This is, uh, for a friend of mine.
Let’s say that there was this bathtub and it hadn’t been cleaned in like…a really long time. And that someone decided to clean it, but this person had cleaned exactly one (well, maybe two) bathtub(s) in their life and did it by spraying a bunch of Windex-type stuff on it and scrubbing. Let’s say he thought there was a better way, but wasn’t sure.
What advice would you have for this person?
Oh, my.
Well, I would probably tell that person (after pointing out that one should ALWAYS open a window, because passing out and hitting one’s head from the fumes is not a good thing) that they need to buy some Comet. Wet down the tub and the corners around it (are we talking shower stall tub, or standalone tub?) And let sit for about 5 minutes. Take a scotch brite scrubber, and put some elbow grease into it. Rinse. Repeat if necessary.
Oh. And, when that person is done, he should do the exact same thing to the toilet, because no woman is going to ever, EVER stay over if she finds the toilet too disgusting to pee in.
What I’m about to advise is overkill but this is what I would do if I were your friend:
Wet the surfaces of the tub and then spray a good thick layer of Dow Scrubbing Bubbles all over the tub. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. That stuff will really take off a lot of scum.
Use a wet sponge to wipe down the tub and rinse thoroughly. If the tub is still scummy or if it’s fiberglass, do the same thing again.
If the tub is porcelain, scrub it down with Ajax or Comet or something like that. Rinse very thoroughly.
Fill the tub with hot water and dump a ton of bleach in. Let it sit a while, then drain the tub and rinse thoroughly.
Also, your friend should clean the sink using either the Ajax or the Scrubbing Bubbles to get rid of the shaving cream scum and hair and toothpaste scum. He should also clean the floor and, as Maureen said, the toilet also.
Along with the long ball, chicks dig clean bathrooms.
Since this is the SDMB I probably don’t need to mention this, buuuuuutttt…
Be very careful not to mix Comet with any other product containing bleach. Makes deadly chlorine gas, ya know.
If using an abrasive cleaner (like Comet or Ajax), be careful not to scratch up your tub. But if you think that type of cleaner will be ok for it, I should say I have had extremely good luck with Barkeeper’s Friend. Haven’t met a stain yet that it couldn’t take care of.
Also, if you DO have a shower stall, use X-14 on the walls. But, as Cherry2000 said, ONLY after the Comet has been rinsed off. (Which was the reason I said open the bloody window.)
Whatever you use, you’re going to have to put some elbow grease in it.
Also, don’t just apply and then wipe off. Whatever you use, give it 5 or 10 minutes to work before scrubbing.
Don’t use Comet, Ajax or any of the powders on fiberglass or vinyl.
Finally, after you get it clean, spray one of the “Shower Mist” type products every time you use the tub. They actually do help keep things clean. The ones from the dollar store are just as good as the more expensive brands.
Get some cleaner that has phosphoric acid. “The Works” brand does. This stuff will eat soap scum, crust, funk, scale, you name it. Spray it on, let it set, clean it off.
I think this needs to be addressed a little more in depth for… well… myyy frieeend.
My friend likes to overdo it when it comes to cleaning, using a cleaner, then pure bleach to kill all of his dirty roomates’ germs. I… um… He hasn’t had any problem yet. what should be avoided?
Also, a little bit of advice: After you clean all of those things previously mentioned, get a can of lysol… spray the door handles, light switches, and faucets for the sink. They hold a ton of bacteria, crap, etc that you never realize that you are touching. Lysol will kill it and you will be happy and healthy.
Finally, take your toothbrush and soak it in some listerine to kill those germs that get on it from when you flush the toilet with the seat up. You’d be surprised how far those germs fly. Quite disgusting to think you have fecal matter on your toothbrush. Soak it for about fifteen minutes (just the bristles) and you will be a-o-k
Get a bottle of Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. Spray it all over the tub; give it a good shot. Sponge it around to cover all surfaces. Then let it sit for awhile (half an hour should be good). Then sponge it off with hot water. The Lysol will dissolve a surprising amount of crud and minimize any need for “elbow grease”.
Wet the surface thoroughly, sprinkle on a bunch of oxygen bleach-based cleanser, let it sit for a while, then scrub and rinse.
Some more hints. First, your arsenal:
Now, your progression.
First Evolution - bathtub and environs
Close the drain on your tub and squirt Soft Scrub liberally on pretty much everything. Use the rough side of one sponge to spread it around. Rub aggressively anywhere you think needs a little extra oomph. Let this sit while you do the inside of the toilet bowl with the sponge. Move anything that’s not bolted or glued down out of the bathroom and then wipe down every horizontal surface in the bathroom with Lysol wipes, including the floor.
Second Evolution - bathtub’s revenge
Use the heavy scrub brush to attack anything visibly dirty in the tub. Ensure that you make two complete passes over the tub with the heavy brush and Soft Scrub. Splash Pine-Sol liberally into the bottom of the mop bucket. Turn on scalding hot water and half-fill your mop bucket. Place it in the corner nearest the tub. Splash a few capfuls of bleach into the tub. While the tub continues to fill, stand near it and mop the rest of the floor.
Third Evolution - first beer
Turn off the scalding hot water. Drink your first beer while the floor dries. Go play some cards or post to Straight Dope.
Fourth Evolution - son of bathtub
When the water is cool enough that you can reach the drain, open the drain and empty the tub. Use a clean sponge to pick up any “ring” that may be left over. Rinse the tub in the coldest water that will come out of your tap. Dip the newest sponge into your mop bucket and use it to Pine-Sol the tub. Rinse again. Detail all metal and metallic surfaces with baby oil. Wipe down the entire toilet with Lysol wipes and detail the rim of the bowl – but not the seat!! – with baby oil to make the next round of dust and crud removal easier.
Fifth Evolution - second beer
Put away your supplies and drink your second beer.
…aaaaaand the most important hint of all: maintaining cleanliness is always easier than acheiving it. Having worked your buns off to get your… excuse me, his bathtub, and I hope the rest of the bathroom, clean, tell your, ahem, “friend” to put in a little effort to keep it that way. You’ll have to do a little experimenting to see how often you need to clean, but assuming you’re living alone or with one or two other adults, try washing the tub, sink, toilet, and floor once a week. If it seems like a lot of work to get something clean again, try cleaning that item twice a week. If you genuinely cannot tell the difference between the part of, say, the floor you just washed and the part you haven’t gotten to yet, and you search your soul and know you’re not just kidding yourself because washing the floor isn’t nearly as much fun as reading the SDMB, then you might be able to get away with every other week. (Or maybe just do the area around the toilet weekly, in case your “friend” or some of his guests have bad aim. 
)
For this, you don’t need to drag out the big guns or scrub 'till your knuckles bleed; any mild bathroom cleanser and a little scrubbing will be able to keep the place clean once you’ve done the groundwork. Fifteen or twenty minutes a week, and the chicks will dig it 
The easiest solution for your ‘friend’ is to move.
Elbow grease, indeed.
The greener solution: Make a past of cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide. Smear on tub, waiting an hour and rinse clean. Follow with a half vinegar, half water rinse.
Actually, I’m going to reccommend a cleaner that others have not mentioned: Tri-sodium Phosphate. You can usually find it (referred to as TSP) in hardware stores for cleaning garage floors.
Advantages:[ul]
[li]It’s a rather powerful base, and will lift off a LOT of crap [/li][li]No fumes[/li][li]No interaction problems with bleach nor ammonia (Of course if you’re silly enough to use both those plus TSP, all bets are off)[/li][/ul]
However, nothing is perfect.
Disadvantages:[ul]
[li]Phosphates aren’t the best thing to be sending down the drain. As long as this is a rare cleaning evolution it’s not likely to be a problem, but it is an issue for clogging water water and runoff lines with growth.[/li][li]TSP isn’t a strong base, it’s a weak one, chemically. That doesn’t mean that it can’t burn you, however - rather it means that it’s actually harder to neutralize than a strong base would be, because it’s self-buffering. So, be careful around it. At least if you want skin on your hands. And people look at you oddly if you don’t have fingerprints for a week, or so. [/li][li]Related to the above: a little goes a long way, sprinkle some onto the surface you’re going to clean, and soak it with water. Don’t let it sit too long. [/li][/ul]
TSP is good for cleaning procelain and metal surfaces. I’d be a little leery of using it on plastic, however. Some lab grade plastics do stand up to quite well. Others don’t, AIUI.
Steam.
High pressure steam-shooters for home use are DA BOMB.
Comet HAS bleach in it. Do not combine with AMMONIA or VINEGAR or any acid. That releases deadly chlorine gas. It also is very abrasive, and should not be used on fiberglass. Baking soda is safer, greener, and works good.
A good bleach alternative is hydrogen peroxide. It is just as deadly to bacteria and viruses without the smell and it breaks down into water and oxygen. It will remove stains and break down organic material like skin and hair. 3% is household strength and is used to clean wounds, etc. 30% will oxidize the skin off your hands. Unless you want to be really, really white…stick with household strength. Often bleach and peroxide just whiten stains. If you don’t remove the debris, it will just stain again.
Vinegar and phosphoric acid are only going to be good for hard water stains (lime, rust, etc.). You will want prolonged delivery to dissolve the crust. I like soaking a paper towel in vinegar and sticking it to the wall to treat lime on a vertical surface.
Comet gel, soft scrub, etc. are good for general cleaning to prevent build up, but in my experience don’t remove build up.
Elbow grease is the best option for eliminating crud completely
Now…who knows how to get mildew stains off of caulk?
Minor nitpick. Ammonia is not an acid, it’s a very strong alkaline, (NH4), and will react with products like chlorine bleach (HOCl) to produce chlorine gas.
Vinegar is acetic acid, (C2H4O2) as are common toilet cleaners that contain another form of chlorine, HCl.
Mixing these things together will cause the release of chlorine gas, but not because they are ‘acids’, necessarily.
What’s important is the chemical reaction that is possible when mixing two compounds, not always whether these compunds are acids or alkalines.
I recently bought a scrubbing pad mounted on a telescoping handle. Boy, does that cut down the labor involved in scrubbing a tub. There’s no need to get down on your hands and knees, and the pad turns in any direction so you can use it on the tub and on the tiles. I just wet everything down, sprinkle on Comet and scrub everything well, and let the water/Comet paste sit for a bit to get the bleach in it working. A quick rinse and it’s all done.