One of the most dreaded household chores is deep cleaning the bathroom. However, there are ways that you can make the task a little easier. This guide will provide you with 10 easy steps to deep cleaning your bathroom including removing limescale from shower screens and tips on cleaning solutions that you can make with products that you have in your home.
Cleaning Supplies
Before going into the deep cleaning steps, you should gather your cleaning supplies. Here are some cleaning supplies that work best for cleaning the bathroom:
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Dawn dish soap
• Baking soda
• Microfiber cloth
• Scouring pads
• Paper Towels
• Plastic hair snake
• Hair catcher
• Plastic gloves
• Toilet bowl cleaner and scrubber
Supplies for removing limescale from shower screen and walls:
• Squeegee
• Microfiber cloth
• Fabric softener and/or dryer sheets
• Spray bottle with vinegar, water, lemon juice, and baking soda
10 Steps For Deep Cleaning Your Bathroom
1. Remove all items out of the bathroom. This includes all towels, rugs, shower curtains, and trash. Use a bucket or small container to place all products that are in the shower and on your vanity. If you have a plastic or vinyl shower liner, place them in a bucket with vinegar, water, and baking soda and let it soak while you clean the bathroom. You should also throw your rugs and fabric shower curtains in your washing machine with a little vinegar or baking soda, but not both at the same time.
2. Air out the bathroom, if possible. If you have windows in your bathroom, open them to air out the bathroom. This will help circulate air while you are cleaning, so you are not inhaling a lot of cleaning products.
3. Dust and sweep the bathroom floors, blinds, windowsills, and walls. You want to make sure to wipe the air vents and corners, which are breeding grounds for cobwebs and dust. A quick method would be to use your vacuum with an attachment to help get rid of all the hair and debris that you will find around your bathroom. You can also use a dryer sheet to clean the vents.
4. Spray cleaner on all surfaces. Spray all areas of the bathtub and shower including the doors, walls, and showerhead with a vinegar-based cleaner or all-purpose cleaner. If you want to get rid of limescale, mix vinegar, water, and a small amount of dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle, and let the solution sit while you tackle other areas of the bathroom. Apply toilet cleaner to the toilet and let it sit while you clean.
5. Wipe all surfaces. Now it’s time to spray and wipe down all the other surface areas with vinegar solution and a microfiber cloth. Make sure to wipe walls, windows, baseboards, mirrors, and vanity.
6. Prepare floor cleaning solution. Once all surfaces are wiped, get your floor cleaning solution prepared. For the floors, mix 1 cup of vinegar, 2 tsp of baking soda, and 2 cups of hot water in a bucket. If you are not fond of the vinegar smell, add a ⅛ of a cup of lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best) to your solution.
7. Scrub the shower. Once you have finished preparing your floor cleaner, you can begin scrubbing the shower. For stubborn stains run the shower with the hottest possible water for 1-2 minutes before scrubbing. Close the bathroom door while you do this to create a steam effect, this will make it easier to wipe down the shower and bathtub. While you are cleaning the shower, use your plastic snake to pull hair out of the drain. This works better than pouring chemicals down the drain.
NOTE: Shower screen cleaning tip for removing limescale: If you mix fabric softener with water and apply to screen then rinse and wipe with dryer sheets, your screen will sparkle. Another trick is to spray water repellent that you find in automotive stores for windows and apply it to the shower screen. This will help prevent heavy buildup and make cleaning easier.
8. Add finishing touches. Grab a dry microfiber cloth and dry your shower/bathtub, including the doors, and the tracks of the shower doors (this will help give your clean bathtub an extra shine). Grab your bucket of bathroom products and put everything back in its place. Including any items that you removed from your vanity. You also will want to grab your shower liners that have been soaking and hang them back up.
9. Clean and scrub the toilet. Now it’s time to scrub the inside of your toilet bowl with your toilet bowl scrubber and wipe around the toilet. This includes the toilet seat, lid, and the outside of the toilet. To help keep the toilet bowl fresh, use an automatic toilet bowl cleaning tablet or rim hanger, and place it in the bowl or tank according to package directions.
10 Mop the floor. Grab your bucket of floor solution that you previously prepared and mop the bathroom floor. I take an extra step and will use a Swiffer Wet Mop to pick up anything the broom or vacuum missed, before mopping the floor. Once the floors are dried, you can put your bathroom rugs back.
Additional Cleaning Tips
• After deep cleaning your bathroom, make a habit of doing a light cleaning of your bathroom at least once a week. This will make the deep cleaning process less excruciating.
• Place hair catchers in the shower drain to prevent clogging the drains with hair.
• Keep a spray bottle with a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, water, and lemon juice in the bathroom. Spray the shower every other day and rinse to avoid heavy soap scum buildup. You can also keep a squeegee or microfiber cloth close by and either squeegee or wipe your shower screen after each shower to prevent buildup.
• Don’t use products that contain talc in the shower. Talc and hard water are the two main culprits for soap scum buildup.
The final say
If you follow the cleaning steps and tips provided in this guide, the deep cleaning should only need to be performed once or twice a month. The main thing is keeping up with the shower screen and shower walls to avoid soap scum buildup.
