Clean a Bathroom
No one likes cleaning the bathroom, but by keeping up with it, the job becomes much less painful. Read on for some tips in efficiency in keeping your surfaces, walls, floor, shower and toilet sparkling clean.
Contents
Steps
Preparing to Clean
- Remove all the items that don't belong in your bathroom. Take out everything that doesn't belong, such as clothes, cups, and trash. Also move out any little side tables or movable storage cabinets so that you can clean under them.
- Pour some bleach or another disinfectant into the toilet bowl. Put the toilet brush inside the bowl, helping to sanitize the brush for cleaning.
- Make sure the door is open and the fan is on to ensure proper ventilation.
- For a green alternative, mix a tablespoon of baking powder into about a quart of 75/25 mix of white vinegar and water.
- Dust. In general, when cleaning any room, start from the top down. Clean cobwebs in the corners of the bathroom, and brush other dust and dirt directly onto the floor to sweep up later. A duster works great for this, but you can also use the broom.
- If you've got delicate wallpaper, wrap the bristles in some toilet paper or paper towel and slightly wet it too.
- Apply any scrub powder to especially dirty areas. If you've got lime and build-up in the tub, sink, or around faucets, damp those areas slightly and sprinkle with scrubbing powder like Comet. Letting it sit for 10-15 minutes while you do other things will help to work loose the dirty patches and make your scrubbing go much more smoothly.
- Be sure to read the label and ensure that you're using an appropriate product and won't damage your surfaces. Test it out on a non-visible spot before you actually use it.
Cleaning Surfaces
- Clean the walls, windows and/or ceiling. If you have mold on the ceiling start with spraying a water bleach/disinfectant solution on it and let it rest for a couple of minutes, do the same with the walls ( if they are tiles) or use another cleaning product. With a sponge or a clean rag, scrub the tile surfaces you've sprayed. Rinse it carefully to avoid any stripes and dry it with a clean rag.
- It's a good idea to wear rubber gloves while you're scrubbing, to keep your hands from drying out if you're using harsh products.
- Clean the shower. Spray cleaning product on the shower walls, and the shower head and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Spray cleansers made especially for getting rid of soap scum work very well on tubs that haven't been cleaned in a while.
- For hard water areas that are prone to green and rust-colored stains, a cleanser made for eliminating calcium, lime and rust is probably what you need. Never use abrasive cleaners or green abrasive scrub pads or steel wool on porcelain fixtures, as they will quickly dull the finish.
- Soak the showerhead. If eventually the showerhead becomes quite clogged with hard water build up or soap scum, you can remove it and soak it overnight in a vinegar/water mixture, and then clean with a toothbrush.
- Go back over the shower and scrub the walls, faucet and shower head, rinse well with the hottest water and or dry with a towel. You can shine the faucet with a paper towel or a towel.
- Don't forget the shower curtain; it is also prone to mildew. A solution of about 2/3 water, 1/3 bleach in a spray bottle can be handy for getting rid of mildew spots. Or you can take it down and wash it in hot water with a small amount of soap and bleach.
- Clean the sink and counter area. Scrub all the soap scum and toothpaste off with a small amount of cleaner, rinsing your sponge thoroughly as you go along. Don't forget to clean your trashcan, tissue holder and other items which regularly remain in your bathroom. An old toothbrush or cotton swabs can be handy for getting the junk out from between the tap and handles.
- Be sure never to clean the sink and counter area with the same rag or paper towel you used to clean the toilet. This can spread leftover disease-causing germs to your sink and counter area. To prevent this you can use a specific rag which you use to clean only the toilet.
- Wipe off the fronts and tops of cabinets and drawers. You'll probably want to use hot, soapy water for this purpose. If you're worried about germs on these surfaces, add a bit of bleach to your soapy water.
- Clean the mirror. Use cleaner, rinse it and wipe the excessive water off with a towel or squeegee. To add a shine to your mirror add a bit vinegar to the water. if just cleaning with water wipe with a towel after.
- Clean the exterior of the toilet. Wipe the outside, starting with the flush handle so as not to re-contaminate it, with a cloth soaked in disinfectant cleaner. Thoroughly wash and rinse all exterior surfaces of the toilet bowl, including the underside and flared base, the top and underside of the seat and lid, and the hinges and their mounting area with a cloth and detergent or similar cleaner.
- Don't forget to use a cloth specially assigned for cleaning the toilet, or a paper towel (throw it away, don't flush it).
- Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush. You probably won't have to scrub hard: let the soapy water and patience dissolve the problem. Coat the inside of the bowl with a viscous acidic cleaner generally sold in an angle-necked bottle. Take special care to cover the entire inside edge of the rim; it'll run down toward other areas.
- Allow the cleaner to soak for half an hour or more before scrubbing the entire bowl including under the rim with a toilet bowl brush, let it soak a little longer after it's been well-distributed though thinned by the initial scrubbing, then scrub some more and flush it away.
- Sweep and mop the floor. Start with the farthest point from the door. Sweep up all the dust and debris you've cleaned so far and let fall on the floor, then mop using hot soapy bleach water. Remember to rinse the floor with clean water to remove slippery soap residue. Be sure to get along the sides of your toilet bowl where it is anchored to the floor. This area is notoriously dirty. Don't forget to clean the base boards or base molds these places usually accumulates a lot of dust.
- Find an unwanted old toothbrush and wash it thoroughly. Get rid of all excess toothpaste gunk that may be on it. Apply a small amount of bleach or other counter-safe cleaning product to the toothbrush. Scrub away! The toothbrush helps to get in areas that are narrow or need very detailed scrubbing.
Keeping the Bathroom Clean
- Run the fan. Keeping your bathroom ventilated will discourage the growth of mildew, keeping your big cleaning sessions few and far between. Always run the fan after you get out of the shower, to dry out the bathroom and keep the moisture from clinging.
- Wipe down the shower after you use it. To make sure mold and mildew doesn't build up in the shower in between big cleaning sessions, take time to wipe it down every time you take a shower. Combined with running the fan, this should keep your bathroom mildew free.
- Keep it tidy. Much of what we call "mess" is really just clutter. If clothes accumulate in your bathroom, put a hamper, or even a cardboard box in the bathroom to collect dirty clothes. Use a toothbrush holder or a cup to keep your toothbrushes in order. Keep other supplies in an old shoebox under the sink to keep the surface tidy.
- Use the toilet brush. Even if it doesn't look dirty, minerals in the water can stain the bowl, so it's a good idea to brush the toilet down with a sturdy toilet brush fairly regularly. If you do this even just once a week, your bigger cleanings will be much easier and infrequent.
- Wash toothpaste down. Toothpaste stains and build up in the sink and even on the mirror can make a bathroom look dirtier than it needs to be. Make sure you clean up after your toothpaste, washing it down and rinsing the sink out, then drying the bowl of the sink when you're finished.
- To consolidate tasks, do this while you mouthwash for an added dental benefit.
Tips
- Rinse your sponge or scrub brush numerous times as you go along, and change your mop water when it gets dirty. The object of cleaning is to wash dirt away and down a drain, not to move it around your bathroom.
- Wear rubber gloves to maintain hygiene.
- There are a lot of tiny nooks and crannies you can't get a sponge or rag into. A number of cotton swabs can be helpful, as can a toothbrush (kept only for cleaning, of course!) for getting into all kinds of tricky corners and between tiles.
- Calcium-lime-rust eliminating cleansers can also be sprayed on your shower head to unclog hard-water buildup and regain water pressure. For best results, spray a few times a week after showering.
- Don't forget to clean the ceiling. A bleach-water solution in a spray bottle can be used to eliminate mildew spots on the ceiling as well.
- Remember: the number one enemy of mildew is bleach. Often just a small application of bleach will eliminate mildew stains without the need for scrubbing.
- A squeegee will get glass surfaces looking really clean without water spots.
- Scrub in between tiles with bleach to get all the grout out.
- Once your tub has been thoroughly cleaned as per the above instructions, a no-rinse tub and shower cleaner (Tilex makes such a product in the US) that you apply after each shower can be used to maintain your tub or shower's cleanliness with little effort.
- Wash the inside of your tub with Bar Keepers Friend it polishes it.
- You can stop that annoying steaming of the bathroom glass by using plain white standard shaving cream. Just put it on the mirror and rub it in. There should not be any streaks or anything. Works wonders!
Warnings
- Read the labels of your products carefully to make sure they can be mixed with bleach. Products like Windex often contain ammonia; use with caution if bleach is used nearby.
- Don't ever mix bleach and ammonia! Even sponges that have formerly come in contact with bleach can react with ammonia and cause poisonous chlorine gas to form.
Things You'll Need
- Sponge, Squeegee, or scrub brush
- Vacuum
- Broom (rubber-bristle or regular)
- Dustpan
- Bleach
- Toilet cleanser and toilet brush
- General-purpose bathroom cleanser (spray or powder)
- Bucket
- Mop (optional; a small bathroom can be mopped by hand with a sponge)
- Cloths
- Paper towels
- Glass cleanser
- Rubber gloves
- Spray bottle
- Dish soap or laundry detergent
- Steel wool (optional)
- Toothbrush or cotton swabs (optional)
Related Articles
- Go Green in Your Bathroom
- Maintain a Clean Toilet
- Remove a Bathroom Mirror
- Clean a Toilet
- Clean a Shower
- Clean Household Surfaces Efficiently
