8 Unexpected Ways You Can Clean With Shaving Cream Around The House
When you clean, reaching for shaving cream is most likely one of the last things you'd do. However, you may be surprised to find that this bathroom staple can tackle a broad range of projects, as long as you understand that you want to strategically use this makeshift cleaner on certain projects because it won't work for everything. You're not trying to swap cleaners for novelties. Instead, you want to maximize shaving cream's properties for specific cleaning tasks.
Shaving cream has very little water and forms a thick lather, and this makes it a great option to help you clean your icky yellow mattress stains or painted walls without stripping the paint. It also works well for intricate jobs, like cleaning your air vents because it comes formulated to break down grime and polish your items without using harsh chemicals and damaging them. By understanding how shaving cream works for these jobs, you maximize how effective the results are to save you time. The goal is to take everyday items and use them as powerful cleaning agents to make your routine a bit more interesting and smoother.
Clean grime or ink stains from painted walls
Shaving cream features a mix of moisturizing agents and soap ingredients, making it act like many traditional foam-based cleaners. This makes it a great option to help lift grime and stains from different surfaces without needing harsh chemicals. For example, streaks build up on painted walls, as does grime. Your kid may have created a masterpiece in ink from a pen or marker. Shaving cream is an easy way to clean dirt and grime from walls while leaving the paint pristine.
Shaving cream can cling to vertical surfaces like walls because of its foam structure, giving its ingredients more time to break down the stains. Unlike liquid cleaners that run down the wall as soon as you apply them, foam cleaners stay where you spray them. The gentle formula allows shaving cream to work without damaging what's under it, making it very versatile.
Spray a small amount of shaving cream onto the ink stain or grimy spot on the wall. Get a soft cloth and rub the shaving cream over the problem area. Use a wet cloth to wipe the shaving cream from the wall.
Remove yellow mattress stains
Did you know you can clean your dingy mattress and remove yellow stains with shaving cream? These icky blemishes usually come from body oils or sweat, and they get deep into the fabric of the mattress, making them hard to remove. Shaving cream has a mix of soap and surfactants, and they quickly break down the fluids or oils in the stains, just like dish soap tackles greasy messes. The foam makes it easier to apply and stays on the surface instead of sinking through.
To remove these stains, pick a foaming shaving cream. Avoid using a gel shaving cream or a dyed shaving cream because the color could stain your mattress. Test a small spot to ensure it doesn't discolor anything, then spray it over the stain, covering it. Using a soft-bristled brush or cloth, work the shaving cream into the stain without forcing it because you could damage the fibers. It will take 15 to 30 minutes to give it time to break down the stains and lift them (via Puffy). Once it does, use a damp, soft cloth to wipe it away. Let your mattress air dry before putting your bedding back on.
Shine stainless steel appliances
Water spots and stains can build up on stainless steel surfaces over time. Shaving cream's cleaning agents allow you to clean stainless steel well by cutting through grime, grease, and fingerprints to help you get a streak-free clean without chemical-based cleaning agents. Shaving cream's composition also ensures it won't scratch surfaces or damage the finish, so it is useful for keeping your kitchen appliances looking nice while cleaning splatters or messes.
Get a can of foaming shaving cream; gel won't be as effective. You'll also need two clean microfiber cloths. Spray a generous dollop of shaving cream onto one of the cloths and use it to spread it evenly over whatever stainless steel surface you want to clean. Focus on spots with visible residue or grime, and buff these surfaces. Once you finish cleaning and are satisfied, take your second cloth, wet it, and wipe away the residue. Removing it all will ensure you don't have streaks.
Clean your bathtub
This hack cleans your bathtub with shaving cream and a broom while sparing your back. The cleansing agents in shaving cream are great for breaking down dirt and oils that coat bathtubs, especially if you have issues with soap scum. Also, you'll get it clean without worrying about causing damage with repeated use. Shaving cream deodorizes your bathroom fixtures too, making it a great cleaning agent if you have trouble with smells around the bathtub area.
Get a clean broom and apply a thick layer of shaving cream before using the broom to spread the shaving cream throughout the tub, including in hard-to-reach corners where grime and soap scum build-up. Scrub with your broom to get deep into the stains and apply more pressure and shaving cream for stubborn spots. You will need to wait for the shaving cream to do its work. According to Smart Fox, the optimal waiting time is 30 minutes. Rinse at the end of this waiting period, brush the surface again then rinse with water to remove residue and grime.
Pull stains from the carpet
Carpets build up a lot of stains from pets, spills, and general foot traffic, and they can be very hard to get back out once they set in. Shaving cream can slowly break down the substances embedded into the fibers, making them easier to lift. Also, shaving cream's texture lets it sit on your carpet's surface instead of sinking into the fibers and padding to worsen the problem. The active ingredients will stay where you need them, so they work as effectively as possible. The gentle formula is also less likely to damage the fibers, allowing you to use it regularly.
To use the shaving cream hack to clean carpets, apply a thick layer onto the stain. Leave it there for at least 15 minutes. After this period, dab at the spot with a dry, white cloth. When you get most of it off the carpet, rinse the area and soak up excess water with a dry cloth or paper towel, then leave to dry.
Clean your washing machine
Did you know shaving cream is perfect for cleaning your washing machine inside and out? Inside your washer, it typically collects soap scum and trapped dirt. Shaving cream's foamy texture spreads evenly over the drum and lets you get into all the tiny crevices when you clean. It can also clean the exterior of your washing machine to get rid of smudges, dust, and fingerprints.
To clean your washer's exterior, spray the shaving cream directly onto it or a microfiber cloth and wipe down the glass and metal to remove any fingerprints, dirt, or lint. The shaving cream will clean and polish simultaneously. For the interior, coat the drum with a layer of shaving cream to cover everything. Let it sit for roughly an hour to give the ingredients time to work on grime or bacteria before running a normal wash cycle, with hot water, to rinse the shaving cream and loosen debris. Leave the door open to let the interior air dry.
Remove dust from your air vent cover
Your air vent covers catch grime and dust; many forget to clean them. However, shaving cream's foam structure helps it stick to the vent cover to dissolve the dust and grime. The thick lather also sinks into the tiny slots and crevices that can be challenging to reach. You can use shaving cream repeatedly to clean this area to strip dust and allergens and leave your vents clean without worrying about chemicals.
To clean your air vent cover with shaving cream, carefully remove the cover from the ceiling. You may have to unscrew a few fasteners, but removing them gives you full access to both sides to make cleaning easier. Take a cloth or toothbrush and spray shaving cream before gently scrubbing at the air vent cover's surface. Pay close attention to between the slats where dust and grime build up. When you finish scrubbing, wipe it down with a clean cloth to remove most of the shaving cream and residue. Reattach it to finish.
Clean painted cabinets without scratching
Painted cabinets can be tricky to clean, as you don't want to damage or chip the paint. Shaving cream is a safe way to clean cabinets, especially the grimy areas around the handles or in any spots you touch a lot. The active cleaning agents help it tackle dirt and grease. The gentle formula allows it to clean and polish without scratching the surface, helping to save your cabinet's finish.
Get a damp microfiber cloth to clean your painted cabinets with shaving cream. Put a small amount of shaving cream on the damp cloth, just enough to cover the spot you want to clean, and gently scrub. You can also use an even gentler approach, diluting the shaving cream by running some water on the cloth after you apply the cream. As you clean, focus on areas where you see visible dirt or smudges. Get a dry cloth and go back over the areas you just cleaned to remove any residue and dirt to get a streak-free, clean finish that looks shiny without any damage.