How to Clean a Bathroom: The Quick & Easy Guide
Yes, bathrooms are gross to clean. But you’re an adult now, and part of adulting is cleaning the entire house, including the gross bathrooms. Nobody likes going to visit a friend or family member only to walk into a dirty bathroom.
Are you worried about your mom’s first visit to your brand-new apartment? Trying to impress the dude or dudette next door? Whatever the reason, if you’re wondering how to clean a bathroom, we’ve got you covered.
This handy little guide will help you figure out how to clean your bathroom quickly, easily, and in a way mom would approve. Let’s get started!
How to clean a bathroom
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1. Gather your supplies
Everything you need to clean the bathroom should be lying around the house, but if it’s brand new you might have to go out and grab a few things. Generally speaking, you’ll want:
- Bucket
- Mop
- Rags and/or sponges
- All-purpose cleaner
- Toilet cleaner
- Toilet brush
- Glass cleaner
- Lint-free cloth (for mirrors)
- Hand-held scrub brush for the tub
Picking the right cleaners can sometimes be challenging, especially if you’re brand new to the bathroom cleaning game. If that’s the case for you, here’s what we recommend:
- Multipurpose cleaner: Lysol or Fantastic
- Tub/sink cleaner: Comet and/or Vim
- Tile floors: Tilex Mould & Mildew
- Other floors: Mr. Clean or Multipurpose Cleaner
Your best bet is to get as few cleaners as you can (#SaveMoney) while making sure you have everything you need. If you want to focus on being more environmentally friendly, you could try making your own cleaning supplies.
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2. Dust in toilet bowl cleaner
While you aren’t going to start with the toilets, you want to drop in your toilet bowl cleaner before you start on anything else. This gives it a chance to break down anything nasty that’s floating around there. Dust a little comet into the water, and run Vim down the sides of it. Close the toilet lid and move on.
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2. Skin and countertop
Before you can clean the skin or countertop, you’ll need to remove anything that’s on or around it. As you remove items, give them a quick wipe with a wet cloth (or something with light cleaner) to get rid of any dust on them.
With everything removed, you can clean the sink, faucet, and countertop using a multipurpose cleaner. Wipe down the skin, and make sure to get in all the nooks and crannies. If you have a porcelain sink, avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive materials to clean it.
You’ll probably notice there are little wet specs of dust left behind. That’s OK, that’s why you have a dry rag with you — we recommend microfibre. Simply wipe it over the area and voila!
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4. Clean the mirror
Do you always end up with a streaky mirror that your mother never fails to comment on it? You’re not alone. Luckily, there’s a quick little solution for this.
Spray your glass cleaner on the mirror and wipe it down with a clean rag (you don’t want any dirt on it). Then, as soon as you finish, go over the mirror with a dry paper towel. This should get rid of most, if not all, streaks left behind by your rag.
You want to do the mirror after the countertop to avoid backtracking. If you have a lower mirror, you might end up spraying the clean mirror with cleaner when you clean the counter. Honestly, mirrors are more challenging to clean than counters, so this just saves you the headache.
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5. Clean the toilet
When it comes to cleaning the toilet, you want to start by cleaning the outside of the toilet. Start at the top, spraying down the tank (after you’ve removed everything), the handle, and tank. Then move to the outer bowl and base, making sure you get the dirt and grime from all the nooks and crannies. You can use a multipurpose cleaner, or whatever you’re using for your tub. Toilets can be pretty gross, especially if you don’t clean it often, so you might want to wear a pair of gloves.
After wiping down every square inch of that baby, including the bottom side parts that are bolted to the floor, take your dry rag and give it a second quick wipe down to eliminate all those wet dust specs.
Now it’s time to get into the toilet. Grab your toilet brush and give it a quick rinse before putting it into the bowl. You want to make sure the brush is totally wet so that it doesn’t end up just moving the dirt around. Start scrubbing in a circular motion, making sure to get under the rim. If you’re having trouble with anything, you can always use toilet cleaner (the gel kind works best) to help loosen it up.
Once you think you’ve gotten everything, flush the toilet and watch as your handiwork is flushed away. If anything is still clinging on, give it another quick scrub.
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6. Clean the tub/shower
Before moving on to cleaning the tub or shower, we recommend taking the toilet brush and running it under the water to rinse it off. If you wait until afterward, you’ll be getting your tub dirty!
With the toilet brush cleaned at put away, it’s time to get down to business.
First, put your cleaning products on the surfaces you’re cleaning. If you’re using comet, make sure to add water. Then take your scrub brush (which should NOT be the same one you use in your toilet) and give the surface a good scrub down. Be sure to hit all the nooks and crannies, as well as any soap scum or mildew.
Once you’ve scrubbed everything down, rinse it off with hot water. If you have a removable showerhead, now’s the time to use it. You might want to let the shower run for a bit to make sure you get all the cleaner off.
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7. Finish with the floor
The last step in cleaning your bathroom is to mop the floor. You can use any kind of cleaner, but we recommend using a multipurpose one so that you don’t have to buy a bunch of different products. But if you have tile floors, you might want to consider a tile-specific cleaner.
Start in the farthest corner from the door and work your way out. If you’re cleaning a tile floor, make sure to go over it a few times so that you get all the dirt and grime out of the cracks. Once you’re at the doorway, make sure to pick up all the dust/hair you collected from the floor with either your rag or a paper towel.
And that’s it! You’re done!
How often should you clean your bathroom?
Ideally, you give your bathroom a deep clean — covering every nook and cranny — once per month. That will be considerably easier if you give your bathroom a light clean (sinks, mirrors, toilet bowl) once per week. This way you can prevent the build-up of dirt, grime, and soap scum, making your monthly deep clean a breeze!
Cleaning the bathroom is one of those necessary evils. But with our tips, we hope it’s not so bad. And remember, the key to keeping your bathroom clean is to be consistent with your cleaning schedule!
