As the days of summer grow longer, it’s the perfect time to get your home sparkling clean. Summer means open doors and windows, and the sun streaming in sheds light on any areas you may have neglected over the winter. If you missed the “spring cleaning” frenzy, it’s not too late to get things in order! And your bathroom, in particular, is one room that needs a regular scrub-down.
Cleaning a bathroom takes a bit of extra time, a lot of scrubbing, but is worth it in the long run. If you’re physically able to bend, reach, and scrub on your own, continue reading for some helpful tips for getting your bathroom sparkling clean in just a few hours. If not, remember to enlist some help – whether from a friend, family member, or an outside resource such as TaskRabbit – to help you reach light fixtures and hard-to-reach corners. If you decide to have another person take on a deeper cleaning of your bathroom, this guide can also serve as a checklist to make sure the job is complete.
Bathroom Cleaning 101
To begin the process of cleaning your bathroom, assess what items can be eliminated or removed from your bathroom before getting started. It is best to have a relatively empty surface area in order to get to all the nooks and crannies. While removing items that may get in the way of cleaning, also remove items that have not been used in more than six months, as these are not primary necessities. Decide if these will be used at a later time, or toss them. It’s also important to collect cleaning supplies like all-purpose cleaner, soap, rubber gloves and a mop. That way when you’re ready to tackle the bathroom, you’ll have the supplies on hand and ready to go.
First Steps
It’s important to dust first, before scrubbing the toilet and bathtub or mopping the floor. Start with dusting the ceiling and corners of the room. Then, move on to fans and vents. Gently clean these by using a warm washcloth and soap and water. Also, take down light fixtures and things that are hard to reach to dust off those surfaces as well.
Then, take down the shower curtain to clean or replace, and dust and clean the blinds. Once the blinds are cleaned, remove them or move to one side and wash the windows with a clean cloth and a window cleaner. Next, tackle the medicine cabinet and cabinets in the bathroom with an all-purpose cleaner, and the sink and countertop with mild dish soap and water. If the sink has a lot of buildup or is not getting clean with a basic soap, use half white vinegar and half water to get the water spots and fingerprints out of the sink.
Getting into the Nitty Gritty
The most taxing part of cleaning your bathroom is scrubbing down the bathtub, shower, and toilet. Again, make sure to enlist help from family members or outside services if you aren’t able to perform these tasks. If you’ll be doing it yourself, start by putting on rubber gloves and begin spraying bathtub and shower with an all-purpose cleaner, allowing it to soak in. This will help to get rid of scum and dissolve oils that may have collected in your bath or shower.
Next, it is time to get scrubbing. For regular bathtubs and showers, use an abrasive scrubbing pad to remove bathtub rings on the bottom of floors. Tile brushes are useful to get to the hard-to-reach cracks and corners and a standard toothbrush can help to remove buildup deposits near the faucet.
Cleaning Your Walk-In Tub
For a walk-in tub, there is a self-cleaning ozone system programmed into select models that keeps the jets clean. However, it’s important to do some deep cleaning periodically to keep your walk-in tub in tip top shape. We suggest that you try to deep clean your walk-in tub once a month to ensure ultimate cleanliness.
For your walk-in tub, it is recommended that you refrain from using abrasive tools, including wire brushes and steel wool. If bath oils and residue build up on your tub’s surfaces, remove them with a cup of bleach and dishwashing soap. Turn on the water to a warm temperature, filling your tub to the level below the highest whirlpool jet. Next, mix the two substances into the water and turn the system on for 15 minutes. Drain the water and fill with only warm water for another 15 minutes to rinse the plumbing, and drain the water once again. Use the wand to rinse off the bath tub and clean with a dry cloth.
Last But Not Least
After scrubbing the shower, tub, and toilet, it is time to clean the bathroom floors. Remove anything from the floor, including cleaning supplies, rugs and mats. Shake out the rugs and mats, and vacuum to ensure cleanliness, launder if fabric permits. Then, take out the bathroom trash, and rinse with water.
For a clean trash bin, put hot water and 2 cups of white vinegar in the bottom of the trashcan, using a long brush to swirl the solution around the interior of the can. Allow this to sit for 30 minutes and pour the contents down drain. Voila!
For your toilet, cover the toilet bowl with cleaner. Let it sit for a few minutes and scrub with toilet brush. Flush the toilet, and clean the tops of the toilet with a disinfectant cleaner.
Lastly, for the ultimate clean bathroom, the final step is cleaning the floor. Getting on your hands and knees with a rag is the most effective technique, but if that isn’t an option, feel free to get a mop and cleaning solution to get the job done. Then let the floor dry, return mats and rugs, and your cleaning is complete. Take a minute to admire your hard work and how your bathroom now sparkles.
