The bathroom is one of our favorite places in our home. When you add plenty of houseplants, decor, and candles, it becomes the perfect place to relax in the bath and do your 10-step (or 1-step...we don't judge) skincare routine. However, it won't come as a surprise that bathrooms get very dirty, very quickly.
It takes more than just soap and water to make sure that your bathroom is spick-and-span, though. Luckily for you, we've broken down how to clean a bathroom so that you can easily keep your own sparkling. Get a head start on your spring cleaning with this guide on disinfecting your sink, bathtub, and even your toilet tank.
What is the best way to clean a bathroom?
When you're cleaning your bathroom, you'll want to make sure you have enough space to clean your surfaces well. Clear off your counters, move your bath mats, and take your hair products out of the shower before you go in with your disinfectant.
What should be your first step when cleaning the bathroom?
As long as you've moved everything out of the way, it's totally up to you which task you take on first. Our main suggestion would be to clean any surfaces before taking on the floor to make sure you don't pull double duty, constantly cleaning up any fallen debris.
What do professionals use to clean bathrooms?
While brand preferences will depend on the person, there are definitely general products that you should have on-hand. These include sponges, disinfectant, a toilet brush, toilet bowl cleaner, bleach, and scrubbers.
How do you clean and disinfect a bathroom?
Get rid of dust, dirt, and grime with soap and water before you use your disinfectant. That way, the buildup isn't getting in the way of the cleaning power of the disinfectant, letting you clean faster and use less product.
Everything You Need To Know About Cleaning Your Bathroom
The Sink
From washing our hands to brushing our teeth to washing our face, this is likely the most-trafficked part of the bathroom, and it gets dirty way too quickly. Thankfully, it's not hard to clean.
The Mirror
Grab some streak-free cleaner and a paper towel or reusable cloth to clean up your mirror on your designated cleaning day, or anytime you notice it has some streaks on it. This is a simple way to make your bathroom feel a lot more upscale.
The Bowl + Counter
The easiest way to keep your sink clean is with a sponge and a disinfectant. When you wipe everything down, don't forget to wipe around the faucet and the edges of the sink, and you can clean up any soapy water that's leftover with a paper towel.
Under The Sink
While you're disinfecting the top of the sink, it's the perfect opportunity to organize under the sink! Get rid of any expired products or condense any multiples (like combining two half-empty bags of cotton balls into one). An organized cabinet will help you feel cleaner and keep better track of your powder room products, too.
The Shower
Even though your shower is constantly coming in contact with soap, it's still important to make an effort to clean the whole thing (AKA, more than just the tub).
The Shower Head
If your shower head has a filter, remove the head every one or two months (you can experiment until you find the time frame that works best with your home's specific water system) and clear out whatever the filter has captured. While you're at it, let your shower head soak in vinegar or give it a thorough cleaning with a sponge. It also never hurts to regularly wipe the shower head down with some disinfectant.
The Bathtub
Take your disinfectant and a sponge to clean your tub. Make sure you don't forget the shelves or places where you keep products — mold and mildew can hide behind your favorite shampoo.
The Drain + Hair Catcher
We apologize in advance, because this is definitely one of the grossest parts about cleaning a bathroom, especially if you have long hair. A drain snake will be your best friend when it comes to making sure your drain is empty, and if you have a hair catcher, you can go ahead and throw it in the toilet with some ammonia so that it cleans while you take care of the rest of the tub.
The Shower Liner
Did you know your shower curtain + liner is actually one of the dirtiest parts of the bathroom? One tip that you can do to keep your shower liner in tip top shape is to always close the curtain because leaving it open doesn't allow it to dry out. But if you're noticing some grime on the liner, throw it in a gentle wash cycle with a little bit of detergent, or you can spray it with bleach-based bathroom cleaner and wipe it down.
Image via Max Rahubovskiy/Pexels
The Toilet
The toilet is actually one of the easiest parts of the bathroom to clean, even if it's not fun. Still not a fan? Grab one of those automatic cleaners to minimize your scrubbing.
Inside The Bowl
One area of the bowl that you want to make sure you don't forget is under the lip, where the water comes out when you flush. It's easy to forget since you can't see it, but mildew can build up here very easily.
The Toilet Seat
This is one area that you definitely want to make sure is clean (for obvious reasons). Aside from the top and the bottom of the toilet seat, don't forget to clean around the hinges—there can be a surprising amount of buildup there.
Under The Toilet
Give the bottom of the toilet a quick scrub just to make sure it's clean. If your trash can is near the toilet like ours is, cleaning the bottom is also a good way to make sure there's no trash on the floor or dust buildup.
The Toilet Tank
You'll want to clean your toilet tank (inside the back of the toilet under the cover) two or three times a year. You can use vinegar, which is naturally acidic, to break down any buildup. Just fill the tank a few inches from the top, let it sit for a few hours, and flush.
Extras
Once you've finished disinfecting the main areas of the bathroom, here are some other miscellaneous areas that are still important to clean.
The Floor
You don't have to sweep and mop every week if you're not able to, but we'd definitely recommend doing it at least one or two times a month.
The Trash
How often you need to take out the trash will depend on how frequently you throw things away, so just make sure you keep an eye on it. If you live with your roommates or partner, it can be helpful to discuss a strategy for making sure the trash never overflows.
The Windows
Grab that same cleaner you used on the mirror for any windows in your bathroom and wipe away.
The Bathroom Exhaust Fan
A clean fan will filter out moisture the correct way. It's always a good idea to get the help of a professional, but if you want to clean the fan yourself, the most important first step is to make sure you turn the breaker off. Then you can clean the cover with hot soapy water and use a vacuum to remove debris from the blades. Make sure everything is dry before reassembling and turning the power back on.
Check out our Spring Cleaning page for more organization and how to clean a bathroom tips.
Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.
