Refresh Your Shower with These 5 Easy Tips

Is your shower feeling a little grungy? Does spending time under the stream seem more like a chore than a pleasure? Then it’s time to refresh your shower!

The best news? You don’t need to break the bank or call in a battalion of renovation professionals. Instead, you can revamp and rebrand your shower right now.

Here are five easy ways to make your shower feel cleaner, brighter, and lovelier today:

1. **Re-Caulk Your Shower**
Caulk is a hugely important, albeit oft-forgotten, part of every bathroom. The little strips of caulk along your toilet, shower, and pedestal sink help prevent air and water from leaking into cracks, gaps, and joints.

To give your shower a brand-new feeling, replace any worn-down or dirty caulk lines with some fresh new sealant. Fortunately, if you have the right tools and know-how, applying caulk to your shower can be a pretty easy job – just clean the area, lay down caulk with a caulk gun, “tool” it down with a paintbrush or spoon, then check your work and enjoy.

2. **Clean Mold and Mildew**
No matter how hard you try to keep your shower clean, you’re likely to find the occasional spot of mold or mildew every now and then. Don’t fret – just get to work! With just a little bit of all-natural cleaner and some elbow grease, you can clear away mold and give your shower a completely fresh shine.

First, identify your mold using our handy guide. Once you know what you’re working to clear away, try a tried-and-true solution like vinegar, bleach and water, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or diluted ammonia. For more ideas, check out our complete guide to cleaning mold and mildew, available here.

3. **Clean Up Your Grout**
Like caulk, grout – the paste-like material visible between your tiles – is something we forget about until it becomes dirty. Give your tiles a new look by cleaning your grout with a toothbrush (or some other bristly tool) and baking soda. For best results, try cleaning your grout by mixing that baking soda with water, vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide. Always clean in a well-ventilated environment, and take frequent breaks.

4. **Get Rid of That Stinky Drain**
Does your shower’s floor drain smell like raw sewage? The issue may be sewer gases trapped in your P-trap. Getting rid of this smell will make your shower feel completely different – and it’s much easier than you may think!

The underlying issue is a lack of water in your trap due to leaking or evaporation. To correct it, just add water! Fill the trap back up by dumping a gallon of warm water directly into your smelly drain. Follow this up with a few drops of cooking or mineral oil, which helps prevent the water from evaporating too quickly.

5. **Give Your Shower a Fresh Coat of Paint**
You don’t need to rely on scrubbing and polishing alone! Instead, with the right materials, you can actually paint your tub, tiles, and faucets. Give your shower – and your whole bathroom – a completely new identity with dark, woody colors, beachy pastels, or a brand new porcelain sheen.

Don’t just slather on any old paint, though! You’ll need specialized tile and metal paints to do the job properly. For some ideas, check out our old post “Five Bathroom Fixtures You Didn’t Know You Could Paint.”

Of course, if your problem is more than surface-level, we’re here to help! J. Blanton Plumbing is your one-stop shop for leaks, floods, creaks, fritzes, or sputters, anywhere in your home. Drop us a line today to get started!