Two of the biggest bathroom problems are hard water and soap scum. Hard water tends to lead to lime scale and soap scum has the knack to stain the surfaces it comes in contact with. There are, of course, easy and simple solutions to both of these annoyances. However, you must be patient while removing either one of these as you want to avoid damaging any surfaces.

In this article, you'll find a number of solution that will help you remove any traces of hard water and/or soap scum from your shower walls. The best part about these solutions is that they're all easy to find as they are commonly used in domestic areas. Now, the items you'll require are:

-Water
-A spray bottle
-Sponges
-Ammonia or
-Vinegar or
-Baking soda

Ammonia Solution: First of all, make sure that the room you're working in is well ventilated since ammonia is known for having strong fumes. Take the spray bottle, fill 2/3 of it with water and add 1/3 of household ammonia. Proceed to spray the mixture on the area of the shower you with to sanitize. Afterwards, wipe off the mixture with a sponge. If the stains don't budge, let the solutions it for a few minutes before wiping it off. If the stains don't disappear right away, repeat the spray-and-wipe process.

Vinegar Solution: For this solution you'll need to warm up the vinegar in your microwave before pouring it in the spray bottle. Afterwards, use the spray-and-wipe method explained above.

Baking Soda Solution: You won't be needing the spray bottle for this one, instead you'll be mixing baking soda and water to form a paste. After the paste is ready, proceed to apply it on the surface of the shower wall. Do this by rubbing the paste over the stains you with to clean. Let the paste sit there for half and hour. Afterwards, moisten one of the sponges with water and wipe the paste off.

One of the best ways to clean soap scum and hard water stains is to use home-made solutions. The best of these solutions happens to be car wax. Now, regular car wax may help keep the walls of your shower clean but some commercial products have harsh chemicals that aren't good for your bathroom surfaces in any way. If you decide to use such cleaning solutions, be sure to have your local area builders on call as you'll definitely need some bathroom repairs, if you damage your surfaces with harsh chemicals.

If you wish to make your own car wax, you'll need to mix:

-Four tablespoons of carnuba wax
-One cup of linseed oil
-Half a cup cup of vinegar
-Two tablespoons of beeswax

Aside from these you'll need:

-A saucepan
-A heat resistant storage container

Mix all of the ingredients from the list above into the saucepan and head the mixture over a low fire. Be sure to stir as the mixture heats more and more to help melt everything you've mixed. Afterwards, take the heat-resistant container, pour the wax into it and allow it to cool down.

To apply the wax, spread it onto the surface of the shower you wish to clean by using a lint-free piece of cloth. Afterwards, moisten a clean cloth with vinegar and use it to polish the axed surface.