How Often Should You Clean Your Bathroom? 4 Simple Tips
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Codee Chessher
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Unsurprisingly, your bathroom is one of the filthiest rooms in your house. Your toilet, sink, and even shower can harbor vicious E. coli bacteria. So, how often should you clean? Ideally, you should take everything off bathroom surfaces to clean and sanitize weekly.
If you use the bathroom more than usual or have a large family, you might have to amp this up to twice a week or more. Decide in advance what day of the week you’ll be cleaning and how you’ll divide up turns with anyone else living with you. Light to moderate cleaning on a regular basis will prevent mildew, dirt, and other debris from accumulating in your bathroom.
The 4 Bathroom Cleaning Tips
1. Keep It Dry
Bathrooms are infamous for collecting mildew and mold, but they don’t have to be. When you’re done with the sink or shower, rinse all water down the drain and give it a quick wipe down with a microfiber cloth. By minimizing the water and moisture in the room, you can drastically reduce the chances that mildew or mold will develop.
Keeping your bathroom clean and dry will reduce the chances of bugs in your home, too! Small pests like ants, roaches, and more love to seek out bathrooms because they serve as invaluable water sources. If your bathroom is dry, the bugs will have to go elsewhere to find water.
2. Clean Your Toilet
It goes without saying, but toilets get very dirty. If you don’t clean your toilet, you may notice discoloration in the bowl and possibly even mold. If toilet water is left stagnant for too long, bacteria build up in the water and spread in a ring. If you’ve ever noticed a circle around the water in your toilet bowl, that’s why.
To clean your toilet, use a long-handled stiff nylon brush or toilet brush with bleach. Take a half cup of bleach and pour it directly into a freshly flushed toilet. Then, wet your brush in the bowl. Scrub the bowl, focusing on any discolored spots first. After that, clean the bend, which is where the water goes when you flush.
Finally, don’t forget under the rim of the bowl. It’s commonly forgotten during routine cleanings, but it collects bacteria and mold, too.
3. Shower & Sink Cleaning
Thankfully, cleaning your sink and shower isn’t as bad as the toilet. Both sinks and showers may gather hair, depending on where you shave and style your hair. To avoid hairballs, keep a clean mesh filter in your sink and shower drains. Also, try to put hair in the trash instead of the toilet or shower.
Every time you shower, you should make sure all the water drains and that there isn’t soapy foam or other shower debris around. To deep clean the shower, you can use a 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water and scrub it with a microfiber cloth or brush. Remove your showerhead and soak it in the same solution for an hour or so, then replace it. Minerals, heavy metals, and other debris may build up in the showerhead and possibly even reduce water pressure if neglected.
After styling your hair or shaving in front of the mirror, wipe off any excess hair with some toilet paper. Toothpaste is notorious for hardening up if you leave it in the sink, so ensure you rinse or wash away any extra every time you brush. Pay special attention to the area around and behind your taps because they get dirty very easily.
4. Trash Management
Bathroom trash cans are almost always small, so keeping them empty can be challenging. To streamline this process, use small shopping bags or liners and immediately take them out when the bin is full.
Once a week, clean and disinfect the trash can. To do so, fill the can with a gallon or two of hot water, then pour in a half cup of white vinegar and a healthy squirt of dish soap. Thoroughly wipe the inner surface of the can, then rinse it with water and leave it to dry.
Conclusion
Bathrooms are one of the most trafficked rooms in any home, which makes them difficult to keep clean. By combining deep cleanings with lighter regular cleaning daily, you can keep your bathroom sparkling clean.
Featured Image Credit: H-studio, Shutterstock
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