How to Clean a Bathroom

Do you know how to clean and disinfect your bathroom? Did someone ever teach you how to clean a bathroom? This article will show you how to clean and disinfect your bathroom efficiently and with less effort and fuss. You will learn how to make every inch of your bathroom sparkle. Cleaning and disinfecting a bathroom takes time and elbow grease. In this article, I will go over all the steps you will need to take in order to clean each component of the bathroom. By the end of this article, you will be able to enjoy a clean and germ-free bathroom. I will admit, and I am sure you would agree that cleaning the bathroom is the one cleaning chore in the house that no one wants to do. But it really is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. If you take a few extra steps daily,(which I will give you throughout and at the end of this post), You will be able to clean the bathroom with less effort. This article is about how to deep clean your bathroom. This is the type of cleaning that is necessary to disinfect and kill bacteria. The bathroom is one of the rooms that you need to make sure you get all the surfaces from top to bottom clean. There are 6 main components in the bathroom, shower/tub, the sink, the toilet, faucets/fixtures, cabinet, and the floor. The best way to tackle this task is in two steps. Step one is prep: this would be removing everything out of your way, from the countertops and the floor then spraying all the surfaces with your cleaner of choice and letting it sit for 20 minutes so that it can do its work, it needs time to kill the germs. Step two is to scrub, wipe, and dry, making everything shine.

Cleaners

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Let me take a moment to talk about cleaners, I do not use bleach. I use white distilled cleaning vinegar or baking soda instead of bleach. As for all-purpose, disinfecting, or glass cleaners I choose to use Method brand cleaners they do a great job, and they leave everything smelling clean and fresh especially the bathroom cleaner that smells like mint. In some rare occasions, I have been known to make my own natural cleaners, when I do I usually follow recipes from Melissa Maker at Clean MySpace on Youtube, she shares wonderful videos on cleaning. I mainly get my cleaning supplies from Grove Collaborative which is a monthly subscription service. I have included a link to make it simple for you to buy the products on Amazon. You can also find Method Cleaning Product in your supermarket, Target, just about any store that carries cleaning supplies.

Prep for cleaning

vacuum and dust – This is your prep step, you need to get rid of the dust and the hair on the floor and on any surface such as window sills and the surface around the tub, window shutters anything and everything that dust might settle on. Make sure you vacuum behind your toilet bowl, I use a vacuum crevice tool for this and I also use the vacuum brush attachment to clean the baseboards, crown molding, vents, top of door frames. Then spray and wipe with a microfiber cloth. I use E-cloth microfiber cloth, with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe down any towel racks, shelves, baseboards, doors, blinds, and windowsills. This is also the time to take care of the shower, tub, and sink drain. In each drain pour half a cup of baking soda then half a cup of white vinegar let it bubble for 5 minutes, then pour a full kettle of boiling water down the drain. This will help flush your drains to avoid clogs and will also deal with any odors coming from the drain. The sink drain has the highest bathroom bacteria count—topping even the toilet seat according to Dr. Gerba research, a University of Arizona professor of Microbiology.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

Toilet– Begin by pumping the water out of the bowl: with the toilet brush plunging the toilet just a few times to get the water level down, then pour in the toilet bowl cleaner, my favorite is Lysol bowl cleaner, making sure you get it into the underside of the rim, let it sit for 15 minutes. To clean: scrub with a toilet bowl brush making sure you get the underside of the rim well. Then Spray with antibacterial cleaner the handle, the outside of the bowl, the tank, the underside of the seat, the top and bottom of the seat, the bottom and the top of the seat cover; do not forget to clean the hard-to-reach areas, like the spots where the hinges meet the seat. Next, with paper towels or a microfiber cloth wipe it all dry from top to bottom making sure you get the bottom and underneath the tank. once you are done tackle the toilet brush itself, which you should be cleaning after every use. Here is how: Secure the brush handle between the already-cleaned seat and the basin so that it hovers over the bowl; spray the bristles with antibacterial cleaner, bleach, or white vinegar whichever is your choices, and let it hover until it is dry, after its dry you can put it away. You will also want to clean the wall or cabinets next to and behind the toilet with all-purpose disinfecting cleaner and wipe it dry. ** Tip: Always close the lid when you flush, this will prevent bacteria from getting on other bathroom surfaces. According to Dr. Charles Gerba, aka Dr. Germ a University of Arizona professor of Microbiology – a flushing toilet, when viewed in slow motion, resembles a fireworks display. And since germs linger in the bowl even after flushing, bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella can fly into the air and land on the seat, the handle, and other surfaces at any time.

Shower/Tub– if you have a shower curtain this is a good time to take it down for a quick wash in the washing machine with your regular detergent and a few old towels. The old towels will help scrub and get rid of soap scum and mildew. Rehang to dry after you have finished cleaning the shower. Spray the entire inside of your shower including the glass door, do not forget the door tracks and inside door frame if applicable. Step out and turn on the shower on the highest hot water setting, (if you have a separate tub spray that as well), let the water run for five minutes to build up steam then close the shower door and the bathroom door and let the cleaner and steam mix for twenty minutes. After the 20 minutes using a non-abrasive scrubbing sponge, wipe down all the tile surfaces and with a clean microfiber cloth wipe down the glass surfaces. Rinse with hot water then squeegee everything dry. Once it is all dry I like to spray the inside and outside of the glass with glass cleaner and dry it with an E-cloth for glass. with the same glass cloth I wipe down all the fixtures, this last step makes it all shine. **Tip: you can seal the grout every 6 months to help prevent moisture and grime. (DuPont Grout Sealer) and you can apply car wax every 12 months on ceramic tile to minimize watermarks. According to an article in Real Simple Magazine.

Sink – Take everything off the sink area and place it somewhere out of the way. According to Dr. Gerba bathroom faucets get plenty of germs, too, he says. When you turn the water on to wash your hands, that contaminates the faucet. When you turn the water off, you recontaminate your hands. To clean the sink area spray the inside of the sink and your faucet with your favorite bathroom cleaner. Make sure your cleaner is safe to use on your fixtures. With a tiny brush or a toothbrush that has been designated for this purpose, scrub those areas around the fixtures and the handles to get the grime out. Wipe everything with a microfiber cloth, the inside of the sink, the countertop, and lastly the faucets. Do not use any of the cloths that you used to clean any of the toilet areas. It is best to use a different clean cloth in each area that you clean.

Conclusion

A few last odds and ends to clean

Mirror – Spray the mirror with glass cleaner and wipe it dry, I use a glass e-cloth, then with that same cloth I wipe the countertop and the faucets to get any glass cleaner that might have sprayed onto it from the mirror. Window- Spray with glass cleaner and wipe dry. Cabinets – Use an all-purpose cleaner and wipe down your cabinets. Trash can– sprits with all-purpose disinfecting cleaner and wipe it dry and if you do not use a trash liner spray the inside as well let it sit for a few minutes then dry it with a paper towel. Floor – Mop or steam clean your floor. I prefer to steam clean my floors. The steam kills germs and bacteria without having to use chemicals. I use a Bissel PowerFresh Steam Mop. By following the steps that have been covered in this article, you will be able to enjoy a clean germ-free bathroom. Whether you are a cleaning warrior and like to get in and get out by cleaning the entire bathroom all at once, or you like to break it up and do it one component at a time by setting yourself up with a Cleaning Routine. Incidentally, I do both. I have three bathrooms that are small enough for me to be able to clean each in 90 minutes, and a master bath, that I break up the cleaning into a few days. I get the master bath done in the second week of the month when I clean the master suite. If you do this deep cleaning once a month and you tidy up your bathroom daily by wiping down the sink area, and once a week vacuuming and giving your toilet bowl a quick scrub you will enjoy a clean bathroom for weeks.

Bonus tips

Here are some extra tips to help you maintain your bathroom clean. after you shower uses a squeegee to dry the walls and glass this helps maintain a cleaner shower by keeping soap scum under control, soap residue becomes more difficult to clean once it hardens. Soap scum develops when calcium in water mixes with fatty acids often found in bar soaps. Switching to a liquid body wash would also help with less soap scum. To help prevent mold and mildew run the bathroom vent during your shower and leave it on for at least one hour after you shower to eliminate humidity. One easy way to do this is to install a timer switch for your vent. If you have a shower curtain pull it closed after you shower to help it dry. If you have a glass door in your shower leave it open after you shower so that air circulates better and the shower can dry faster also preventing mold and mildew. Whenever you clean your bathroom dry all surfaces. To clean the shower head you can use white vinegar into a plastic bag or a balloon (enough to fully submerge the shower head nozzle) and tie it in place for an overnight soaking. Remove it in the morning and run the water to rinse. **VINEGAR IS AN ACID AND IT CAN DAMAGE CERTAIN METAL AND FINISHES-YOU SHOULD CONSULT WITH YOUR FIXTURE MANUFACTURER OR RUN A SMALL TEST ON A NON-VISIBLE PART TO MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE.

If you found this article useful please share it with family and friends on your social media or you can e-mail it to them. This would be a good article to share with anyone that is away at college, or going away to college, or setting up their first apartment or home. If you have questions on this article or any other post feel free to leave a comment, you can also e-mail me if you would like.

When it is all done, take some time for yourself to enjoy your Clean Bathroom. Relax!