How To Clean a Bathroom: 9 Expert Tips

How To Clean a Bathroom: 9 Expert Tips

This post was written by TIDY Homekeeper Rosie Adams.  

I hate having dirty bathrooms in my home.  To keep my home’s bathrooms smelling fresh and looking clean, I have a routine that I use on a daily, weekly and monthly. Teaching my family how to clean a bathroom is also important to me, so I have a written list of guidelines to help everyone understand the process. Oh, and I will mention that one of the best things to do is make sure the space is organized from the start.  It makes cleaning easier and faster.

MY DAILY BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST

1: emptying the wastebaskets

No one wants to walk into a bathroom and see a wastebasket that is overflowing with empty containers and facial tissues. In my home, I have one of the children empty the bathrooms’ wastebaskets into the larger trash cans that we keep inside our garage. My family is able to fill-up the small wastebaskets quickly.  But, by having the containers emptied each day, the bathrooms look better immediately.

2: pick up bathroom linens

I try to teach my children to hang up bath and hand towels, but the wet items often slip off the towel rods and onto the floor. To prevent foul mildew odor and sopping wet floors, I pick up bathroom linens each day from the floor. My children often reuse a towel a few times.  If it is dirty, then I make sure they (or I) place it in a laundry basket until it is time to wash the bathroom linens.

3: replenish essential supplies

There is nothing worse than going into the bathroom and finding that there is no toilet paper near the toilet or soap next to the sink. To prevent this from happening, I make sure there is a stockpile of toilet paper under the sink.  If I ever notice it getting fewer than 2 stacks or so, I make sure to order right away. While ordering, I also tend to order more soap.  I also keep a back up supply of these items in storage closets near the bathrooms.

MY WEEKLY BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST

4: sanitizing bathroom fixtures

I like to have clean bathroom fixtures, and I make sure that the sink, bathtub and toilet are scrubbed thoroughly each week. I like to use natural cleansers such as essential oils mixed with a gentle soap to sanitize these fixtures. I use a soft sponge to clean the bathtub and sink, but I use a toilet-cleaning brush to scrub the toilet’s bowl. The essential oils that I use will also deodorize the bathrooms, leaving a nice fragrance in the space.

5: scrubbing counter tops in the bathroom

An important way to make it easier to clean bathroom counter tops is reducing the amount of clutter on the surface. I don't keep bottles of lotion or shampoo sitting on the counter.  I have installed small shelving units in the bathrooms to store essential items. With this storage method, the jars and bottles of makeup or cleansers that my family uses are not splashed with water and soap.

6: sweeping and washing the bathroom floors

To keep the floors in my bathrooms cleaner, I sweep and mop the surfaces each week. I use a vacuum cleaner or broom to pick up household dust and hair before I wash the floors with a sponge mop. I use the same essential oil and soap cleanser to wash the floors that I use for the counter tops and fixtures. The dirtiest areas of the bathroom’s floor are near the entrance way and next to the toilet, so I spend more time cleaning those surfaces.

MY MONTHLY BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST

I do all my monthly tasks the first Saturday of each month.  

7: washing bathroom rugs and toilet seat covers

The rugs and toilet seat covers in my home’s bathrooms get grungy in one month.  So I make sure to wash the items in a washing machine.  Most rugs are washable, but make sure before washing!  After that, I hand them outside to dry. I feel that the sunshine gives everything a fresh fragrance and feeling.

8: sanitizing the shower curtains

I have definitely seen shower curtains develop mold and mildew.  I never want that in my home.  Monthly, I wash the items in hot water to eliminate these problems. I use fabric shower curtains that are made of tightly woven materials, so it is easy to launder the items. When I had plastic shower curtains, I made sure to spray the surface thoroughly with disinfecting spray.

9: tile and grout sanitizing

The tile and grout in my home’s bathrooms collect debris, but I use a soft sponge and a gentle cleanser to clean these surfaces. If I see mold beginning to grow on the grout between the tiles on walls, counter tops or floors, then I use a heavier solution.  Bleach is a pretty surefire way to get rid of mold.  I also occasionally apply a new sealant on the grout and tile, it is less likely to develop mold discolorations.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FOLLOW MY BATHROOM CLEANING TIPS?

While this list seems like a lot of work, it isn’t.  My daily tasks generally take under 5 minutes, and even my monthly tasks take under 15 minutes. It is worth it to have clean bathrooms inside my home. When I neglect my list of bathroom cleaning chores, the spaces are a huge mess that will require several hours to clean. I prefer my method of maintaining my home’s bathrooms because it keeps the spaces cleaner all of the time in case guests arrive unexpectedly.

How do you keep your bathroom clean?

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