Tips To Make Cleaning Your Bathroom Easier
Cleaning the bathroom is one room we'd all rather ignore, but it must be done. This is important whether you live alone, with roommates, with a partner, or with a family. The daily traffic a bathroom gets means we should clean them more often than other rooms in the house. This doesn't mean deep cleaning it every single day, but minor touches here and there can make a world of difference in the long run. In fact, keeping your bathroom clean improves the quality of your home as well as increases certain health benefits.
According to Pro Clean Window, cleaning your bathroom consistently prevents bacterial growth, eliminates smells and odors, fights infections, stops mold, and provides you with better mental health. The last thing you want to do is take a shower in a tub that has mold or germs. But it's understandable that the chore of cleaning your bathroom itself can feel tedious and overwhelming. That's why we put together some tips to make cleaning your bathroom easier.
Make a plan of attack
Whether or not you're a planner person, it's pretty common knowledge that those who plan are more successful in completing things. This isn't always the case, but having a plan for whatever projects or tasks you want to accomplish makes approaching them easier by breaking things down into manageable chunks. Cleaning your bathroom is no different and you'll actually find it easier to clean when you take some time to plan how you're going to do it. When you know ahead of time what you want to focus on when cleaning, you'll gather the right stuff and be able to schedule it on your calendar.
For example, do you plan on deep cleaning your bathroom or doing some minor touch-ups? Both require a different plan of attack, time, and supplies. Everyday Savvy notes that while doing minimal cleaning of your bathroom can help keep it relatively clean, you'll need to do a deep cleaning every so often to really get those sections you skim over. They definitely recommend coming up with a plan, such as a checklist of everything you want to clean and help you feel accomplished as you mark off tasks.
Gather the supplies you need
There are a ton of bathroom products available but it's important that when you plan on cleaning yours that you buy only what you need. If you go to the store and buy items simply because you think you need them, you're not making the task any easier. Because the products you don't use are only going to cause clutter, whereas if you took the time to really see what you need, you'll have far less to contend with during clean up. As we mentioned before, the type of cleaning you plan to do will require different products.
Deep cleaning means you'll need a lot more, whereas minimal cleaning means far less. Still, it doesn't hurt to create your own cleaning kit, as Clean My Space highly recommends. This will make cleaning your bathroom easier as you won't have to gather supplies to get started. Include an all-purpose spray that can be used on multiple surfaces and is a great way to simplify cleaning. Other items you may want to include in this kit are rags, sponges, scrub pads, and anything else you find yourself cleaning with often. This way you have the foundational items on hand, leaving you to buy only the specialty products if needed.
Clear everything out of the way
There's nothing worse than starting to clean and having a ton of knickknacks on your surfaces. And while you may think the bathroom doesn't have that much that can get in the way, you'll find this is the opposite. Do you have a soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, makeup organizer, or perfume bottles stored on your bathroom countertops? That's clutter that can impede cleaning. One of the best ways to keep your bathroom clean is to keep these items stored away in drawers or cabinets.
Doing this will mean you can clean surfaces faster because you won't have to work around items. And it gives you the opportunity to declutter anything that is expired or not used anymore. Clutter can affect your mental health and, according to Everyday Health, bathroom items should be consistently checked. While hair products and skincare bottles don't take up that much room, be mindful of their expiration dates and get rid of them as needed.
Pretreat certain areas first
Because we use bathrooms every single day and quite often, depending on how many people you live with, grime, dust, and bacteria build up on surfaces quickly. Part of the reason people find cleaning bathrooms so tedious is that nothing ever seems to get clean enough. And so you keep buying specialty products thinking that'll do the trick. However, a nifty tip that makes cleaning your bathroom easier is doing a little pretreatment on certain areas.
Too often people spray the product on the surface and immediately start wiping it away. But according to Rain City Maids, that won't work unless the product is super powerful. The best way to pretreat surfaces, like your shower walls, is to first let the hot water run for a few minutes. The steam will help loosen grime which you'll then spray the product on, but don't start wiping away just yet. Instead, let the product sit for a few minutes while you clean something else. Then, it'll be easier to clean the surface with less work from you.
Work one section at a time
Since the bathroom is a room no one likes to clean, we tend to rush through it. But if you truly want to keep this room clean for longer, you need to take your time with it. And one of the best ways to do that is to work one section at a time. This makes it easier for you because you know that you're giving as much attention to one area as you can. Once you feel it is clean enough, you can move on to the next one, making cleaning easier and more efficient.
Working one section at a time is a popular method used, particularly in the productivity industry. Thrive Global swears by this process, claiming that small steps are the fastest way to see big, tangible results. Think about how you approach goals or work projects by planning out what you need to do and when and tackling one bit at a time. Applying this practice to your bathroom will help you easily clean things more thoroughly.
Let the product do the work
Bathroom products are made to specifically target tough scum and grime, so you want to make sure you're using them precisely. This will make cleaning easier since the product will do most of the work. When using certain products, always read the instructions as they'll tell you how long to leave something on for, though it's entirely possible to use everyday household items like baking soda, vinegar, borax, and more to clean your bathroom, according to Bond Cleaning in Melbourne.
For example, baking soda and vinegar are great for unclogging drains. You can also purchase toilet bowl cleaning tablets and let them work on the toilet bowl while you tend to another part of the bathroom. If you don't have time to clean it thoroughly, the tablets will at least sanitize it for you. To prevent as much soap scum from building up on shower walls, use an after-shower spray or wipe down the walls with a towel. While there are preventive products for your bathroom, you'll still need to clean it, though using these items will mean you have less to worry about.
Use the top to bottom method
A popular cleaning method used by professionals is the "top to bottom" method. This essentially means starting as far up as you can go and working your way down. According to One Good Thing, this cleaning method is not only smart but efficient. It cuts your cleaning time in half, making the process easier and much less strenuous. The main thing about this method is it keeps you from cleaning something twice. If you wipe down surfaces first and dust the walls second, you're knocking debris back onto the counters you just cleaned.
The best part about this practice? A simple microfiber cloth is all you need. When you begin, focus on working top to bottom, but also working wall to wall. Start with one side and dust side to side, working your way down as you go. If you can't reach the top of the wall, use a duster with expandable arms. This will alleviate the use of a step stool while still allowing you to clean those hard-to-reach corners.
Be thorough with your corners
One thing we know about bathrooms is that they have grimy corners. No other room, except the kitchen, has corners that get so much buildup. Bathrooms get dirty really fast because of the humidity and constant traffic. As we wash away dirt and oil, the steam disperses some of the grime onto surfaces. It's almost impossible to stop germs and bacteria from entering the bathroom. That means if you want to make cleaning easier, especially those corners, you'll want to focus on some preventive measures.
A few ways you can do this, per Electrodry, is to wipe down shower walls and corners after showering. If you have glass doors, use a squeegee to remove excess water. You can also use it on your walls. Don't close your shower doors all the way and if you have a ventilation fan, turn it on for at least an hour after showering. You can also open up a window to help remove excess steam. When cleaning those corners, invest in a good scrub tool, and don't use too much water when cleaning.
Wash floor mats and towels
You might wonder how washing your bath mats and towels will make cleaning your bathroom easier. You spend hours, if not days, cleaning your bathroom. You're happy with how it turned out, so you don't want to ruin that by putting unwashed bathmats back on the floor. You can transfer plumes of dust and dirt by stepping on them and knocking debris onto your clean floor. You also don't want to hang used towels whose bacteria will transfer to the surface once you set them down. It might seem silly, but throwing your mats and towels in the wash on the same day you clean your bathroom is a powerful combination.
As reported by Rinse, washing them consistently will also ensure they last longer. You're also preventing bacteria from growing on them by washing them regularly. That's why you want to invest in bathmats that are washable and fast drying. Antimicrobial mats are easy to keep clean, and terrycloth towels are best for absorption. You can also prevent moisture from collecting on them by turning on a ventilation fan or opening a window after showering.
Clean the sink basin last
Your sink will get used a lot when you clean your bathroom. You'll rinse rags in it, pour dirty water down the drain, and leave tools to dry along the edge. According to WebMD, bathroom germs are literally everywhere, and they congregate mainly around the sink. These germs and bacteria can cause stomach bugs, diarrhea, and more. That's why one of the last things you should clean in your bathroom is your sink, primarily the basin, as this is where most germs collect.
Even though the sink gets used often when cleaning, it is one of the easiest things to keep clean daily. All it takes is a few preventive steps and some habit formation. Every night, after you brush your teeth or wash your face, take a few minutes to wipe down the basin. You can use a cleaning spray and a cloth or keep antibacterial wipes nearby and use those. Once you do this a few nights in a row, it'll become second nature, and your sink will be consistently clean.
Use your damp rags to mop
This nifty little trick may be easier for some and not others. Instead of using a mop and bucket to clean your floors, some professionals are using what is called the "Cinderella Method," which uses already damp rags to clean floors. This process requires fewer supplies and can make the final clean-up much faster. It'll also be kinder to your back since you won't have to fill or drag around a heavy bucket full of soapy water.
Your bathroom floor is chock full of germs, and according to All American Flooring, you'll want to pay extra attention to them by using products that clean and sanitize. It's best to either use vinegar, lemon, or bleach as these ingredients provide the best clean and are probably currently in your pantry. Take a damp rag you were using to wipe down counters or shower tiles, add a bit of your cleaning solution, and scrub your floors until they shine. If you can't get on your hands and knees, this method will still work by securing the rag to the bottom of a Swiffer.
Think about some finishing touches
You've done all the necessary work to ensure your bathroom is clean, but there may be a few finishing touches to think about. For example, you may want to wipe down the trash can. This is especially important if you can't remember the last time you did this. You may also want to dust window blinds, vacuum around vents, and wipe down products before putting them back on countertops. This can make cleaning easier as it will reduce the dust in the space that will eventually get knocked down to the floor. Dust can circulate in the room if you turn on a grimey air vent, and it can loosen as you lift and lower blinds.
Just like your sink, keeping high-touch areas clean is easy by giving them a little extra love at the end of each day. You can use antibacterial wipes to clean garbage cans, light switches, and door handles. You can also use them to quickly wipe down dust accumulating on the vent or vanity lights. This will ensure the bathroom will be less dirty on chore day.
Restock your inventory
It's finally time to bring everything back into the bathroom, but before you do, use this time to take stock of your inventory. Having a fully stocked bathroom will make things easier when it comes time to clean and save you stress when shopping. According to Kleenex, the few bathroom essentials everyone should have are toilet paper, tissues, hand towels, room spray, a garbage can, and a plunger. Note what you're missing and pick it up on your next shopping trip.
Another way to make restocking your inventory easier is to order through Amazon's Subscribe & Save program. This is especially useful for toilet paper, hand soap, and toothpaste. If you're prone to having guests stay over, leaving their bathroom stocked shows your hospitality and care. Keep the essentials handy, but also consider stocking a few cleaning products. This way, if your guests are so inclined, they can clean up after themselves since they'll have the basics.