Somethings Are Best Kept In The Dark
Posted by terrepruitt on March 1, 2017
So recently I decided to start spraying my shower with a daily shower spray. It was just constantly just so icky. I couldn’t clean it often enough. I used to spray it daily, but then I stopped because I was always in a hurry when taking a shower. Well, I still am in a hurry when taking a shower, but it seems easier – to me – to invest my time in daily keeping the shower clean, then spending an hour or two one to two times a month trying to clean it. So I bought some daily shower cleaner . . . and it was awesome for several reasons:
1 – it worked
2 – it smelled great
3 – the sprayer is huge and it covers a lot of area so it is actually faster than some of the other daily shower sprays I purchased.
But I wondered if I could make it. And, of course, it can be done. There are a lot of recipes out there on the internet for homemade daily shower spray. The ingredients vary a bit, but it seems like the most popular ingredient it rubbing alcohol. Then there is vinegar and/or hydrogen peroxide.
I settled on the recipe for Tilex-like Daily Shower Spray Recipe on Housewife How-To’s – sort of. I use the ingredients but the amounts vary because I just kinda pour it into the bottle until it is full. The first batch I made was great, I am just now using the second batch so we will see how effective it is. We will also see how me making the spray goes. I only get four showers out of one bottle. I can see me making it AND sometimes using the store bought kind. It did smell really nice. And I could use another bottle with that awesome sprayer! I know I can add essential oil to my mix and perhaps help with the vinegar smell. We will just have to see.
But the real point of this most, you have probably heard it before, as have I, but I never paid attention to, or heard the WHY? What I am talking about is how hydrogen peroxide needs to be stored in a dark bottle. It shouldn’t be exposed to light. Well, since so many recipes call for it so many websites remind us of that. So I decided to look up why. You might know, but I didn’t. The Human Touch of Chemistry website has a nice little article on hydrogen peroxide. At the very end – THE VERY END, actually the very last sentence – states the reason why it is store in dark bottles. It says: “The brown tint of the bottle prevents light being absorbed by the solution, preventing the oxidation and reduction reaction.” It basically becomes ineffective.
The article was pretty interesting though, with other facts. So perhaps you will click over to check it out.
So do you use a daily shower spray? Which one? Do you make it yourself? If so, what is YOUR recipe?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
New England Nomad said
I just started doing this as well for the same reasons. It’s easier and cleaner to spraying everyday. I am using something called, oddly enough, Clean Shower. It works great!
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terrepruitt said
I have used Clean Shower before. It does work great. The reason I liked the Scrubbing Bubbles one so much was because of its large spray area. I have a large shower and it just takes forever to spray down. My hand gets tired and I have to switch hands a couple of times during the spray down. The large nozzle (with wide range) is awesome!
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New England Nomad said
It does work great. It’s very convenient for me, especially with my busy schedule!
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terrepruitt said
Yeah, daily is so much easier/faster than scrubbing! You do have a busy schedule with all of the places you visit and the detail in which you write about each place!
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liv said
We don’t use a shower spray but we found using a squeegee does the same thing. Soap scum doesn’t build up and mildew doesn’t have a chance to grow. It takes about a minute after each shower. We’ve used a few different ones, but this is our favorite one: http://www.target.com/p/clorox-bright-blue-squeegee/-/A-13793922
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terrepruitt said
Yes, we used to use a squeegee at my parents’ house, but some of them scratch the shower doors. And it is less effective for the corners and the floor. With the spray it gets into the corners and it gets on the floor. One would think with all that cleaning stuff (soap and shampoo) the floor wouldn’t get dirty. 😉 I love that squeegee because it is blue. It is also a more economical thing because you probably only have to replace it every once in a while.
I might consider that option. Perhaps switching off between the two. Although, my shower is big and it would take more than a minute, but probably less that the spray. But then again, the spray also helps keep the shelves “clean” whereas I can’t squeegee a shelf and all the bottles on it. So the squeegee might be a not-so-daily solution for me.
Thanks for that option, Liv. I will probably end up doing both (alternating)!
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liv said
For what it’s worth, we haven’t had any issues with this one scratching the door (we have glass doors) – the “scraping” edge is a very soft rubber/silicone vs the older style stiff materials. We squeegee the entire shower including the floor. But the best solution is the one that you use so whatever works best for you! 🙂
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terrepruitt said
Yes, I kinda figured that the one you pointed out was a good one that didn’t scratch. I trust ya! I love that you two do the floor. I have a shelf full of stuff that I would have to empty to squeegee. And the way that my shower was tiled doesn’t allow for a squeegee to reach some areas that definitely would need to be squeegeed. Otherwise, I love the idea. In fact when I first read your comment I thought, “But of course!” Then I realized that the areas that are the most difficult to clean are the one where a squeegee wouldn’t work. But a towel might. 🙂
I have been experimenting with the daily shower spray recipe and let’s just say it can get quite “explosive”. 🙂
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terrepruitt said
Oh, and as I was spraying my shower last night it occurred to me that MY shower doors are WAY more heavy duty than the shower doors at my parents’ house. So it could just be that those doors are really delicate and scratch easy.
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liv said
Oh yeah I wouldn’t empty a shelf to squeegee it. And then it would probably get super gross super quick with all the product residue. And there are a few corners I skip (mostly around the door) but so far so good. Your shower spray got explosive?! Was it the combination of ingredients reacting to each other?!
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terrepruitt said
I have a shelf built into the shower AND one of those that hangs over the shower head. And the way they built my shower the tile actual sticks out and makes a little crevice where the water sits. That is the place I would not be able to squeegee that really needs it. But the spray reaches there.
“Explosive” as in bleach and peroxide make for a lot of foam and it wants to explode out of the sprayer. 🙂
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