Bathrooms can be one of the trickiest spaces to keep spotless. With so many surfaces to clean and areas prone to gathering grime, it can feel overwhelming to tackle. On top of that, many people were never taught how to clean thoroughly. Cleaning isn’t a skill we were born knowing how to do! So this guide will take you from square one to cleaning like the pros. We’ll cover: 

• What Supplies You’ll Need

• First Steps

• Cleaning Major Surfaces

• Finishing Touches

Ok, let’s get into the good stuff!

Step 1: Get Your Supplies In Order

We've made a printable checklist to keep in your cleaning basket of the essential supplies you'll need to clean the bathroom:

It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the cleaning supply aisle of the store. Brands want you to think that you need a separate cleaning product for every surface (especially when it comes to bathroom cleaners).

To get started though, all you really need is a few basics. Here’s a checklist of all the essentials we like to have on hand, and why you’ll need them:

• Dish Soap

  Dish soap might not seem like a bathroom cleaner, but trust us. Dish soap gets out pretty much everything. This will help you handle any grime that all purpose cleaners won’t pick up.

• All-purpose cleaner/ disinfectant

  This is your best friend, so get comfortable with this one. An all purpose disinfectant is all you need to clean 70% of the bathroom. 

• Toilet bowl cleaner and a toilet brush

  While you don’t need a ton of specialty cleaners, you’ll want this one. A toilet specific cleaner makes the job a lot easier. Pretty much any brand should work the same.

• Abrasive cleaner/ scouring powder

  This can help get stains and discoloration out of your tile, porcelain sinks, and tubs. We like to use a powder like Bar Keepers Friend or Comet. Those are usually the cheapest, but any brand of scouring cleaner should do the same thing. (Here's an article from the New York Times if you're on the fence about using a scouring agent. Spoiler: its "pro" scouring agents.)

• Microfiber cloths, cleaning rags, sponges, or paper towels

  Any one of these will work. Whatever you choose, you should have at least 2 or 3 on hand. 

• Scrub brush

  This one is optional, but it will make cleaning the tubs and tile a little easier. 

• Rubber gloves

  This one is also optional. If you’re grossed out by cleaning the toilets and tub, throw on some gloves. If you have sensitive skin, these can help keep your hands from getting dry or irritated. 

• Broom or Vacuum

  As long as you have hard flooring, either will work. Vacuuming will just make the job go by faster.

• Mop or floor cleaning wipes

  A traditional mop will be more thorough, but a spray mop can work too. It depends on whatever you have the energy to do.

✨Pro Tip: Keep all your bathroom cleaning supplies in a caddy. This makes it easy to grab everything you need and keeps your cleaning routine streamlined. You can keep everything in a little basket you already have, but make sure it’s mobile.

Step 2: Dusting and De-cluttering the bathroom

Before diving into the scrubbing, take a few minutes to dust and de-clutter:

- Dust all light fixtures, the top of the mirror, and any shelves. You’ll be surprised at how much dust can settle in a bathroom! 

- De-clutter countertops by removing toiletries and placing them in a drawer or basket. This gives you a clean surface to work with. Seriously, don’t skip this. Moving your stuff on the counter back and forth while you clean little spots at a time will add so much time to your process. Get it all out of the way in one step, and put it back when you’re done.

This is also your chance to throw your bathmat, hand towels, and shower liner (if you have a reusable one) into the wash.

✨ Pro Tip: Cleaning from top to bottom prevents dust and debris from settling on already-cleaned areas. Don’t backtrack if you don’t have to!

Step 3: Clean the mirrors and glass

You can use a glass cleaner for this if you already have one, but you don’t need to! Grab a damp cleaning cloth with dish soap and wipe down the glass or mirror. Next, take your dry cloth and wipe away the soapy water. If you have glass cleaner available, it’s the same process. 

Keep in mind:

- Wipe with your cloth in a circular motion to avoid streaks. 

- If you have a glass shower door, spray it and let it sit for a minute to loosen any soap scum. After a minute or so, wipe it down with your dry cloth. 

✨Pro Tip: It's not necessary, but if you have glass shower doors you may want to invest in a small squeegee! You can keep it in your shower, and at the end of every shower squeegee the doors with the water that's collected. This will keep the doors looking shiny in between cleanings.

Step 4: Cleaning the shower and tub

Next, focus on the shower and tub. This part will probably require some awkward angles and elbow grease. If you hate scrubbing your tub, you’re not alone! But after trial and error we’ve learned the ways of the scouring powder. This stuff makes the scrubbing a little easier. 

Here’s our usual process:

- Sprinkle your scouring powder around the floor of your tub or shower. 

- Use a wet scrub brush or sponge to scrub the bottom of your tub and any tiled walls. If you have a toothbrush you can dedicate to cleaning, this will help you get into the corners and tight grout areas. 

- Rinse thoroughly with warm water. If you have a detachable shower head, use it to rinse down surfaces after scrubbing.

If you’re finding yourself with leftover stains and grime after the first round, you might need to do a second round of scrubbing. 

After you’ve finished using the scouring agent, use your all purpose cleaning spray on the floors and tile. Scouring agents don’t typically leave a pleasant smell, so doing this just helps to sanitize the area and make it smell nice.

Step 5: cleaning the toilet

You’re probably clapping and jumping up and down in excitement! It’s finally time to clean the toilet! We’re kidding, we know it's really gross. But here’s how we do it to make it easier!

- Apply toilet bowl cleaner inside the bowl and let it sit. The longer you let it sit, the better. Preferably, you would do this step before the “dusting and de-cluttering” step. The more amount of time the cleaner has to work, the less time you’ll spend scrubbing!

- While the cleaner works, spray an all-purpose cleaner on the toilet exterior and wipe down with a cloth or paper towel. Wipe down the seat, under the seat, and the lid. Dust likes to accumulate on the tank lid, so make sure to wipe that down as well. Overall, you’re just going to give the toilet a good wipe down everywhere you can reach. 

- Finally, scrub the inside of the bowl with a toilet brush, focusing on the rim where grime can accumulate. 

And that’s it! It’s not so bad. Now the hardest parts of cleaning the bathroom are over. After you've scrubbed like Cinderella, the rest of the steps should feel like a breeze!

Step 6: Wiping down your sinks and countertops:

step 6: countertop, sinks, and faucets

After tackling the bigger surfaces, turn your attention to the sink area:

This is where it really comes in handy to clear everything off the counters beforehand!

• Grab a new rag and wet it with water and a few drops of dish soap. Wipe down the counters and cabinets since this is where stray hair and dust like to build up. When you’re done, wipe it down with a dry rag.

• With the same soapy rag, you can clean the faucets of any soap or toothpaste splatters. Make sure to wipe down around the base of the faucet. You can use your rag or an old toothbrush for this. This will prevent those nasty red water buildup stains around the bottom. 

• You can either use your soapy rag or your scouring powder to clean the sinks. Look out for the same soap and toothpaste build up, especially around the drain. 
  

When everything is sparkling, you’re ready to put all your toiletries back! Keep in mind, the more you wipe down your counters the easier it will be when you’re doing a deeper clean. Try to be in the habit of checking for soap splatters or stray hairs when you’re not cleaning. Wipe them up when you see them, and your bathroom will feel a lot cleaner on a daily basis!

Step 7: sweeping and mopping the bathroom floor

Once the surfaces are clean, it’s time to tackle the floor:

- You know the drill. It’s not too different cleaning your bathroom floor versus any other floor. Just take your broom or vacuum and remove and dust, hair, and other debris. 

- Use a mop or floor wipes to clean the floor, working from the farthest corner to the exit for a streak-free finish.

Step 8: finishing touches after cleaning the bathroom

is when you can put your bathmat back in place, and hang up your shower curtain if you washed it. If you wanna go nuts and really refresh your bathroom:

• Refill your toilet paper holders.

• Change your hand towels and bath towels.

• Refill your soap dispenser if you have one.

• Empty out your trash can.

• Spray a room mist or light a candle.

Cleaning the bathroom requires time and elbow grease, but it’s part of life! We may as well do it right. Plus, nothing feels better than taking a shower or a bath in a freshly cleaned bathroom! For more tips on how to make cleaning as easy as possible, check out this post on our blog. We complied a few tips to make cleaning any room of the house a little more efficient.

Hopefully you were able to take away some tips from this guide to make the job a little easier on yourself.

Need a Hand?

If you’ve gotten to the end of this guide and feel like the job is still too big, we’re here to help! If life gets busy or you want to free up your time for the more important things, SuperMaids can come to your rescue. Contact us to schedule a customized cleaning that is tailored to your home and lifestyle. We’ll keep your bathroom (and entire home!) looking its best. 

Give us a call today at 304-902-4488 to schedule your cleaning service!