How Often You Should Really Be Cleaning Your Bathroom

Being in a dirty bathroom can feel pretty gross, even if it's your very own. While you might not necessarily enjoy cleaning this part of your home, it's an important chore to tackle regularly. According to Lysol, there are more than 220,000 germs per square inch on your faucet alone. So just imagine how many germs an entire filthy bathroom is harboring! There are various factors that can play into how often you should be cleaning yours, including the amount of people in your household and whether you're hosting guests. But overall, you should get into the habit of cleaning your bathroom on a weekly a basis. On top of that, there are certain tasks you might want to address even more frequently.

Let's start with the main parts of a bathroom. Although the toilet is often thought to be the dirtiest spot in the bathroom, it's not typically the case. Yet, it still needs a good scrubbing each week. If you have multiple people that share one or there's been sickness floating around, you might want to add in additional cleanings. The counters are another part of the bathroom that can quickly turn gross. Cleaning expert Melissa Maker recommends rinsing your sink each time you brush your teeth and doing a deeper clean a few times a week by wiping the surface with a microfiber cloth. Doing so will help keep them from accumulating hair, toothpaste, and grime.

There are some parts of the bathroom that don't need to be addressed each and every cleaning day. But it doesn't mean they're free of filth. For example, shower curtains and liners collect hard-water spots, mildew, and germs — so it's a good rule of thumb to launder them monthly. Fortunately, it's possible to clean mold off your shower curtain with hydrogen peroxide, a household essential. Bathroom walls are another feature you should aim to at least a few times each year, especially with how hot and humid a bathroom can get. You can do so by dusting them off frequently and wiping them down with a mild soap and water mixture a few times each year.

Don't forget to clean all of the little bathroom features as well, especially ones that get touched a lot, such as light switches, door handles, and the faucet. If possible, do this daily with a disinfectant wipe. Take your bathroom trash out more than once a week if needed to ensure it doesn't spill over or cause bad odors. It's also a good idea to have lots of cleaning tools on hand, including rubber gloves, scrub brushes, a toilet brush, and a mask if you're working with chemicals. If possible, open a window or use the exhaust fan when cleaning to help with ventilation. For households with multiple people, consider dividing those weekly bathroom cleanings up among members. If you're living solo, make cleaning the bathroom more bearable by cranking up those tunes or listening to your favorite podcast while you work.