Spring cleaning your bathroom: 15 steps to make it spic and span.
Gather all the supplies you’ll need. Mop, bucket, microfibre cloths, an old toothbrush or two and don your cleaning clothes.
You can take much of the trauma out of deep cleaning your bathroom by avoiding some of the toxic chemicals in commercial cleaning products and employing some natural, homemade cleaning products instead.
Ready? Start spring cleaning your bathroom by following the steps in order. Starting with opening the window and finishing with mopping the floor.
Before you begin to even think about cleaning, open the windows. This is especially important if your home has been sealed tight all winter. So, open up and let the fresh air circulate.
2. Remove everything
If it’s not nailed down, remove it. Everything: towels, bath mats, shower curtains and liners, shower caddies or shelves, freestanding furniture and everything on the vanity.
You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to work with clear surfaces.
3. Load up the washing machine
This is the perfect opportunity to wash your shower curtain and liner so toss them into the wash with the towels and bathmat.
The towels help remove any built up soap scum, mould or mildew by acting like a scourer during the washing cycle. Adding a small amount of bleach to the wash can also help but check the washing instructions on everything first.
4. Soak before you scrub
Spring cleaning your bathroom doesn’t have to be all about elbow grease, try soaking paper towels in vinegar and placing them over rings around the bath tub. Vinegar will also help remove mineral deposits or stains around drains and faucets.
A cup of bicarb soda down the toilet bowl will start the cleaning process, too.
Let it do its thing for at least 15 minutes before you grab the scrubbing brush.
5. Get scrubbing
Before you attack your tub with a harsh scourer, make sure you’re using the right tool for the job. Different materials require different cleaning agents.
Porcelain? You can use abrasive powders such as Ajax and scouring pads.
Enamel? Bleach-free commercial cleaners.
And acrylic? White vinegar, soft sponges and other gentle solutions.
This might surprise you, but your shower head can be home to an infectious bacteria known as Mycobacterium avium. It’s a nasty bug linked to lung disease which is especially problematic for people with compromised immune systems.
To give your shower head a thorough clean, pour white vinegar into a plastic bag and secure over your shower head using a rubber band. Make sure there’s a generous amount of vinegar in the bag so it covers the shower head. Let it soak overnight and then remove the bag and rinse in the morning.
7. Disinfect the toilet brush
Hold your toilet brush over the toilet bowl and pour disinfectant or bleach over the bristles. Let it stand for a few minutes, then rinse with cold water.
Remember to wash the holder, too. Depending on the design, you can swish some disinfectant or bleach around the bottom and let it sit for a few minutes then wash with plenty of hot soapy water.
Make sure you pour the disinfectant and water into the toilet and not the sink.
8. Clean the exhaust fan cover
You wouldn’t truly be spring cleaning your bathroom if you didn’t also clean the exhaust fan.
Along with the shower head, it’s one of those spots in the bathroom that’s usually missed in regular cleaning.
Remove the cover and soak in warm water and detergent. Wipe the blades and use a stiff paint brush to get into all the awkward spots. Make sure everything is completely dry before reattaching the cover.
9. Get a shiny, fog-free mirror
Use coffee filters soaked in window cleaner or white vinegar to clean your mirror and any other glass surfaces. They’re inexpensive and won’t leave any streaks or lint. If you don’t use coffee filters, paper towel ought to do the trick.
Rub a bar of soap (make sure it’s dry) onto the surface of your mirror then buff it with a clean microfibre cloth until you can no longer see any marks. This will keep your mirror fog-free no matter how steamy it gets.
10. Wash the window
Give the bathroom window and thorough clean, making sure you get into all those hard to get to places that might harbour grime and mildew. Depending on the material it’s made of, a hand-held steam cleaner can come in very useful. If you have a glass shower screen give it the same treatment.
If you don’t have a steam cleaner, try mixing together bicarb soda and white vinegar to make a paste, apply it to the rubber seals, etc., let it sit for an hour, then scrub with a toothbrush or something similar.
11. Clean the cabinets
Having already removed everything from your bathroom cabinets, you’ll be able to see just how mucky it gets in there.
Give it a good scrub with either an all purpose cleaner or the trusty bicarb soda and white vinegar combination. Once it’s clean and dry, consider using a shelf liner to make life easier next time around.
12. Purge before you replace
Before you put everything back in your bathroom, sort through what to toss and what to keep.
Sweep the bathroom floors, or use a hand-held vacuum to clear dirt, dust, hair and all the other bits and pieces that seem to find their way to the bathroom floor. This step makes mopping the floor much easier and more effective. Make sure you clean from top to bottom so any debris that falls will be wiped away.
14. Mop the floor
The last step of spring cleaning your bathroom is mopping the floor. So, make sure everything is back where it needs to be before this step because you’ll want to let it completely dry before walking on it again.
15. Maintain daily
Now you’ve gone to all the effort of spring cleaning your bathroom, don’t let daily maintenance slide.
Wipe down condensation from your shower (and let the exhaust fan run for at least 20 minutes after your shower. Wipe the sink and faucets every day. Mop the floors regularly.
Now you’re into the swing of spring cleaning, which room will you choose next?
