Say goodbye to grime and hello to shiny floors, streak-free mirrors, and a spotless sink
Bathroom cleaning is one of those chores that feels like a punishment. It only takes a second to flashback to weekend chores and first jobs to realize that cleaning bathrooms is low on the totem pole. No one wants to willingly clean a room full of grime, mildew, and other (maybe some) gag-worthy residue. Before you run to dial a professional cleaning crew, know that although the showerhead and the toilet could probably use some scrubbing, overall, the bathroom is probably not the dirtiest place in your home. (Might not be a bad idea to put an HVAC air vent cleaning on your radar and give baseboards some serious attention.)
Instead of focusing on the bathroom buildup, read on to find out how you can transform a utilitarian space into a clean bathroom that doubles as a retreat and how to have a bathtub free of soap scum where you can soak the day away. “The hardest part about bathroom cleaning is getting started,” says Austin-based Vanesa Amaro, TikTok’s “Queen of Cleaning” and Clorox spokesperson. “Cleaning doesn’t have to be a miserable chore. Put some music on and enjoy the process.” Even better, you can rope your family or roommate into bathroom cleaning. Here is everything you need to know to get started.
What is the best thing to clean bathrooms?
You can use baking soda, glass cleaner, white vinegar—you name it. “You don’t need to buy specific bathroom cleaning products,” says Anita Birges, owner of Mise en Place in Sydney. “Things like white vinegar, baking soda, and dishwashing soap can do just as good of a job and are more cost effective.” Baking soda is a great solution for removing rust and soap scum, especially around faucets. Not into DIY cleaning hacks? Glass cleaner can quickly buff all your mirrors back to pristine condition. Lysol Power Foam bathroom cleaner can power through gunk after sitting for just 10 minutes on bathtubs, shower doors, ceramic tile, sinks, and chrome fixtures. Arm yourself with a good scrub brush, a broom with a long handle, a squeegee, sponges, and microfiber cloths, and the bathroom cleaning party can get started.
Amaro recommends cleaning products that work for multiple surfaces and techniques. You don’t want to limit yourself to a cleaner with only one specific purpose. An all-purpose cleaner can save you money and time. Her go-to options are Clorox Disinfecting All-Purpose cleaner—which can be used on toilets, bathtubs, and sinks—and Clorox Scentiva Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths for floors because they trap dirt and hair, and work especially well behind the toilet and underneath the sink.
To get the ceramic tile and faucet handles looking spotless in your throne room, get something with hydrogen peroxide, like Lysol Multi-Purpose cleaner. This cleaner is especially suited for a small bathroom, so you don’t have to feel cramped by lugging several cleaning products.
There are a few things to be extremely careful when it comes to bathroom cleaning products. When using bleach, you should never mix it with ammonia or another cleaner, Amaro says. To disinfect, especially around the toilet bowl and on the toilet brush, add one part Clorox Disinfecting Bleach to ten parts water and store in a spray bottle so you can use as soon as you spot grime. You just want to be careful when using bleach products, especially around colorful towels, as it will discolor the fabric.
What is the easiest way to clean a bathroom?
For an easy bathroom cleaning routine, buy disinfectant wipes in bulk to wipe down the sink every other day, if not daily. This will keep soap scum and icky mildew from forming around the drain. Microfiber cloths work quite well too, especially on mirrors. To prevent fogging and maintain a streak-free mirror, Birges recommends buffing shaving cream onto the mirror. Birges is also a fan of using a soap dispensing dish brush to clean out stubborn toothpaste gunk in the sink.
If your schedule won’t allow for a daily wipe down, make a point to clean the area around your sink weekly because it’s one of the places where there’s more movement. When it comes to the bath, Amaro recommends a proactive approach. “Don’t wait until you see dirt and grime buildup in your tub,” she says. “Wipe down shower tiles, walls, fixtures, and plastic shower curtains.” Birges washes her bath towels after three uses and her bath mats once a week. “If they get too wet in between, I hang them up outside to get a little air ventilation to not have mildew build up in them,” she says.
For the bathroom floor, a quick run through with a Swiffer mop will pick up hair, dust, and any spills.
How do I deep clean my bathroom?
Once you implement the easy-to-clean bathroom cleaning tips into your routine, deep clean your bathroom with the same approach as you would take to cleaning your house: section by section. Start by putting away products scattered on the countertop, taking out the trash, and tossing towels and bath mats into the washing machine.
When deep cleaning your bathroom, Amaro suggests removing the toilet seat, sink drain stoppers, and showerheads. “Make sure you reach those difficult areas you may forget about in your routine cleans,” she says. This is a good time to go through your cleaning checklists and learn how to unclog the shower drain, how to clean a showerhead, and how to clean a bathtub. Here, check out a deep cleaning routine that breaks bathroom cleaning down to a science.
Perhaps the hardest part of deep cleaning is getting rid of unused junk, both on the countertop and the medicine cabinet. Yes, that means parting with a tube of mascara you’ve had since pre-pandemic times. Time to toss it. Really. “If anything is past its expiration date, throw it out!” Amaro says.
Amaro recommends learning how to clean a toilet the right way. Start by lifting the toilet seat, cleaning the toilet bowl and wiping down the seat. Amaro emphasizes that you need to clean the outside of the toilet bowl too, all the way to where it meets the floor. You’d be surprised how much dust and hair collects below. For deep cleaning the toilet, Birges recommends dropping in three denture tablets and then scrubbing the inside of the toilet bowl with a toilet brush and some toothpaste. One of Birges’s favorite tips is to put a few drops of essential oil on the inside of the toilet roll to keep the bathroom smelling lovely long after you’re done cleaning.
For household mold in the shower and around the bath, Birges came up with a mold away DIY spray to get rid of mold and keep it from coming back: Mix one cup of white vinegar, 20 drops of clove oil, and 20 drops of tea tree oil. Spray this mixture on the affected area, wait 20 minutes, and then wipe it all clean with hot water. You can also use this mixture for ceramic tile and grout.
Tackle the mirrors to keep them streak-free, especially if they are prone to toothpaste, makeup splatter buildup, and water droplets. “When you’re cleaning your bathroom mirrors, turn off any lights directly above the mirror, because the heat of the light bulb can evaporate your cleaning solution and cause streaks,” she says.
Birges mixes together one cup of white vinegar, half a cup of dishwashing liquid, and one cup of water to create a glass shower doors cleaning solution. “I then spray it onto my shower screen and squeegee off,” she says. “This solution is great at removing soap scum, water marks, and residue.”
If you have a litter box in your bathroom, make sure to sweep or vacuum up any scattered litter and mop under the box. You can also use disinfecting wipes to cleanse the outside of the box. If you have time, take the litter box outside and give it a full rinse, using a designated brush to scrub away any gunk with unscented soap, like Dawn Platinum Free & Clear dish soap.
When you’re wrapping up your deep clean, you want to make sure to give your cleaning supplies some TLC too. This means your toilet wands, caddy, spray bottle, old toothbrush, squeegee, microfiber cloths, and any other items you’re using. Spraying these with a disinfectant bleach solution, like Clorox Disinfecting Mist will go a long way, especially when it comes to the toilet brush. This will help prevent mildew and mold from forming in your toilet brush cleaner holder. You want to make sure everything you’re using is clean and sanitary in the first place. This step can be easily overlooked, so make sure you take those extra few moments. Your future self will definitely thank you.
