Make Your Bathroom Shine!

A clean and sanitary restroom is extremely important to your home and business. An unsanitary restroom often can lead to germs and mold that can affect allergies or bacteria and viruses  which cause diseases and is one reason why restrooms need to be cleaned daily. Repeat customers can be the direct result of sanitary or unsanitary restrooms. Employee productivity or un-productivity have been known to be affected indirectly by unclean restrooms. As a result, different aspects of your business can be affected by this one essential idea.

Follow these bathroom cleaning tips to help you tackle this job.

Pre-Treat the Tub/Shower

Although I am guilty of not wearing gloves, you should do so to avoid getting any chemicals or irritants on your skin. Spray the tub and shower stall with a mildew remover or bleach. If you do not have mildew issues, a good soap scum remover is all you need. Be sure to read the label of your cleaning product to make sure it doesn’t
conflict with the materials used in your shower and/or tub.  Let this sit while you get to work on the toilet.

Clean the Toilet

Spray the inside of the bowl with a disinfectant cleaner such as Clorox or Lysol toilet bowl cleaner.  Let it sit on the inside while you spray the outside of the toilet with and all-purpose cleaner.  I prefer to clean and wipe with paper towels although you may use a rag or sponge to wipe the rim and the outside of the bowl, lid, behind the seat, all the way down to the floor and round the base of the toilet.

With your scrub brush, clean the inside of the bowl, then flush. To remove tough toilet bowl rings, you can either use full strength white vinegar or a pumice stone to do the job quickly.  I carry a pumice everywhere I go to clean…they work like magic!

Time to clean the Tub/Shower

Go back to the tub and shower and if necessary re-wet the surface with the same cleaner that was previously applied.  Using a scrub brush or sponge, work from the top down to scrub the walls and tub area. If necessary, use an old toothbrush to get around the grout, faucet and/or drain.  Rinse then take a look to see if any surface still needs cleaning.

What about that Glass Shower Door

There are many ways to clean the glass shower door.  My tried and true method is to spray with soap scum remover.  Using the scrubbing side of a sponge or pot scrubber, clean off soap scum and water stains.  Rinse well.  Use a squeegee to remove the bulk of the water.  Dry with towel.  You can use a glass cleaning product such as Windex to clean the outside of the door.

To help keep soap scum and water stains at bay, I recommend using a product such as RainX Glass Cleaner and Water Repellent.  Another great idea to keep mildew from appearing to quickly is to use that exhaust fan in the bathroom.  Run it while you shower and at least 30 minutes after you leave the room to help remove moisture from the tub area.  You will be amazed at the difference that can make.

Keep that Shower Clean Between Cleanings

To help keep the shower clean, keep a squeegee in the tub and shower area and squeegee when you are finished showering. Additionally, liquid shower soap makes less build up than bar soap.  You may consider switching.  Run the exhaust fan.

Clean the Sink/Basin

Remove all items from the counter area and spray the area with an all-purpose cleaner that is appropriate for the counter/sink materials.  Scrub with sponge.  A toothbrush can be used to get to hard-to-reach areas.

When you’ve finished, rinse the sink well with fresh water then.  Using paper towels, wipe down the entire counter, faucet, and sink.  Be sure to polish your faucets and
fixtures.  Windex and a paper towel works great for this.  Clean any wooden surfaces with furniture polish to protect from water stains.

Cleaning Mirrors

Using a soft, lint-free cleaning cloth, give the mirror a quick once over to remove any loose particles of dirt.  Using the same cloth, spray your cleaner directly on the cloth and wipe down the mirror.

Don’t forget about the Floor

Remove rugs.  Sweep or vacuum the floor thoroughly.  Be sure to get all around the back of the toilet.  Using a disinfectant floor cleaner, or vinegar, and HOT, HOT water, mop generously getting in every crack and crevice.  Use the top of your mop to clean the baseboard and toe board.  Be careful if you have stone or marble floors.  Vinegar can damage these surface.

The Final Touches

I love having a sweet smelling house.  Don’t forget to spray toilet and sink surfaces with a pleasant smelling disinfectant such as Lysol.  A lit candle near the tub can be such a lovely touch when taking a long soak in your clean tub.