How to Clean a Bathroom – Your Checklist for Deep Cleaning

It seems simple enough, cleaning a bathroom. But are you sure you’re keeping it hygienic? And if you’re sharing a flat with others, does everyone know how to clean a bathroom efficiently? Use our checklist to get it right and have peace of mind that yours is sanitary at all times.

Cleaning the bathroom is probably one of the most hated tasks in most homes. Still, it’s something the average consumer will focus on the most in terms of home management. Especially cleaning that toilet!

Still, there’s the chance that your cleaning method doesn’t leave the space as clean as you think it does. We’ve compiled a detailed guide to help you. Perhaps you’ve moved out of your parents’ house and you’re figuring out preventative home maintenance and cleaning schedules for the first time? Or, you want to make sure your roomies know how to get it right. Do they even know how to check the shower drain?

Here’s all you need to know on how to clean a bathroom, so everyone feels comfortable using it.

 

How to Clean a Bathroom – Step by Step Guide

Assessment

Rather than simply jumping in and starting to scrub away, take a few minutes to assess the current situation in the bathroom. Analyze what type of cleaning you’ll need. Will a general surface clean be sufficient, or is it time for you and your roommates to do a deep clean?

If wet weather has been keeping the interior environment extra humid the past few weeks, perhaps you’ll need to scrub mould out of corners or use more disinfectant? This step will help ensure you gather all the necessary equipment (see below) so you’re ready for the task and won’t have to head out to the store mid-chore.

 

Laundry Items

They may look clean, but you’ll be surprised how much bacteria there are on towels or bathroom mats that have been in use for a while. Because they trap moisture, these fabrics are ideal breeding ground for germs. Part of how to clean a bathroom thoroughly is putting out clean towels and washing the mats—preferably using a sanitizing setting on the washing machine.

So, remove these first and don’t just clean around them. They’ll just keep on spreading the germs you’re trying to fight off.

Now for all the parts to clean.

 

Showerhead and Shower Doors

Even your showerhead can contain pathogens like Mycobacterium avium. Don’t think it’s clean just because water flows through there often! Descale it by filling a plastic bag with vinegar, tying it around the fitting so the showerhead is submerged and leaving it overnight. In the morning you can let hot water run for a while to remove all the particles.

For the shower door you can also use natural products like vinegar, or a strong detergent. We suggest you apply it, leave it for an hour and then rinse.

Enzo tip: if you have a shower curtain, check the tag if it’s safe to put in the washing machine for an easy cleaning method. Otherwise, soak it in hot water to which you add a small amount of bleach.

 

Ceiling and Walls

Even areas you don’t touch a lot can get dirty. This is because particles from the products you typically use in a bathroom can easily adhere to surfaces like walls and the ceiling. Wash these with hot water and cleaning products and then wipe down using a clean cloth.

 

Countertops and Other Surfaces

Your countertops and shelving or cupboards need wipe downs often. For a deep clean you can use a similar method than the one for ceilings and walls. Do research what type of treatments benefit your particular counters. For example, some people find that car wax limits the appearance of watermarks on ceramic surfaces.

 

Toilet

The task that everybody dreads!

To make cleaning the toilet a bit easier, first cover the inside of the toilet with a proper detergent, designed for this job. Squirt it around the top and let it run down. Leave it for about 30 minutes before thoroughly scrubbing with a toilet brush to loosen any grime and then flush.

Enzo tip: regular cleaning with a toilet brush, even when you don’t see any residue, will make deep cleaning easier. It also prevents markings in the long run. And if you do have markings already, try gently scrubbing with a pumice stone to remove them.

 

Sink and Bathtub

For sinks and bathtubs, you can use hot water with tub and tile cleaner when you deep clean. For general cleaning, even just water and baking soda may suffice. Wet the surface with your solution and scrub with a sponge and rinse thoroughly.

 

Vent

If your bathroom has a fan, you do need to add the vent to your cleaning chore chart. Before you do anything, do ensure it’s switched off. You can then take off the cover to get access to the fan and use a vacuum cleaner to remove dust. Do read maintenance tips from the manufacturer, but in many cases it’s safe to wipe away grime with a microfiber cloth.

 

Fixtures

For fixtures you want to prevent stains and markings. After a good wash with soap and water, wipe them dry with a clean, dry cloth.

Enzo tip: if there’s a lot of grime or hardened toothpaste to clean—for example around the sink’s taps—use an old toothbrush to get into all the small spaces.

 

Mirrors

Mirrors do need special attention, or they’ll have markings and look grimy. This makes it worth it buying specially formulated mirror cleaning soap. A squeegee is also a helpful tool, but wiping it dry with a dry, clean towel will also work.

Enzo tip: the natural approach to cleaning glass and mirrors is to use a combination of vinegar and water as your cleaning liquid.

 

Grout

Various bathroom areas can have grout, such as tiles on the wall, in the shower or on the floor. Grout is porous, so all these areas are places bacteria love to grow. If you don’t regularly clean grout properly, you’ll notice discoloration. Prevent this by giving it a good scrubbing with bleach—often.

Enzo tip: sealing grout every few months can help maintain it much easier.

 

Floor

We put this on our list at the end, because you should do this when you’ve handled everything else. Otherwise, you’re bound to have to clean it again after doing some of the work listed above.

For floors you start off with a good sweep and then use a mop and appropriate floor cleaner.

 

Top 3 General Bathroom Tips

To make the guidelines above even more effective, here are three expert cleaning tips all households need to apply:

• Always start at the top and work your way to the bottom. This ensures any dust or debris that drifts down will be cleaned eventually.
• First do the dry type of cleaning like dusting before spraying detergents and working with wet cloths. This process prevents a lot of markings and will require less rinsing to clear away all the grime.
• Part of how to clean a bathroom like the pros is to declutter as you go along—or before you start with the actual cleaning. Any unused items, empty shampoo bottles and other clutter trap dust and make it more difficult to keep surfaces clean. This is especially wise advice for tidying and keeping small spaces like bathrooms clean.

 

What NOT to do When Cleaning a Bathroom

You can already improve your approach to how to clean a bathroom by avoiding the following mistakes:

• Never use your toilet cleaning cloth to clean any other part of the bathroom.
• Don’t wipe directly after spraying with detergent, because most soaps need some time to work. However, also don’t forget to wipe after a while, or you’ll be left with grimy residue.
• You shouldn’t mix different cleaning products unless you’ve done your research. You may be able to mix natural products like baking soda and vinegar, but bleach and ammonia shouldn’t be added together.
• It’s risky to use one cleaning product for all bathroom surfaces. It could lead to damaging certain areas or leaving unwanted marks.
• If you don’t ensure some ventilation after a good bathroom scrubbing, you’re causing more bacterial growth—and you’re also not giving those chemicals a chance to escape. Make sure the air inside is healthy to breathe in before someone uses the room later in the day. You can put on the exhaust fan or simply open the window.

 

In Summary

Did you know that people would be more willing to support your business if they know you maintain hygiene on the property? That’s enough reason to ensure that bathroom at home AND in your commercial building remain sanitary.

And why not use Enzo to make it easier to manage that cleanliness? Assign the chores to family members, roommates or your cleaning team via our app, so they know exactly what to do.