Caulk remover tools are easier to use than utility knives or blades. Image: Yellow Brick HomeHow to remove bathroom caulk? With patience — and plenty of it. It’s not hard to do, but if you rush it, you’ll regret it. Plus, a little patience pays off by making the job much, much easier.How to Remove Old Caulk in 4 Easy StepsStep 1. Apply a caulk remover, such as 3M caulk remover or McKanica silicone caulk remover gel. The directions say to wait 2 or 3 hours, but the longer you wait, the easier it will come off. If it’s a particularly tough job — such as very old, hardened caulk or multiple layers — wait 24 hours.While you’re waiting for the caulk to soften, browse our pictures of home improvements gone bad. They’ll inspire you to do the job right while tickling your funny bone.Use a caulk remover tool to pry the caulk loose. Pros use a utility knife or blade, but don’t be tempted unless your hands are as steady as a surgeon’s. Otherwise, you could damage the tub, sink, shower, or wall you’re trying to improve.

Most of the caulk should come off easily in long strips, although you might need to use needle-nose pliers or tweezers to pull out some bits.Caulk remover tool By the way, did you know that the word “caulk” originated from boat builders who needed something to seal their boats? Plastic Container With Handle And LidToday, most manufacturers label home-use caulk as “sealant.”Hotel With Private Hot Tub CaliforniaUsing a small putty knife, toothbrush, and/or the hook end of a 5-in-1 painter’s tool (see picture below), scrape any remaining bits of caulk lose (this step, too, requires a bit of patience).Prom Mini Dresses 2013Clean the surface using alcohol. Then kill any mold or mildew with a mixture of 1/3 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water.

Allow to completely air dry (again, patience) before applying new caulk.TIP: If you’re planning to re-caulk a tiled shower or bathtub wall, deep clean the tile before you remove the old caulk. Soap scum and other surface grime can inhibit the caulk’s ability to adhere. You don’t want water to get behind the tile and into your wall, which can create a nasty mold and mildew problem. Check out these bathroom remodeling tips from home owners who’ve been through it.A Roundup of Tub OptionsTry Adding a Bathroom Backsplash for a Stylish TouchWhether cozy, sleek or luxurious, hotel baths are the perfect getaway. Now you can transform your bathroom into just such an escape. At Inn-spired Bathrooms, you'll tour six hotel-inspired baths, garner simple ideas for getting the look you want and learn the cleaning secrets of hotel housekeepers. How do hotels keep those bathrooms so clean? One quick answer is that hotels clean bathrooms every day, even if the same guest is occupying the room night after night.

While you may not want to clean your entire bathroom every day, doing small things ? such as wiping down the counters, faucet and sink, and spot-cleaning the mirror ? can give your bathroom a daily perk-up. The rest is all in the weekly routine. To get the dirt on the routine, we asked two experts: Jenny Botero, resident manager of the 697-room Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., and Erika Jacso, director of style for the W New York Union Square, in New York City, which boasts 270 rooms. They gave us 10 simple steps for keeping your bath sparkling. On the rare occasion that the W Union Square receives a complaint, "it usually has to do with finding hairs on the tile or floor in the bathroom," Erika says. Her team's goal is to make sure that never happens. They work from top to bottom, dusting light fixtures and shelves with micro-fiber cloths before vacuuming floors and crevices. Heating tile and the tub just 10 degrees above the normal air temperature "doubles the effectiveness" of alkaline cleansers, Jenny says.

Her staff fills the bottom of the tub with a couple inches of the "hottest water they can draw from the tap" and lets it sit for a few minutes. Erika's staff also throws hot water over the tiles, shower and tub. Drain the tub, then spray an antibacterial cleaner on tile walls, tub, counters, sink, toilet and floor. Work from top to bottom, starting at the top of shower walls, and spraying down to the tub and inside the toilet bowl. Use a sponge or cloth to spread the cleanser around evenly on tile surfaces. Disinfectants need contact time in order to work. Erika's team lets the cleanser sit for five to seven minutes inside the toilet bowl and on surfaces. Use a scrub brush or nonscratch abrasive pad to scrub every square inch of the tub and tiles. Both housekeeping experts swear by Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, especially for hard-to-remove gray rings inside the tub. This is the most important step, in Jenny's opinion. The chemicals in cleansers are designed to attract soil and particles, she points out.

If you don't rinse after spraying your cleanser, dirt is going to stick to it and build up and "be even more troublesome." Use clean, dry cotton cloths or rags to thoroughly dry all surfaces. Jenny recommends using color-coded cloths for cleaning ? blue for glass and mirrored surfaces, yellow for the toilet, and pink for tub and sinks. That way, you never make the mistake of wiping off the sink with a cloth that was used to dry the toilet. Spray the mirror and other glass with a glass cleanser and wipe dry. Exit out of the bathroom by rinsing, wiping and drying the floor. Enamel bathtubs are not scratchproof, so avoid using a scrubbing brush. Instead use a specially designed bathroom cleaner like those from Jif on a sponge or cloth to tackle dirt and stains. This will help to remove stains without damaging the enamel! Always test on a small inconspicuous area before widespread use. Cleaning the bathroom is not as difficult or time-consuming as you might think! You will need to use different strategies and cleaning materials for the different fixtures and areas of your bathroom, but you don’t need many products to make your bathroom sparkle.

Deal with each area separately to make sure that every section is clean and tidy. The washbasin is usually the easiest thing in the bathroom to clean, and requires only a few specific materials. You'll need a couple of microfibre cloths, a good multi-purpose cleaner, like Jif Multipurpose, and – if you're in an area prone to limescale – you can use a limescale removal product or think about using some vinegar. First, remove any objects in or around the basin. Next, fill the sink with hot water. This will shift the bulk of the dirt and loosen the rest. Empty the sink, and apply any specific cleaning agents you want to use, including your vinegar or other products to remove limescale. Scrub the whole basin down thoroughly. If you need to remove any odours, apply some baking soda and then wipe it off or rinse it away. Rinse out the basin and wipe it down, either with multi-surface wipes or your microfibre cloth. Toilet cleaning can be easy with the right materials.

Equip yourself with a toilet brush, some rubber gloves, a liquid or powder-based toilet cleaner, a cleaning sponge, and some disinfectant spray, and let's get down to business. After putting on your gloves, flush the toilet to moisten the inside of the bowl. Apply your toilet cleaner to the edges of the bowl, making sure to get a generous amount under the rim. Scrub down the whole bowl, including the underside of the rim, with your toilet brush. Follow the instructions on your toilet cleaner – for tough stains, you may want to leave the toilet cleaner for a few minutes. Flush the toilet again, and repeat steps 2 and 3 until satisfied with the condition. Using your disinfectant spray and sponge, swab the seat, lid, and the rest of the toilet. Either wipe the whole surface down with a clean cloth or wait for the disinfectant to dry before use. Remember, never mix acidic toilet cleaners with bleach-based sprays, or vice versa! Always follow the instructions on the labels of any toilet cleaning product.

Cleaning the Shower, Bath, and Tiles Showers and baths require roughly the same treatment, and will introduce you to the wonderful world of tile cleaning as well. For the shower floor and bathtub, you can use natural acidic agents like vinegar and lemon juice. However, be careful not to use these or any acidic cleaners on tiled surfaces, as they may eat away at your grouting. Remove all products from the shower or bath before beginning. Scrub the floor of the shower or bathtub itself, using vinegar or another cleaner to remove limescale, and continue until the surface is clean to your satisfaction. Don’t forget about the drain – if your drain is clogged, try using a specialised product or a combination of baking soda and vinegar to unblock the drain. Use a multi-purpose cleaner to wipe down your tiles. Anything too acidic will ruin your grouting and require expensive repairs later. Additional Bathroom Cleaning Tips With the main elements of your bathroom clean and tidy, now it’s time to clean the other areas of your bathroom.