Bathrooms are one of the hardest places in the household to keep clean and most need a little and often approach to maintain basic hygiene. Whether that’s a daily wipe down, or a weekly mop, cleaning your bathroom doesn’t require a lot of damaging chemicals or intense labour, most things can be done simply.
Here at KNB, our residential bathrooms are installed in showroom condition. But we know that after a while, when the new bathroom look begins to fade, it can be hard to restore, which is why we’ve rounded up ten simple bathroom cleaning tips.
1. More elbow grease, less bleach
Bleach is often overused by people, and it can cause quicker erosion and damage to everyone and everything around it. Instead of using heavy, concentrated amounts of bleach, dilute a capful in 2 litres of cold or lukewarm water, open a window and get scrubbing.
As well as using less bleach, use bleach less often than you think. Bleaching should only really be done during a deep clean, as it is a very toxic chemical.
Unless you have a room that requires regular disinfecting, such as a commercial kitchen, then bleaching is often more than your bathroom needs.
2. Remove everything first
Before you even start cleaning, remove every movable thing out of your bathroom. If you’ve got towels or bathmats laying around, throw them in the washing machine while you clean. Similarly, toothbrushes, their holders, soap trays and any other miscellaneous bathroom items should all be moved out to make it easier for you as you work around.
While this may seem initially labour intensive, it saves so much time later and allows you to be more efficient as you clean, by removing stuck dust and stains that may be hidden under items.
3. Dust and sweep before you clean
As we all know, dust clumps in water and becomes much harder to remove than when it’s dry. Before you start to spray surfaces down or mop, sweep and dust.
This also helps to begin to move stubborn stains, and removes the top layer of grime, saving you time and making the rest of your clean more efficient later on.
4. Overnight descale your shower head with white vinegar
Rather than simply spraying on the descaler and hoping for the best, shower heads should be soaked overnight in white vinegar.
To do this, follow these steps:
- Unscrew the shower head from the tubing.
- Get either a glass jar or freezer bag and fill it halfway with white vinegar or cleaning vinegar.
- Fully submerge the shower head in vinegar, ensuring that it goes over the main head.
- If you are using a freezer bag, tightly secure the bag on with an elastic band or similar.
- Then leave the shower head overnight to soak.
- The next morning, simply rinse through with hot water, and wipe the shower head clean to remove any stuck residue.
Not only does this remove limescale, but it ensures that any lingering water-based bacteria are removed. If you have removable elements from your taps, these can also be submerged in the same white vinegar to descale and clean.
5. Take your plugs and drains apart
Plugs and drainage pieces often harbour all kinds of grease and grime, especially in showers, yet to fully clean these, taking them apart is often the easiest method to properly clean.
By and large, shower drains will have a quick removing mechanism, which often contains grease, built up soap residue and, if you’ve got long hair, loose hair. Large clumps of hair should be put in the bin, rather than down the drain. Then, either soak the elements left in hot, soapy water using dish soap, or give them a quick spray with white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Once they’re sparkling clean, reassemble.
6. Use limescale remover over glass cleaner
A limescale remover, if you have hard water, will be more effective than a glass cleaner on a dirty shower screen. Simply spray the limescale remover over the shower screen and then let it soak for the recommended time.
Shower it down, and then dry with a microfibre cloth to remove any left residue.
If you want the specks gone regularly, squeegee the shower screen after each use to remove any excess water, and this will reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do.
7. Keep the windows open
Even in the coldest winter, windows, or some form of good ventilation, must be had in a bathroom. Build up of steam can make a room provide the ideal environment for mould and germs to grow, and a dry bathroom is easier to clean than a damp one.
During cleaning, and after showering, keep the window open until the room is fully dry. In summer, you may be able to leave the window open all day if you’re home, but in winter, you’ll no doubt want to keep it closed a tad more.
8. Wash your shower curtain
If you haven’t got a shower screen, and instead have a material or plastic shower curtain, you’ll notice the scum marks and damp build up. Mould exposure in the long term causes ill health, and as such, regularly cleaning your shower curtains is a great way to improve the overall look of your bathroom.
Simply get the shower curtain and dunk it into a bowl of hot soapy water in the kitchen sink, before scrubbing at every part of it. Using a wooden spoon to create a mini whirlpool is a fun way for kids to help and helps to get the shower curtain fully soaked.
Then, take it outside and shake it out thoroughly, before hanging to drip dry.
9. Use kitchen dish soap
The washing up liquid you have in your kitchen can probably clean most of your bathroom effectively without needing any harsher chemicals. As washing up liquid is designed to cut through grease and grime, it’s perfect for use in your bathroom. Simply add a small amount to an old spray bottle and mix with water, shake it up, and you’re good to go.
Instead of bleach, trying using bathroom cleaners and de-greasers, as and where you need to. This can often help reduce not only the amount of harsh chemicals in circulation, but the amount of plastic your household uses, as dish soap can often be got in refill shops.
10. Create a rota (of sorts)
By having a set schedule of how often you do certain cleaning tasks, you can not only reduce the length of time you’ll end up cleaning, but also ensure that you don’t double clean over a previously cleaned area.
On this rota, consider adding in linen changes, soap changes, mopping, wipe downs and deep cleans. It doesn’t have to be formal and can definitely be flexible. Make it achievable for you, while also remaining hygienic.
Are you looking for a local expert bathroom and kitchen company?
Contact KNB, based near Nottingham, and we can design and install your bathroom or kitchen of dreams.
Get in touch today for a free consultation.