No matter how old your home is, you'll need to do a little prep work to get it ready to sell. Staging a home for potential buyers to walk through is just as important as picking the right Realtor. One room that interested prospects pay great attention to is the bathroom. This guide explains what to inspect to clean up or repair before that first person comes knocking on your door.

Get Rid of Soap Scum

Soap scum occurs in nearly every home. But if you're trying to sell yours, it can be a deal breaker. Soap scum is difficult to get rid of. But if you use a good cleaner that's specifically made for soap scum and a scrub brush you can get rid of it.

Clean the shower doors, checking carefully around the frame and the gasket or spline that connects the door to the frame. Sometimes soap scum accumulates in this area and if left unchecked, it could be difficult to remove.

Check for soap scum on the bathtub surface and around the drains in the shower, tub and sinks.

After you have removed the soap scum, spray the surfaces down with a vinegar and water solution, about half-and-half, after each use to keep the soap scum at bay.

Get Rid of Clutter

Find a new home for all your grooming tools. Items such as curling irons, electric razors and blow dryers take up space on your counter and give the appearance of a cluttered bathroom. Having too many items on your counter makes it appear smaller than what it is, and potential buyers might not notice the beautiful counter, but your mess instead.

Invest in some wall shelving to store these items on. Some are specifically made for hair-styling tools and actually add to the décor of the bathroom, while providing great storage that you can get to easily.

Clean out all the cabinets, drawers and the area under the sink. Organize everything in a fashion that buyers can see how much room there is and you find what you need quickly.

Get Rid of Rust Around the Toilet and Drains

Look for rust on the toilet bolts, drains and the water shut off valves behind the toilet and under the sink. Some potential buyers may not bother looking in these areas, but others will. If they do, you want them to look new.

Try to clean the rust off with fine-grit sand paper and then paint the items with a metal paint. If you can't clean the rust off, then call a professional to replace anything that needs it.

Plan to spend about a day in your bathrooms getting them ready for potential buyers to see. Remember that when people view homes, they want to envision themselves living there, so the cleaner and more organized it is, the better your chances are of selling. Ask your Realtor for other ideas on making your bathroom stand out to potential buyers.