For the door and trim just use a coat or two of a stain blocking paint + primer. Maybe sand out those edges if they're not smooth enough to paint. Wash the surface clean and let it dry before painting.
No real reason to deep clean it though when you can prime block the stained parts and the other parts are chipped paint (it looks like) that needs to be redone.
That corner trim specifically looks like you should pull out what looks like years of bad paint jobs gunking up the corner. Needs to be cut out with a razor blade and sanded down to the wood likely to make that look better.
Don't make the same mistake other people did just painting over stuff. Smooth out the surface first by removing old paint that has built up and sand it smooth, clean, dry, and paint.
Razorblade, file, sandpaper will help you clean out that paint gunk. Old rentals look like this because landlords just pay someone to repaint over and over again without properly cleaning it.
Edit: Also, use a mask and open a window. You have no idea if that paint is super old and lead based. You don't want to breath in paint particles either way.
Edit2: It's also a bathroom so you will likely want to re-chalk any areas you clean up. I'm guessing you'll find areas that have chalk covered by years of paint. You'll want chalk around any areas that water may seep through. Like the sink/tub/shower. Just wanted to say since cleaning of the nasty paint gunk will likely have you removing chalked regions too.
Or you could literally just clean the dirt off with a magic eraser… I’m a professional painter. So many things don’t actually need to be painted… just cleaned.
Yes!! Magic eraser for the door! My door in my new place looked like this when I moved in and I thought it would need repainting, but I took a magic eraser to it first and the dirt came up soo easily without even scrubbing much. Door looks brand new and I just keep up on it every now and then with the magic eraser.
Thank you for all the advice and thorough response!! I’m finally going to go shopping for everything I need and I’m going to get to work on Thursday :)
Door: thats dirt. Wiping it hasn’t suffices. Take something thats mildly abrasive, a paste of water made with normal baking soda might do the trick, or better yet, cif cream cleaner. Give it a good ol’ scrub with a SOFT cloth. Rinse. Repeat.
Sink: just limescale i think. shut the sink thingy and add near vinegar. Let soak overnight. Then use same abbresive stuff to scrub a bit in the morning, not on the chrome fixtures of course.
All other yellow staining on the counters, soak a cloth in white vinegar and leave overnight.
However, UNLESS counter and sink is proper stone? Then might be to acidic. So check!
Water faucet: soak some cloths in vinegar and wrap around, leave overnight. Alternatively, get yourself a high end limescale remover that’s safe for chrome water faucets. I like HG, not sure you can purchase that where you live. Don’t skimp on this, the cheap stuff will damage the fixtures.
Baseboards: again, paste with baking soda or cif, and use a toothbrush to clean! Make sure to not get too much on floor and wipe floor immediately afterwards.
Same goes for the chalk / wall.
The light-switch just seems to have discolored plastic, wouldn’t bother with it.
Basically, wiping it with a non abrasive wipe might have removed some dirt, but can never remove all of this sticky grub. The whole thing just needs a proper, proper scrub. Lots of elbow grease and a lot of mild abrasive stuff. Careful with abrasive sponges, they can scratch the surface.
After scrubbing, get new cloths and wipe everything with lot and lots of water and a bit of all purpose cleaner after. Be careful with all purpose cleaner that has a particularly bright color.
Clean it with a magic eraser if you have one. If not, just a multipurpose cleaner and sponge or dish soap, water, and sponge will work.
To cover it, if the pain is chipping, you will need to sand it. If it's not, them just paint it with your color of choosing.
Some of this you need to sand and touch up paint. If you are in an apartment, your office may have some available if you ask nicely. If you have to go buy paint, try to scrape a nice sized chip off and take it with you to have it color matched or it will NOT match and then if you're like me, you will have to paint EVERYTHING to match. Be sure and see what finish the existing paint is...flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, gloss.
You can easily re-caulk that area around the sink. It looks cracked and is pretty sunken in so that is collecting dirt. Just use regular white caulk...do not mess with silicone caulk. My finger is the best caulk tool I have found.
Those tiny screws in your switches and electrical plates that are black? Use a little of your white touch up paint or get a little bottle of white acrylic paint at a craft store and use a tiny brush to paint just the heads of them. I had to do a bunch of mine and just poke them through a piece of paper so that only the heads were out and just painted them all at once and let them dry while they were still in the paper. OR just replace the whole plate...they're very inexpensive.
You already have some great advice about the stuff in the tub and sinks.
Also, those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great for cleaning but be careful as they are actually abrasive and can remove paint if you are a little too enthusiastic with them. Also recommend Clorox clean up but wear old clothes that you don't care if you get bleach stains on.
"Wipes" have a designated use. Cleaning this room is outside of that designated use. IE: Wipes aren't the answer for everything.
First "rule" of cleaning. Use the correct tools and products to clean.
Steam cleaner to melt the dirt off, TSP to prep for paint, prime, paint.
For the bathroom I’d start with a bathroom cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles and finish with a steam cleaner.
Vinegar, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and dish soap are a great combination as well that will destroy almost any grime. I mix 1.25 cups of vinegar, alcohol, and distilled water in a spray bottle and then add a dash of dish soap. Shake it up and go.
For the baseboards, you need to remove the old caulking. Sand it smooth, caulk, and repaint. Use as little caulking as possible. Recommend DAP Dynaflex 230.
Also use a paint meant for cabinets, doors and trim. And use Semi-gloss! It’s easier to wipe clean when fully cured.
I clean houses. This isn't bad at all. The first thing you'll need are some [microfiber cloths](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Multipurpose-Microfiber-Household-Cleaning-Cloth-12-Count-Multicolor/736387575?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=3103&adid=222222222336001520921_1163285148760968_lia&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=m&wl3=72705545703950&wl4=pla-4576304862214347&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Local&wl12=736387575_0&wl14=walmart%20microfiber%20cloths&veh=sem&msclkid=ae1e274ae324145216e741241682cafa), there might be cheaper ones, these are what I use. Use a cleaning solution of water and blue Dawn dish soap (about 2 tablespoons) in a [spray bottle.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Wide-Mouth-All-Angle-Empty-Plastic-Spray-Bottle-32-fl-oz/929061444?athbdg=L1600) Spray the door and trim and let it sit for a minute, wipe firmly, scrubbing if necessary, with the microfiber cloth. Wetting it with hot water first may help.
For the sink, run the water to get it wet, then sprinkle [Bar Keepers Friend](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Cleanser-Powder-21oz/15026756?athbdg=L1200&from=/search) on the drain area and let it sit a minute. Using a [Non Scratch Sponge](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Zero-Scratch-Non-Scratch-Scrub-Sponges-12-Scrubbing-Sponges/13281241?athbdg=L1600&from=/search), (use the soft side) rub the cleanser into a wet paste and scrub the area firmly until the discoloration disappears. Usually this happens almost immediately. If not, keep rubbing until it's gone.
For the trim in the corner at the floor, spray with the soap solution using the stream setting on the spray bottle nozzle. Shoot it right at the dirty spots and let it sit a minute. A toothbrush is best for the nooks and crannies. Then spray again to rinse and wipe with the microfiber cloth.
The caulk on top of the sink clean the same way as the trim, but that looks to just be the color of the caulk.
Clean the rest of the bathroom with the spray and microfiber cloth, use the sponge when necessary. The tub might be fiberglass so be gentle if you try using Bar Keepers Friend on it. You can get most things off with just the microfiber.
Tip: Bleach is not a cleaner. There are very few, if any reasons to use it when cleaning. I have never needed to use it in 8 years of residential cleaning. You can use an isopropyl alcohol and water solution after cleaning to disinfect. Add equal parts into an empty spray bottle.
Just happened to cruise past this post. I’m not a pro cleaner or anything, but that caulking on your sink should be replaced. I would take a putty knife and a razor and cut it all out. Make sure you get all of it, even along the bottom of the back splash where it is cracking. Than I would re-caulk it with a white silicone. The top part is ugly, but the bottom where it is cracking is worrisome. Water could start seeping through that and into your drywall. Also, they sell new face plates for outlets for a few bucks, and it looks like your stopper for your sink has some rust on it. I would just replace that as well. They sell them alone or in a faucet combo. If you don’t know how to do it, there are plenty of videos online showing you a step by step process. Also, I would just repaint that bathroom, clean the door and the trim really well, than lightly sand them. Put some fresh paint on and they will look fantastic.
Just hot soapy water should degrease a lot of these marks. I use carbolic soap, or sometimes just a regular white bar, or washing up liquid. With a scourer for some mild abrasion.
Krud kutter for grease will clean anything that nothing else will. Dont waste money on other products. Unless you want to use TSP with bleach and that’s for outside use on concrete for deep cleaning before power washing. You always have to rinse both products and wear eye protection.. alkaline burns are the worst ( old ER nurse here) and use gloves.. I flip houses and use common sense with chemicals. Get cleaners in eyes flush 15 min. Just sayin. After you clean if needed paint or if in good shape put a new clear coat to protect surface if heavy use area.
For the door and trim just use a coat or two of a stain blocking paint + primer. Maybe sand out those edges if they're not smooth enough to paint. Wash the surface clean and let it dry before painting. No real reason to deep clean it though when you can prime block the stained parts and the other parts are chipped paint (it looks like) that needs to be redone. That corner trim specifically looks like you should pull out what looks like years of bad paint jobs gunking up the corner. Needs to be cut out with a razor blade and sanded down to the wood likely to make that look better. Don't make the same mistake other people did just painting over stuff. Smooth out the surface first by removing old paint that has built up and sand it smooth, clean, dry, and paint. Razorblade, file, sandpaper will help you clean out that paint gunk. Old rentals look like this because landlords just pay someone to repaint over and over again without properly cleaning it. Edit: Also, use a mask and open a window. You have no idea if that paint is super old and lead based. You don't want to breath in paint particles either way. Edit2: It's also a bathroom so you will likely want to re-chalk any areas you clean up. I'm guessing you'll find areas that have chalk covered by years of paint. You'll want chalk around any areas that water may seep through. Like the sink/tub/shower. Just wanted to say since cleaning of the nasty paint gunk will likely have you removing chalked regions too.
Great advice! I assume chalk = caulk?
Or you could literally just clean the dirt off with a magic eraser… I’m a professional painter. So many things don’t actually need to be painted… just cleaned.
Did you zoom in? That is chipped paint and different layers of it. Magic eraser is likely getting rid of the light brown spots and that's it.
Yes!! Magic eraser for the door! My door in my new place looked like this when I moved in and I thought it would need repainting, but I took a magic eraser to it first and the dirt came up soo easily without even scrubbing much. Door looks brand new and I just keep up on it every now and then with the magic eraser.
Thank you for all the advice and thorough response!! I’m finally going to go shopping for everything I need and I’m going to get to work on Thursday :)
Door: thats dirt. Wiping it hasn’t suffices. Take something thats mildly abrasive, a paste of water made with normal baking soda might do the trick, or better yet, cif cream cleaner. Give it a good ol’ scrub with a SOFT cloth. Rinse. Repeat. Sink: just limescale i think. shut the sink thingy and add near vinegar. Let soak overnight. Then use same abbresive stuff to scrub a bit in the morning, not on the chrome fixtures of course. All other yellow staining on the counters, soak a cloth in white vinegar and leave overnight. However, UNLESS counter and sink is proper stone? Then might be to acidic. So check! Water faucet: soak some cloths in vinegar and wrap around, leave overnight. Alternatively, get yourself a high end limescale remover that’s safe for chrome water faucets. I like HG, not sure you can purchase that where you live. Don’t skimp on this, the cheap stuff will damage the fixtures. Baseboards: again, paste with baking soda or cif, and use a toothbrush to clean! Make sure to not get too much on floor and wipe floor immediately afterwards. Same goes for the chalk / wall. The light-switch just seems to have discolored plastic, wouldn’t bother with it. Basically, wiping it with a non abrasive wipe might have removed some dirt, but can never remove all of this sticky grub. The whole thing just needs a proper, proper scrub. Lots of elbow grease and a lot of mild abrasive stuff. Careful with abrasive sponges, they can scratch the surface. After scrubbing, get new cloths and wipe everything with lot and lots of water and a bit of all purpose cleaner after. Be careful with all purpose cleaner that has a particularly bright color.
I love cif! My husband is Turkish and I didn’t know it existed until we met. It’s the best
I really appreciate the tips!! Thank you!! I’ll finally be getting to work on Thursday!
A bit of The Pink Stuff paste and a damp cloth will get that dirt off in seconds
Clean it with a magic eraser if you have one. If not, just a multipurpose cleaner and sponge or dish soap, water, and sponge will work. To cover it, if the pain is chipping, you will need to sand it. If it's not, them just paint it with your color of choosing.
Some of this you need to sand and touch up paint. If you are in an apartment, your office may have some available if you ask nicely. If you have to go buy paint, try to scrape a nice sized chip off and take it with you to have it color matched or it will NOT match and then if you're like me, you will have to paint EVERYTHING to match. Be sure and see what finish the existing paint is...flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, gloss. You can easily re-caulk that area around the sink. It looks cracked and is pretty sunken in so that is collecting dirt. Just use regular white caulk...do not mess with silicone caulk. My finger is the best caulk tool I have found. Those tiny screws in your switches and electrical plates that are black? Use a little of your white touch up paint or get a little bottle of white acrylic paint at a craft store and use a tiny brush to paint just the heads of them. I had to do a bunch of mine and just poke them through a piece of paper so that only the heads were out and just painted them all at once and let them dry while they were still in the paper. OR just replace the whole plate...they're very inexpensive. You already have some great advice about the stuff in the tub and sinks. Also, those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are great for cleaning but be careful as they are actually abrasive and can remove paint if you are a little too enthusiastic with them. Also recommend Clorox clean up but wear old clothes that you don't care if you get bleach stains on.
I think we live in the same apartment complex because my craptastic apartment bathroom has those same exact issues.
"Wipes" have a designated use. Cleaning this room is outside of that designated use. IE: Wipes aren't the answer for everything. First "rule" of cleaning. Use the correct tools and products to clean.
Take off the handle and paint the door
Steam cleaner to melt the dirt off, TSP to prep for paint, prime, paint. For the bathroom I’d start with a bathroom cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles and finish with a steam cleaner. Vinegar, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and dish soap are a great combination as well that will destroy almost any grime. I mix 1.25 cups of vinegar, alcohol, and distilled water in a spray bottle and then add a dash of dish soap. Shake it up and go.
For the baseboards, you need to remove the old caulking. Sand it smooth, caulk, and repaint. Use as little caulking as possible. Recommend DAP Dynaflex 230. Also use a paint meant for cabinets, doors and trim. And use Semi-gloss! It’s easier to wipe clean when fully cured.
I clean houses. This isn't bad at all. The first thing you'll need are some [microfiber cloths](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Multipurpose-Microfiber-Household-Cleaning-Cloth-12-Count-Multicolor/736387575?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=3103&adid=222222222336001520921_1163285148760968_lia&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=m&wl3=72705545703950&wl4=pla-4576304862214347&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Local&wl12=736387575_0&wl14=walmart%20microfiber%20cloths&veh=sem&msclkid=ae1e274ae324145216e741241682cafa), there might be cheaper ones, these are what I use. Use a cleaning solution of water and blue Dawn dish soap (about 2 tablespoons) in a [spray bottle.](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Wide-Mouth-All-Angle-Empty-Plastic-Spray-Bottle-32-fl-oz/929061444?athbdg=L1600) Spray the door and trim and let it sit for a minute, wipe firmly, scrubbing if necessary, with the microfiber cloth. Wetting it with hot water first may help. For the sink, run the water to get it wet, then sprinkle [Bar Keepers Friend](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bar-Keepers-Friend-Cleanser-Powder-21oz/15026756?athbdg=L1200&from=/search) on the drain area and let it sit a minute. Using a [Non Scratch Sponge](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotch-Brite-Zero-Scratch-Non-Scratch-Scrub-Sponges-12-Scrubbing-Sponges/13281241?athbdg=L1600&from=/search), (use the soft side) rub the cleanser into a wet paste and scrub the area firmly until the discoloration disappears. Usually this happens almost immediately. If not, keep rubbing until it's gone. For the trim in the corner at the floor, spray with the soap solution using the stream setting on the spray bottle nozzle. Shoot it right at the dirty spots and let it sit a minute. A toothbrush is best for the nooks and crannies. Then spray again to rinse and wipe with the microfiber cloth. The caulk on top of the sink clean the same way as the trim, but that looks to just be the color of the caulk. Clean the rest of the bathroom with the spray and microfiber cloth, use the sponge when necessary. The tub might be fiberglass so be gentle if you try using Bar Keepers Friend on it. You can get most things off with just the microfiber. Tip: Bleach is not a cleaner. There are very few, if any reasons to use it when cleaning. I have never needed to use it in 8 years of residential cleaning. You can use an isopropyl alcohol and water solution after cleaning to disinfect. Add equal parts into an empty spray bottle.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your thorough advice and detailed products!! I’m finally going to get to work on this project on Thursday :)
My pleasure. Good luck! I hope it's quick and easy for you.
For the door just spray some degreaser on there, wait a few minutes and wipe it off with a wet cloth/rag/towel.
Just happened to cruise past this post. I’m not a pro cleaner or anything, but that caulking on your sink should be replaced. I would take a putty knife and a razor and cut it all out. Make sure you get all of it, even along the bottom of the back splash where it is cracking. Than I would re-caulk it with a white silicone. The top part is ugly, but the bottom where it is cracking is worrisome. Water could start seeping through that and into your drywall. Also, they sell new face plates for outlets for a few bucks, and it looks like your stopper for your sink has some rust on it. I would just replace that as well. They sell them alone or in a faucet combo. If you don’t know how to do it, there are plenty of videos online showing you a step by step process. Also, I would just repaint that bathroom, clean the door and the trim really well, than lightly sand them. Put some fresh paint on and they will look fantastic.
Sorry, I just saw that this isn’t actually your bathroom. It guess I should have read more before answering.
Thank you for pointing this out to me! I’ll be checking out those videos to learn how to caulk 😅💕
Clean jean and paint.
Try magic eraser before anything on everything! It really gets the doors, walls, etc. looking all nice
Paint isn’t that expensive. Just do it.
Just hot soapy water should degrease a lot of these marks. I use carbolic soap, or sometimes just a regular white bar, or washing up liquid. With a scourer for some mild abrasion.
Pressure washer
A toothbrush, steam buggy, and some L.A.'s Totally Awesome
Do the old landlord special and paint over everything
Krud kutter for grease will clean anything that nothing else will. Dont waste money on other products. Unless you want to use TSP with bleach and that’s for outside use on concrete for deep cleaning before power washing. You always have to rinse both products and wear eye protection.. alkaline burns are the worst ( old ER nurse here) and use gloves.. I flip houses and use common sense with chemicals. Get cleaners in eyes flush 15 min. Just sayin. After you clean if needed paint or if in good shape put a new clear coat to protect surface if heavy use area.
I use Method all purpose spray.
Magic eraser/melamine sponges works awesome with door grease/fingerprints
Use Dawn Powerwash and a brush to remove the gunk. Then prime and paint.
I would just paint it.
I use magic eraser for everything ! The areas by the sink drain … magic eraser and a porcelain stone .
Magic eraser for the door. Bleach foam for anything else.