My Grandmother Kept Her Bathtub Sparkling With This Simple Trick—And I Still Use It Today

Granny was the epitome of a Southern lady if there ever was one. She kept her home spotless and tastefully decorated, had a yard of stunning rose bushes and hydrangeas, drank afternoon coffee from a porcelain cup and saucer, and always looked neat and put together. When I would visit as a child, I noticed she awakened early, began cooking immediately, and almost always presented me with my favorite breakfast: a tall stack of homemade pancakes.   

As her granddaughter, I’m guilty of placing her too highly on a pedestal for her flawlessness in my eyes, but there is no denying that the times I spent with her were calming, enjoyable, and always a treat. With my own home to care for now, I have a new respect for the cleanliness, organization, and peace of the house she cared for so dutifully. I remember her home often smelled of pine cleaner and fresh coffee; every item had a place, and there was, seemingly, a place for everything. Staying with her was a Southern bed and breakfast experience at its best, complete with one of my favorite people and freshly ironed sheets. 

Thankfully, as a young child, I picked up on a few of her household tricks for keeping her home clean and welcoming, and I still use them today in my own home. Here’s one of my favorite yet surprisingly simple cleaning habits that I’m so glad I learned from her. 

Her Tub Was Always Spotless

Before bedtime, when I stayed overnight with her, I almost always bathed in her big white bathtub. Along with towels neatly folded in cabinets and products neatly stowed in her bathroom space, there was one more thing I inevitably noticed about this tub in the bathroom. It was always white, with no ring around the inside, no water spots, and no visible soap scum. Curiously enough, I can never remember when I stepped into a dirty tub at her house. Chances are her tub was grimy and messy from time to time, and possibly she always prepared ahead of time for guests’ arrival, but I simply never saw anything but a sparkling white tub. Looking back, though, there was more at play. She used a cleaning technique on the porcelain on her deep white cast iron tub that kept it shining and sparkling, and I was lucky enough to have witnessed it a time or two.

The Simple Tool

Granny had a secret tool and process she always used to keep the tub clean, and now, reflecting on it, it was genius. She used none other than a dedicated toilet brush to keep her bathtub spotless. It hung precisely from the bathtub faucet, ready at any moment to be grabbed for use.  Granted, this was not the same brush she used for the toilet—she had a separate one for toilet cleaning—and this brush hung neatly from the faucet inside the tub, so confusing the toilet brush with the tub brush could be avoided. 

Her use of a toilet brush to maintain the cleanliness of her tub was savvy. The brush's long handle enabled easy access to the far reaches of the big tub, ensuring cleanliness throughout. She never used cleaning products that I saw, which made the process of using only warm water and a bit of hard work and consistency all the more ecologically and economically friendly. 

The Steps

These are the simple cleaning steps she used to keep her tub fresh and ready to use:

1. Drain the tub after use. 
2. Run some warm-to-hot water throughout the tub. 
3. Use a soft-bristled, long-handled brush to loosen the soap scum ring around the tub. 
4. Swish the water throughout the tub to clean it out.
5. As the tub is draining, use the brush to sweep the soap scum particles down the drain. 
6. Repeat the process a time or two more until the tub is clean. 

How I Use This Trick  

I still use a form of her simple yet effective technique today. After each bath, to keep soap scum at bay, I run a bit of hot water, swish it around the inside of the tub with my long-handled cleaning brush, and sweep the water down the drain. Occasionally, I’ll use a bit of cleaner to loosen any stuck-on soap scum, but with a quick wash of the inside of the tub after use, the tub is kept sparkling in between uses. And I am nostalgically pleased with my simple and quick handiwork inspired by the woman who seemingly always kept her home and house in proper order.