molds growing in the corners. Toilet bowls and water closets are never clean enough. There’s always a pile of clothes or wet towels lying around in this all-important room.

Did you know that people who come to your house form their opinion of you based on what your bathroom looks like?

Here are five helpful tips to make your bathroom project a positive image of you:

1. Mold and mildew from bathtub and shower. Remove mold and mildew from around your bathtub or shower with a diluted solution of chlorine bleach in water (one cup bleach to three cups of water, increasing the bleach as necessary).
Spray—or sponge on—this simple mixture, then wait a few minutes. When it’s time, rinse the area well with clean water. Goodbye to goo and mildew!

2. Toilet bowl rings. These nasty rings are caused by alkaline which is present in your water. Pour one or two cups of white vinegar into the toilet once a month to eliminate this problem. If it doesn’t work for your bowl, just increase the amount of vinegar.

3. Dull mirrors. When your bathroom mirror becomes dull from hairspray or toothpaste splash build-up, wipe the offending film off with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. The better to see your image, my dear.

4. Clogged drains in your sink. Here’s a nifty tip to unclog the sink drain. Drop 3 Alka-Seltzer pills down the drain. Then pour a cup of white vinegar. Wait for a few minutes, and then run the warm water if you have a built-in heater. Otherwise, just pour hot water down the drain. It will be running freely again, in no time.

5. Urine odor from tile and grout—Yuck! To remove urine odor from tile and grout, you need to completely remove the odor source. Pour baking soda on the spots with offensive smells. Then use a quality household scrubber to clean the surface with bleach and detergent soap.

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