Your bathroom gets a lot of use. As a result, it can be one of the messiest rooms in your house. Outside of the visible grime and soap scum that build up, there’s a multitude of unseen germs that can form. This means it’s absolutely crucial to deep clean your bathroom regularly. Whether you just need to sanitize the toilet or clean the whole space, these tips on how to clean a bathroom will help keep your house clean.
Step 1. Prepare your bathroom for cleaning
Before you begin cleaning, clear out anything that’s in the way, such as towels, shampoo bottles and soap dispensers. Once you’ve done that, gather the necessary cleaning products. You can use whatever you’re comfortable with, but these supplies are the most useful for bathroom cleaning:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Bleach (or alternative)
- All-purpose cleaner
- Bathroom cleaner
- Disinfecting wipes
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Glass cleaner
While cleaning your bathroom, it helps to focus on one section at a time. Each step covers a different part of the bathroom and can largely be done in any order.
Step 2. Scrub down the shower and bathtub
The shower and bathtub probably take up the greatest amount of space in your bathroom. Thus, they can seem rather daunting to clean — especially if you haven’t given them a good scrub recently. Here’s how to approach your shower and tub:[1]
- Shower curtain and liner – Put your shower curtain and liner in the wash with a couple of old towels (the towels help scrub off any extra grime). When they’re done, there’s no need for the dryer — just hang back on their hooks to air-dry.
- Shower doors – For shower doors, mix a few drops of vinegar with baking soda to create a paste, then wipe it all over the door panel. Leave it for an hour, then wipe off with a damp cloth, rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth.
- Bathtub – As for the tub, spray bathroom cleaner all over and let it sit as the product’s directions state. Then scrub and rinse.
- Showerhead – Finish this area with the showerhead. Fill a grocery or storage bag with a generous amount of vinegar, then tie it around your showerhead so it’s completely submerged. Leave overnight to cleanse, then rinse with water.
Step 3. Get in deep with tile grout
Grime can run amok in the spaces in between your bathroom’s tiles. To keep the grout clean, mix ¾ cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water. Carefully apply the solution with a brush. After letting it sit for about 5 minutes, rinse with water.[2] If you prefer to avoid bleach, you should research alternatives to find a cleaning solution with which you’re more comfortable.[3]
Step 4. Wipe down the walls
You can easily clean your walls with an all-purpose cleaner. For a deeper clean, try adding steam to the mix. To do so, after you spray your cleaner, run hot water from your shower until the bathroom steams up. Then turn off the shower, leave the bathroom and shut the door. Let the steam sit for at least 20 minutes. When the time has passed, go back in and wipe down the walls.[1]
Step 5. Brighten up the toilet bowl
Out of everything in your bathroom, the toilet might be the piece that requires the most frequent cleaning. Keep in mind that cleaning a toilet is more than just the toilet bowl; it also includes all the parts attached to it. Here’s the best way to tackle your toilet:[1][2]
- Toilet bowl – Pour toilet bowl cleaner all along the top of the bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then scrub with a toilet brush. Flush to rinse. For stubborn stains, use baking soda instead of the toilet bowl cleaner.
- Toilet brush – Keep your toilet brush clean by either spraying it with disinfectant or, while holding the brush over a sink or toilet, pouring bleach or an alternative disinfectant over its bristles. It’s recommended to clean the brush after every use.
- Toilet seat – For the toilet seat, flush lever and cover, use an all-purpose cleaner or wipe down with disinfecting wipes.
Step 6. Deep clean the sink
It may come as a surprise that the bathroom sink is home to more bacteria than any other part of the bathroom. This makes it all the more important to clean it the right way. Use a bathroom cleaner or disinfecting wipes for the faucet, handles, countertop and bowl of the sink.[2] For the drain, pour some vinegar or baking soda down it followed by hot water.[1]
Step 7. Clean the mirror, cabinets and shelves
The items that hang from your bathroom walls, such as the mirror and other shelves, also need regular cleaning. For your mirror, lightly spray it with a glass cleaner or a vinegar-and-water solution, then wipe down with a microfiber cloth or a couple sheets of newspaper. You can use paper towels or another type of cloth instead, though they may leave behind streaks.[4] Clean any additional shelves and cabinets you have with an all-purpose cleaner.
Step 8. Clean the dust out of the bathroom fan
Don’t forget to look up during your deep clean. The bathroom fan holds onto a lot of residual dust and gunk from all that goes on in the bathroom. Start by vacuuming the dust from its vents, then wipe it down with a slightly damp sponge or cloth. If the cover can be removed, soak it in soap and water, rinse and let it air-dry. Be careful not to get any of the fan’s electrical components wet.[1][2]
Step 9. Wash the bathroom towels
The towels in your home bathroom are touched by many people, so make sure you’re taking care of them properly. Bleach your towels or run them through a sanitize cycle on your washing machine. Replace used bathroom towels every few days.[1]
Step 10. Finish up the floors
As you go about your bathroom cleaning, it might help to save the bathroom floor for last to avoid tracking in fresh dirt while cleaning something else later. With floors, just spray a bathroom cleaner and wipe down. If needed, use a bleach-and-water solution for lingering spots, then rinse with water and towel dry.[2]
Looking after your bathroom is a relatively small undertaking, but it can actually help prevent other major problems in your home — particularly water damage. In case you do end up facing this situation, it’s important to know if your homeowners insurance covers water damage.
[1]https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/cleaning-bathroom/how-clean-bathroom
[2]https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g31292850/how-to-clean-bathroom
[3]https://homeguides.sfgate.com/natural-alternatives-bleach-disinfecting-79312.html
[4] https://lentheplumber.com/blog/the-best-way-to-clean-your-bathroom-mirrors
10 Steps on How to Deep Clean a Bathroom
- Prepare your bathroom for cleaning
Before you begin cleaning, clear out anything that’s in the way, such as towels, shampoo bottles and soap dispensers. Once you’ve done that, gather the necessary cleaning products. You can use whatever you’re comfortable with, but these supplies are the most useful for bathroom cleaning:
Baking soda
White vinegar
Bleach (or alternative)
All-purpose cleaner
Bathroom cleaner
Before you begin cleaning, clear out anything that’s in the way, such as towels, shampoo bottles and soap dispensers. Once you’ve done that, gather the necessary cleaning products. You can use whatever you’re comfortable with, but these supplies are the most useful for bathroom cleaning:
Baking soda
White vinegar
Bleach (or alternative)
All-purpose cleaner
Bathroom cleaner
Disinfecting wipes
Toilet bowl cleaner
Glass cleaner
While cleaning your bathroom, it helps to focus on one section at a time. Each step covers a different part of the bathroom and can largely be done in any order.
- Scrub down the shower and bathtub
The shower and bathtub probably take up the greatest amount of space in your bathroom. Thus, they can seem rather daunting to clean — especially if you haven’t given them a good scrub recently. Here’s how to approach your shower and tub:
Shower curtain and liner – Put your shower curtain and liner in the wash with a couple of old towels (the towels help scrub off any extra grime). When they’re done, there’s no need for the dryer — just hang back on their hooks to air-dry.
Shower doors – For shower doors, mix a few drops of vinegar with baking soda to create a paste, then wipe it all over the door panel. Leave it for an hour, then wipe off with a damp cloth, rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth.
Bathtub – As for the tub, spray bathroom cleaner all over and let it sit as the product’s directions state. Then scrub and rinse.
Showerhead – Finish this area with the showerhead. Fill a grocery or storage bag with a generous amount of vinegar, then tie it around your showerhead so it’s completely submerged. Leave overnight to cleanse, then rinse with water.
- Get in deep with tile grout
Grime can run amok in the spaces in between your bathroom’s tiles. To keep the grout clean, mix ¾ cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water. Carefully apply the solution with a brush. After letting it sit for about 5 minutes, rinse with water. If you prefer to avoid bleach, you should research alternatives to find a cleaning solution with which you’re more comfortable.
- Wipe down the walls
You can easily clean your walls with an all-purpose cleaner. For a deeper clean, try adding steam to the mix. To do so, after you spray your cleaner, run hot water from your shower until the bathroom steams up. Then turn off the shower, leave the bathroom and shut the door. Let the steam sit for at least 20 minutes. When the time has passed, go back in and wipe down the walls.
- Brighten up the toilet bowl
Out of everything in your bathroom, the toilet might be the piece that requires the most frequent cleaning. Keep in mind that cleaning a toilet is more than just the toilet bowl; it also includes all the parts attached to it. Here’s the best way to tackle your toilet:
Toilet bowl – Pour toilet bowl cleaner all along the top of the bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then scrub with a toilet brush. Flush to rinse. For stubborn stains, use baking soda instead of the toilet bowl cleaner.
Toilet brush – Keep your toilet brush clean by either spraying it with disinfectant or, while holding the brush over a sink or toilet, pouring bleach or an alternative disinfectant over its bristles. It’s recommended to clean the brush after every use.
Toilet seat – For the toilet seat, flush lever and cover, use an all-purpose cleaner or wipe down with disinfecting wipes.
- Deep clean the sink
It may come as a surprise that the bathroom sink is home to more bacteria than any other part of the bathroom. This makes it all the more important to clean it the right way. Use a bathroom cleaner or disinfecting wipes for the faucet, handles, countertop and bowl of the sink. For the drain, pour some vinegar or baking soda down it followed by hot water.
- Clean the mirror, cabinets and shelves
The items that hang from your bathroom walls, such as the mirror and other shelves, also need regular cleaning. For your mirror, lightly spray it with a glass cleaner or a vinegar-and-water solution, then wipe down with a microfiber cloth or a couple sheets of newspaper. You can use paper towels or another type of cloth instead, though they may leave behind streaks. Clean any additional shelves and cabinets you have with an all-purpose cleaner.
- Clean the dust out of the bathroom fan
Don’t forget to look up during your deep clean. The bathroom fan holds onto a lot of residual dust and gunk from all that goes on in the bathroom. Start by vacuuming the dust from its vents, then wipe it down with a slightly damp sponge or cloth. If the cover can be removed, soak it in soap and water, rinse and let it air-dry. Be careful not to get any of the fan’s electrical components wet.
- Wash the bathroom towels
The towels in your home bathroom are touched by many people, so make sure you’re taking care of them properly. Bleach your towels or run them through a sanitize cycle on your washing machine. Replace used bathroom towels every few days.
- Finish up the floors
As you go about your bathroom cleaning, it might help to save the bathroom floor for last to avoid tracking in fresh dirt while cleaning something else later. With floors, just spray a bathroom cleaner and wipe down. If needed, use a bleach-and-water solution for lingering spots, then rinse with water and towel dry.
