How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom in 12 Steps

You spend a lot of time in your bathroom. From brushing your teeth and getting ready in the morning, to ending your day in the bathroom preparing for bed, your bathroom endures a lot of use. Cleaning your bathroom shouldn’t be a process that is rushed or overlooked, especially deep cleans.

Surfaces in your bathroom are prone to bacteria, mold, and mildew development. Did you know that your shower curtain and show floor harbor 60x more bacteria than your toilet seat? While your shower curtain, toothbrush handle, or toilet seat may look clean, in reality, they are covered in potentially harmful bacteria.

At Euro Maids, our team of expert cleaners knows what it takes to make a bathroom spotlessly clean, but we also think that you should be armed with that same knowledge! We have countless bathroom cleaning tips that you can use, helping you keep your mirrors, floors, tiles squeaky clean.

Bathroom surfaces of all kinds are prone to grime build-up, and we’ve got amazing bathroom cleaning tips to help you prevent this from happening in the first place.

Tools and Supplies You’ll Need to Clean the Bathroom

Before we dive into how to clean a bathroom, you’ll need to gather the right supplies. Here’s what to use to clean the bathroom:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Bleach or another alternative
• Bathroom cleaner
• Protective gloves
• Disinfecting wipes
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Glass cleaner

How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom

The steps in cleaning the bathroom are fairly straightforward as long as you’ve collected the above supplies and you’re willing to put in a little bit of elbow grease.

Step #1: Prepare the Bathroom for Cleaning

The first step in the process is clearing out any larger items in your bathroom that may get in your way. If you have magazine stands, organizational units, or other larger items that can be temporarily removed for cleaning, do so before you begin.

Step #2: Declutter the Bathroom

The next step in how to clean the bathroom should be removing items from their usual spot so you can clean underneath them. Rather than removing items as you clean each section, you should try to remove them all at once to save time.

All of your soaps, shampoos, and shower products should be removed in addition to any hanging towels or rugs. Any items located on the bathroom countertop such as your toothbrush, toothpaste, and hand soap should also be removed. Don’t forget to relocate any trash bins that may be in your way as well.

Step #3: Dust, Sweep, and Vacuum

Once you’ve removed all of your larger items, you can begin to dust and sweep. Grab the duster and attach a long handle to access hard-to-reach corners with cobwebs or dust. You should also dust over your light fixtures and your fan vents to remove any built-up grime that’s accumulated.

Some areas may be incredibly difficult to reach. If this is the case, you can use a small step ladder to access these areas. Once you’ve finished thoroughly dusting all bathroom surfaces, you can then move on to sweeping and vacuuming any debris that fell onto the floor.

Step 4: Clean the Shower

Next up in how to clean a bathroom is focusing on the shower. Before you dive into the shower itself, take the time to first clean your shower curtain as it is one of the main areas that mold and mildew tend to accumulate.

Don’t forget to clean your shower curtain! This is an easy place for grime, mold, and mildew to accumulate.

You should regularly remove the shower curtain from the rings and thoroughly clean it. Doing so means no unpleasant odors and a fresh, clean environment for you to enjoy every day!

Once the shower curtain is removed, place it into a washing machine with detergent and a cup of white vinegar. Run the shower curtain through the gentlest washing setting you have, and hang it out to dry after it is washed.

You might also want to clean your curtain rings, as they’re exposed to the same dirt and grime as the shower curtain. Remove the rings and place them in a sink full of hot water and white vinegar. Let them soak before scrubbing them and rinsing them in fresh water.

But what about how to deep clean a shower? Here are some tips:

• Shower doors: Use a mixture of a few drops of vinegar with baking soda to create a paste. Leave it on the door for an hour and use a damp cloth to wipe it off.
• Bathtub: Use bathroom cleaner all over your bathtub and let it sit according to the directions. Then, scrub it thoroughly and rinse it down.
• Showerhead: Use a grocery bag and fill it with vinegar. Tie it directly onto your showerhead to submerge it and let it sit overnight. Use water to rinse it clean.

Step #5: Clean the Walls

Cleaning your bathroom walls presents a wide range of problems, one of which is just how difficult it is to reach the corners of the room. Plus, wiping the walls clean as far as you can reach leaves circular arches all over the wall, and nobody wants that!

Our solution is to use microfiber dust mops with long handles that allow you to reach the corners and remove stains and dust throughout the entire wall. Microfiber cloths are also great for cleaning services that you don’t want to damage, including painted walls.

Another common concern is the build-up of mold and mildew, which can easily be solved with a homemade solution of water and white vinegar. It is an effective way of cleaning delicate surfaces without causing damage. It kills mildew and it can easily be stored inside of a regular plastic spray bottle. Use a delicate cloth to clean with this solution.

With bathrooms, preventative cleaning is also extremely important. This means regularly wiping the walls and glass surfaces throughout the week, helping avoid the build-up of limescale and dirt.

If you have one, it’s also a great idea to use the ventilation fan in the bathroom to keep air flowing as much as possible. Alternatively, keep a window open to allow in the fresh air and prevent the build-up of moisture and mildew.

The key to keeping your bathroom walls clean is a combination of regular maintenance, using delicate solutions and microfiber cloths, and keeping the room as ventilated as possible.

Step #6: Clean the Toilet

The dreaded next step: how to deep clean a toilet. It is easier if you think of your toilet in three parts – the bowl, the exterior, and the water tank. At Euro Maids, our cleaning staff inspects every inch of your toilet to ensure it’s clean from the inside out.

• Clean the Bowl

Start by applying the toilet cleaner inside of the bowl and letting it soak in. After a few minutes, take a toilet brush and scrub the inside of the bowl, making sure to reach down into the water of the bowl, the midsection, and the ridge that goes along the toilet seat.

You’ll also want to lift the toilet seat and make sure you clean underneath the seat using a cloth or scrubbing sponge with a cleaner of your choice.

• Clean the Exterior

You can clean the exterior of your toilet using a cloth or scrubbing sponge with a regular bathroom cleaner. For particularly dirty bowls, use bleach and strong disinfectants to ensure it is completely clean.

For an extra-perfect clean, use a dry cloth to buff the exterior porcelain to a shine.

• Clean the Water Tank

The water tank is so often forgotten about when cleaning toilets, but ensuring it’s clean is easy and fast. Simply take off the porcelain lid, which may require you to unscrew the flush push-button, and take a look inside. If you see a build-up of dirt and minerals inside, pour in three or four cups of vinegar inside and let it soak.

Then, turn off the water to the toilet and flush, which will empty the tank. The mineral build-up should now be soft and easy to scrub with a brush or sponge. Once it’s clean, make sure to switch the water back on, flush a few times, and your toilet will be squeaky clean.

Step #7: Clean the Mirror, Cabinets, and Shelves

You likely have items that you hang from your bathroom walls such as shelving, mirrors, or cabinetry. Although you may not realize it, these items also require regular cleaning. To clean your mirror, use a glass cleaner or a water and vinegar solution followed by a microfiber cloth. If you don’t have cloth on hand, you can also use newspaper as paper towels may leave behind streaks. For shelves or cabinets that need cleaning, you can use an all-purpose cleaner.

Step #8: Clean the Bathtub

A lot of people assume that because bathtubs are constantly filled with water, they effectively clean themselves. This simply isn’t true. Every time a bathtub drains, grime and dirt gets stuck to the side of the tub and stays there until the next time.

To ensure you and anyone else who uses your bathroom always has a fresh tub and clean bathwater, use the following steps that are sure to make it squeaky clean.

Step 1: Fill a bucket with hot water and spread the water all around the tub. If you have a shower head, you can use the hot water from the shower.

Step 2: Take a bucket filled with dish soap and hot water to scrub the tub. Make sure to regularly rinse off the sponge in the bucket so it stays as clean as possible.

Step 3: Sprinkle baking soda onto the sponge to help scrub away any stubborn stains.

Step 4: Use a spray cleaner to finish the clean, scrubbing with a clean sponge.

Step 5: Use fresh water to rinse the tub after cleaning, and then polish the faucets and handles to a shine.

If you notice mildew in the tub, you can clean that with diluted bleach. Spray or pour the solution onto the mildew, let it sit for a little while, and then clean.

Step #9: Deep Clean the Sink

The top culprit of bacteria in your entire bathroom is the sink, yuck! This means it is a particularly important part in how to keep your bathroom clean. Take your bathroom cleaner or your disinfecting wipes to clean the faucet, handles, bowl, and countertop of your sink. You can easily clean your drain by pouring vinegar or baking soda down it. Let it sit for an hour and then pour hot water down your sink to rinse it.

Step #10: Wipe the Dust from the Bathroom Fan

It’s easy to forget about your bathroom fan, don’t forget to look up! It’s very likely that your fan is holding on dust and particles that circulate throughout your bathroom. Use a vacuum to capture the dust in the vents. You can then use a damp cloth or sponge to wipe the vents to capture excess grime. Many fans have removable covers; if this is the case for you, soak it in water and soap. Remember, don’t get any of the fan’s electrical parts wet!

Step #11: Wash the Bathroom Towels

One of the final steps in how to deep clean your bathroom is addressing the towels. If your towels are white, you can run them in a wash cycle with bleach to sanitize them. Aim to wash your bathroom towels regularly as your guests will use them when they are over.

Step #12: Mop the Floor

Start by sweeping the floor. Use a small broom and sweep the room, collecting the dust and dirt from the corners. Make sure to sweep behind the toilet, sink, and other places you might not always see.

If there are any particularly difficult places to reach, a damp cloth or paper towel can easily do the job as well.

Now it’s time to clean. You can use a regular mop bucket if you like, but using the bathtub or the sink is a neat way to avoid that. Fill it with two gallons of warm water and add approximately one tablespoon of dish soap and a quarter cup of vinegar. Mix this solution until you see suds.

Find a rag and clean your floors on your hands and knees, scrubbing the floor to a perfect shine, or by using a mop that’s designed to hold a floor-cleaning cloth. Finally, to dry the floor, we prefer to use a towel! It’s a simple approach but it is extremely effective. Polish the floors to a perfect shine and you’re all done.

Naperville’s Bathroom Cleaning Experts At Your Service!

Euro Maids is your source for fantastic cleaning tips and convenient, affordable cleaning services in Naperville and the Chicagoland area.

We provide residential and commercial cleaning services, and our team of bathroom cleaning experts is ready to help. We offer deep cleaning, green cleaning, one-time cleaning, and apartment cleaning to ensure all of your needs are covered.

For a free estimate or to find out more about our bathroom cleaning services, call EuroMaids today at (630) 998-8141!