1. Coax hidden gunk out from where it lurks with some powerful jetted bathtub cleaner you'll wish you'd been using all along. Then send the group chat all your nightmarish pics!
You run your bath, add the cleaner, watch the gunk emerge, drain your bath, and then clean off the gunk!
Promising review: "It's disgusting to see what comes out of your jets when you use this product. I can't believe we bathed in this! I've run bleach and dish detergent through my jets before, and that combination never cleaned with this efficiency. I highly recommended this product." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
2. Annihilate tough soap scum on shower doors, tub bottoms, sinks, whatever with a targeted cleaner that has a commercial-strength formula to cut through the mess.
Promising review: "Amazing product! My kids' bathroom has a tub with a textured bottom and what seemed to be ground-in heavy soap scum. I tried everything from Tilex to baking soda and vinegar but the stains just wouldn't budge. Got my shipment of Bucko in, immediately ran upstairs and sprayed the tub down, let it sit for three minutes, grabbed a washcloth, and the stains/soap scum just wiped right off. I couldn't believe it!!!" —Ray
Get it from Amazon for $17.88.
Cooking at home? You deserve a great knife. The Shun Premier 5.5” Santoku is an Asian-style chef’s knife. Handcrafted in Japan, it’s razor-sharp, completely gorgeous, and sure to bring out your inner chef every time you use it.
Shun’s all-purpose Premier Santoku kitchen knife has a shorter blade, making it incredibly easy to use and highly maneuverable. Slice, dice, and mince with Shun’s super-sharp edge. A VG-MAX “super steel” cutting core and 68 micro layers of Damascus give this knife its top performance and stunning good looks.
3. Scrub away hard water marks with a pumice stone you should most definitely label as "TOILET" so people don't use it on their feet(!!!!). I'm gagging just thinking about this.
Amazon, amazon.com
Promising review: "Our toilet was in bad shape when we bought our house. I’ve tried various cleaners and scrubbers and nothing would work. I finally found the Pumie and I can’t believe how easy it was to get my toilet clean! I was planning on replacing the toilet but now I don’t have to any time soon!" —Sara Vincent
Get it from Amazon for $8.18.
4. And in case the situation is a bit more dire, use a toilet wand cleaning system with removable heads so you'll stop regretting your decision to potty train your cats.
Amazon, amazon.com
Includes a wand, storage caddy, and six disinfecting wand head refills.
Promising review: "So, we have a toilet that belongs to the cats. We don't use it, we don't look at it, we like to pretend it does not exist. Even with semi-regular flushing, cat waste is pretty nasty stuff and built up quickly in the bowl. One of these wands cleaned it up in a single session! Before and after pic attached." —Whitney
Get it from Amazon for $8.88.
5. Catch hair before it causes a plumbing hassle with a TubShroom and SinkShroom for easy removal on the reg — even after you give the dog a bath! Or are just one human with a ton of hair (it me).
Promising review (for the TubShroom): "I have long, thick hair and a dog. We've had too many drain clogs to count, so when I saw the TubShroom advertised, I thought it might be just the thing. I used it today when I gave the dog a bath and holy cow! It caught the hair, allowed the water to drain and cleanup was a cinch. TubShroom works exactly as advertised and I could not be more pleased." —HappyLady
Get them from Amazon: TubShroom for $12.95+ (six colors) and SinkShroom for $10.99 (six colors)
6. And if the prevention ship has sailed, use some drain snakes with prickly catchers to pull out the mess. (Warning: You'll probably be scarred forever.)
Tbh, it's better to try and get the clog out manually because chemical drain decloggers can be brutal on old pipes.
Promising review: "I have tried everything I could think of to unclog my tub drain, all the nasty chemicals, plunging, auger, and then I came across these plastic strips with evil teeth lol. Three for under $8 Why not? They arrived today, and pulled out the horrific, nasty, slimy hair clog. It even pulled out a plastic razor cap (thank you teenage daughters). Mind you, that clog didn't come out in one full piece (gag), but in many pieces at first, the appetizers if you will. Finally, the main course reared its ugly head. Gross. These things work and work well. A little elbow grease and will power and voila. My tub drain completely drains now. I couldn't be happier!" —GaPeach
Get a three-pack from Amazon for $5.99.
7. Cradle your artisanal bar of soap in a cute draining dish to avoid the dreaded soapy goo on the bottom of the bar. So wasteful!
Get a three-pack from Amazon for $9.99.
8. Or get a grip in the shower or the sink with a soap stand/handle that'll also prevent the wasteful goo.
9. Hang up a hamper so you won't have to step into your loved ones' dirty underwear. Again.
You can love someone and still not want to come in touch with their freshly used undies.
Get it from Amazon for $9.95 (available in five colors).
Also check out our best picks for hampers and laundry bags on Amazon.
10. Avoid having to fend for yourself with a cool toilet paper holder you won't mind leaving out in the open so it'll be easier to keep tabs on how many rolls you have left.
Get them from Amazon: sheep for $39.99 or giraffe for $28.99 (available in five colors)
11. And ~invest~ in some worthy toilet paper with our picks for the best of the best so you don't have to yell for your kid to hand you napkins from the kitchen.
Really, we tested them! Check out our top picks for the best toilet paper on BuzzFeed Reviews.
Yep, Charmin Essentials Soft was our budget pick. Get 48 double rolls from Amazon for $26.24.
12. Or just buy a bidet attachment because it'll help make cleanup feel waaaay more effective. And if anyone asks just say, "Um, it's very European. OK Janet?!"
Um not to be gross, but you don't want to stand up and then realize you aren't *fully* clean. We tested this out as the high-end pick for the best toilet paper on BuzzFeed Reviews because, tbh, no one should be spending tons and tons of cash on disposable paper you use to clean yourself.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in blue or white).
13. Target the tiny lines of scum YOU can see around plumbing fixtures with some detail brushes you could also use on grout.
Those tiny scummy lines around fixtures are RESILIENT.
Get them from Amazon for $5.99 (also available in blue).
14. Mask rank bathroom odors before they start with some Poo-Pourri spray that'll make you wonder how you ever lived without it. Seriously, this is the GOAT of bathroom scented products
Promising review: "One bathroom in an apartment just isn't enough for two adults with a healthy colon. Enter Poo-Pourri. As this was the first time trying the product, I tried the original scent. It has an amazing lemon scent. It is very fresh and not overpowering. It is not synthetic smelling. With most room sprays, you end up just smelling flowery poo. This masks the smell completely. I can walk in the bathroom 30 seconds after my boyfriend and only smell lemon." —Allison H.
Get it from Amazon for $5.09+ (available in 8 sizes and a variety of scents).
15. Keep your toothbrushes away from whatever's floating in your bathroom air with a flip-top holder that'll take up very little room on your counter.
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
Or at least opt for a four-pack of toothbrush covers.
16. Drop a couple of denture cleaning tablets into the toilet tank overnight to erase grimy stains.
Promising review: "I don't use this the way it is intended — I use it as a toilet bowl cleaner. I plop one or two into the bowl if there are rings and let it soak for a while. It works very well for this purpose!! It also leaves a clean minty scent in the bathroom... I used this brand when I was wearing a retainer and it worked well for that, too. I gave up the retainer, but the toilets still need cleaning. I would definitely buy again." —Holly AZ
Get a box of 90 tablets from Amazon for $4.98.
17. Cut down on damp bathroom smells with an antibacterial, deodorized bath mat that'll absorb water and dry faster than other bath mats.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in four colors).
18. Bring blackened grout back from the disgusting brink with ~intense~ grout cleaner because you shouldn't want to wear shoes in the bathroom.
Promising review: "I never thought I'd be able to clean my grout out again without hiring someone professional to do it! But this cleaner did the wonder!!! I used it with my steam cleaner and here's the before and after pictures! I did dry brush it before I used the steam cleaner and I saw all the dirt getting out! It really works! It was hard work though, if I ever get a bigger house I might just hire someone to do it." —Chen
Get it from Amazon for $14.98.
19. Reach the places that make your back hurt (and therefore stay waaay dirtier) with an extendable scrubber, lest your kids make up a story about how that dirty spot on the shower surround is a portal to a monster world.
Tbh, that sounds like a Goosebumps book.
Promising review: "I have been using this for a few weeks now and it has been a lifesaver. I have a 12-month-old at home so we give baths on a daily basis. Our tub gets gross very quickly because of this and I have to clean it fairly often to keep mold and water stains away. I am also very pregnant so it kills my back to have to bend over to scrub the floor and sides of the tub. The pole is extendable and the head swivels so it can be used from a variety of angles and still be effective. I was worried that the scrubber wouldn't be tough enough to get rid of the stains on the tub floor, but it is good quality and works well when used with the right cleaning products (we use Bon Ami polishing powder — also a great product, chemical free, and can be used for so many things around the house). I use this while sitting on the ledge of the tub and can apply enough pressure to clean it well and never have to get on my hands and knees. Great product. Only wish it came with a refill or two!" —Jennie
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
20. Conquer stubborn hard surface stains and shine up fixtures with some cult-status soft cleanser, even when you've settled on having to hose off in a gray-floored tub.
This pre-mixed formula will cling to vertical surfaces. Ahem, shower surrounds?! If you prefer mixing yourself, pick up the powder formula here.
Promising review: "I’m now a permanent customer. I’ve used CLR, Clorox bowl cleaners, and others but this is my favorite. I used a small broom to clean my tubs and tile (as I usually do) even though instructions said to use a sponge; it dried my hands pretty bad (please use gloves) So I used the broom instead and it worked pretty well. I would recommend. I even tried it on my stove and it worked like a charm." —Itzel A.
Get two 13 oz. bottles of pre-mixed cleanser from Amazon for $9.29.
21. Clear away hard water stains and buildup by dunking your shower head in a bag filled with vinegar, securing it with a rubber band, and leaving overnight.
Get the full tutorial from The Melrose Family.
22. Separate your cleaning products from your toiletries with a sink cabinet organizer because your bag of cotton balls touching a bottle of toilet cleaner is a possibility you'd like to prevent.
Get it from Amazon for $20.87 (available in two finishes).
23. Fade pesky mildew stains along the edge of your tub with bleach-soaked cotton coil left to works its magic overnight.
24. Park that tiny computer you carry on you 24/7 on a toilet paper holder/shelf because have you ever dropped your phone in the toilet? Yeahhhhhh.
Perhaps you're answering important work emails, swiping on dating apps, or catching up on the true crime podcast of the moment. That's your business, but let's just keep that phone out of the toilet!
Get it from Amazon for $19.97+ (available in three finishes).