The numbers your plumber and tile setter need before the wall closes: shower head at 80", valve at 38"–48", hand shower bar, body jets, tub spout, niche and bench heights, plus how to adjust for tall or short users and rain heads.

Standing water in the shower is almost always hair wrapped around the drain crossbar. How to remove the cover, pull the clog, use a zip tool or snake, when a plunger or baking soda helps, and how to keep the drain clear.

Grey, black or orange grout lines are the fastest way to make a clean bathroom look dirty. The baking soda and peroxide paste, oxygen bleach soaks, steam, what never to use on coloured grout, and how to seal it so it stays clean.

Black spots in grout, pink slime in corners, mould in the caulk: which cleaner works on each surface, when caulk has to be replaced, and the ventilation fix that stops mould coming back.

Cloudy glass is hard water and soap scum, not damage. The vinegar-and-dish-soap method, how to handle etched glass, what never to use on glass and metal frames, and a two-minute daily habit that keeps doors clear.

Blocked nozzles and a weak, crooked spray mean limescale. The bag-of-vinegar method, the soak method, what to do for matte black and brushed gold finishes, and how often to clean in hard-water areas.

Swap a shower head in 15 minutes with a wrench and PTFE tape. Includes how to remove a stuck head, install a rain head or hand shower, fix a leaking connection and understand Canadian flow ratings.

A dripping shower, a handle that is hard to turn or water that will not get hot usually means a worn cartridge. Here is how to identify, remove and replace it without opening the wall.

Pressure-balanced or thermostatic? Learn how each shower valve works, what it costs in Canada, which one your bathroom needs and how to size a valve for rain heads and body jets.