How dirty is the bathroom?
Well, according to recent studies it is by far one of the dirtiest places in your home – and it’s easy to see why! But should you be worried? Not if you read our handy guide on how to properly clean and maintain your bathroom. With our simple to follow 7 step process, you can get to work on your bathroom giving it the best clean it’s ever had. We’re going to take you through everything, from your shower to your toilet – and much more.
So let’s start with…
1. The shower
First of all we are going to start with the shower head. So grab yourself a plastic bag or bin liner (preferably without any holes) and get some white vinegar, as this is going to be used as our cleaning solution. Fill the bag with just enough white vinegar to submerge the shower head completely. You then need to tie and seal the bag and leave it to soak overnight.
Come the morning you can then take out the shower head and give it a little rinse. It’s also advisable to run the showers water through the nozzle to clear out any remaining dirt or hair. It should then be nice and clean and ready to use!
The next step is to wash your shower curtains (if you have them), which is something that gets overlooked when cleaning the bathroom. This one is real simple, and all you need to do is take them down and pop them in the washing machine. You also don’t need to use any kind of special cleaning solution as your regular washing powder will easily do the trick. As an extra tip, try adding some old towels into the machine at the same time. Why? The towels act as a kind of scrub which will help remove soap scum and any mildew.
If you have shower doors then there are several effective ways to give them a good clean. However, our special tip is to make a paste using a few drops of distilled white vinegar mixed with a cup of baking soda. This paste can then be applied directly to your shower door, and because it will be a nice thick paste, it should easily stick to the door so you can let it sit for an hour or so. You can then rub away the paste with a cloth or rag (microfiber cloths are very effective). Finally, give the doors a good rinse and dry using a microfiber cloth.
For your bathtub we would advise a good scrub at least once a week, and if it’s used often then 2-3 times a week would keep it gleaming. This can be difficult if you live in a house with a large family, so consider asking each member of the house to help and give it a scrub every other time they use it. Every day bathroom cleaners are always advisable as they will leave your tub clean and shiny. Like everything, cleaning the tub regularly stops the dirt from building up and making it much harder to clean when the time comes.
Tip – keep cleaning solutions and cloths in your bathroom and make them easily accessible. That way, every time someone uses the bath or the shower they can clean up after themselves. Most people leave their cleaning solutions underneath the kitchen sink, which doesn’t inspire anyone to nip downstairs with a towel wrapped around them!
2. Grout & tiles
Tiles are always easy to keep clean and any kind of bathroom cleaning solution will do the trick. However, the majority of people forget how important it is to keep the grouting clean in between the tiles. First of all you’ll need to buy a special grout brush. You will easily be able to purchase one either from the internet like Amazon, or your local DIY store.
The next step is to dip the brush in straight bleach and scrub away – especially on any areas that are discoloured. Be extremely carefully when using bleach, and always make sure you open a window so the bathroom is well ventilated.
Grout is porous and extremely vulnerable to bacteria growth. As such, we would advise sealing the grout approximately every 6 months, as this will help prevent any moisture and grime from getting in.
3. The toilet
As we all know, baking soda is a fantastic product to use for cleaning. Throw a cup of baking soda into your toilet and leave it for a few minutes. Then give your toilet a good scrub and rinse when finished. If you are still seeing a few spots then consider using a damp pumice stone. This should be abrasive enough to remove lime scale, but be careful not to be too aggressive and damage your sink.
It’s now time to clean the toilet brush itself. That’s right, you heard me! If you don’t keep your scrubbing tools clean, then you are never going to rid yourself of all that bacteria. And the best way to clean your brush is to use bleach, but you do have to be very careful.
One way to do this safely is to wear gloves and to very carefully pour the bleach onto the bristles of the brush. You also need to do this over the toilet bowl so you don’t accidentally get the bleach onto your floor. Leave the bleach to do its magic for a few minutes and then flush the toilet and let the water clean the brush. Finally, fill the brush canister with hot soapy water and leave it for a while. Then once you are happy it’s done its job, empty the water into your toilet.
Tip – germs and bacteria are shot around the room every time you flush the toilet. So always make sure the lid is down when you flush to avoid spreading these germs.
4. The sink
For your sink you can either use white vinegar or baking soda. Pour either one of these down the sink and follow that up with hot water from the tap. This should help to clear your drains. As for your taps, instead of using cloths and a cleaning solution to wipe them, our advice would be to use a disposable disinfecting wipe of some kind. This type of wipe is great for eliminating bacteria, and doesn’t just move it around like a cloth would.
Tip – use dental floss around your taps to get to the harder to reach places. Depending on the design of your taps, you may find it really difficult to scrub at the base, so dental floss is perfect for this.
5. Bathroom walls and ceilings
Spray your walls and ceilings with an all-purpose cleaning solution. Special cleaners for your walls and ceiling will be easy to find in any store. The next step is to turn your shower on really hot and let the steam build up in the room. Give it about 5 minutes on hot to allow enough steam to build up, and then leave the bathroom and close the door (remember to close all windows too).
Leave the cleaning solution and steam to mix for about 30 minutes and then wipe down all the surfaces. Don’t forget to buy a dry microfiber mop that will reach your ceiling!
6. Hand towels
Washing your towels and keeping clean towels in the bathroom may seem rather obvious, but it’s an absolute must if you are keen to prevent germs and bacteria from spreading around your home. Ideally you should look to replace your towels with clean fresh ones every 4-5 days.
Towels are very good at breeding bacteria because they are damp and easily trap moisture. So try to help keep them cleaner for longer by spreading them out on your towel rail so the air can circulate better. You also need to avoid hanging wet towels near the toilet; otherwise you run the risk of catching germs from the toilet after each flush!
Tip – don’t forget to also clean your towel rail!
7. The ventilation fan
When was the last time you cleaned your ventilation fan? What was that – never you say…? Well, you’re not on your own so don’t worry. This final bathroom cleaning tip is by far not an obvious one, but still just as important.
Before you begin make sure you flip the circuit breaker. You then need to remove the cover and place it to soak in some warm soapy water. You could use your toilet sink, but don’t forget to clean the sink afterwards!
Now it’s time to remove the dirt and dust from the ventilation hole. Use the nozzle from the vacuum to suck out as much dirt and dust as you can. Then wipe down the fan blades with a damp cloth to remove any remaining dirt. For any hard to reach places consider using a small paint brush to get right into the nooks and crannies.
As soon as it’s completely dry, replace the cover (don’t forget to dry the cover too!).
