How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom in 10 Steps

Get the down and dirty on how to clean your bathroom—yes, including the trick to descaling a shower head.

how to deep clean bathroom: picture of modern, clean bathroom
Photo: Getty Images

Rid your bathroom of lurking germs with these bacteria-targeting bathroom cleaning tricks. From how to descale a shower head to the easiest (and least gross) way to scrub the toilet, consider this your ultimate bathroom-cleaning guide.

The process of deep cleaning your bathroom isn't as complicated as you might think—follow these expert-recommended steps to make every inch of your bathroom sparkling and germ-free.

01 of 10

How Gross Is the Bathroom?

Clean white tile bathroom with plants
Julien L. Balmer/Getty Images

According to University of Arizona professor of virology Charles Gerba, who has conducted many studies of household bacteria, the bathroom is pretty darn gross. With supereffective tactics from Aggie MacKenzie, a coauthor of How Clean Is Your House?and Gerba's gory details to spur you on—you can clobber germs like never before.

Rule #1 for how to clean a bathroom? Keep it dry—so as you're cleaning, make sure you dry all surfaces well afterward.

Whether you divvy up your antibacterial blitz into small sessions or complete your bathroom deep clean in one fell swoop, implementing these habits every couple of months will be like flushing your worries down the…well, you know.

02 of 10

Descale the Shower Head

How to Clean Bathroom, Shower Head
Getty Images

Why: The showerhead can harbor Mycobacterium avium, a pathogen linked to pulmonary disease. Gerba says that turning on a neglected shower can send millions of germs straight into your lungs.

What to do: Take it from the top: Pour an ample amount of white vinegar into a plastic grocery bag (enough to fully submerge the showerhead nozzle) and tie it in place for an overnight soaking. Remove it in the morning and run the water to rinse.

03 of 10

Clean the Shower Curtain or Doors

Glass shower door in bathroom
Monica Buck

Why: Those germs from your shower head (and your body) can linger in your tub.

What to do: Give plastic shower curtains and liners a spin in the washing machine with your regular detergent and a few old towels, which help scrub away soap scum and mildew. Rehang to dry.

For shower doors, make a paste by adding a few drops of distilled white vinegar to a cup of baking soda; apply it directly to the door (it's nice and thick, so it will stick). Let sit for an hour, then rub with a microfiber cloth. Rinse and buff dry with a fresh, dry microfiber cloth. As a preventive measure, routinely spritz all surfaces with a shower cleaner to keep odors, soap scum, hard water stains, mold, and mildew at bay.

The tub is less of an issue—a weekly scrubbing is usually enough. But for extra gleam, fill it with hot water, then drain. Apply a bathroom cleaner and let sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing. It's also good practice to routinely clean and scrub shower caddies. You can cut down on gunky buildup with a good soap scum remover.

To maintain it, wipe condensation from all surfaces after showering, and leave the window open for one hour a day to lower the room's humidity level.

04 of 10

Refresh Dingy Grout

How to Clean Bathroom Grout, white tiled bathroom
Unsplash / Charles Deluvio

Why: Grout is porous and highly susceptible to bacteria growth.

What to do: Dip a grout brush in straight bleach and scrub any discolored areas; rinse well. Be sure to ventilate the room.

Seal grout every six months to help prevent moisture and grime from infiltrating. For pesky grout and tile stains, use a good tile and grout cleaner.

05 of 10

Clean Bathroom Countertops, Walls, and Ceilings

How to Clean Bathroom Shower Door, circular mirror
Getty Images

Why: Soaps (and the dirt and skin cells they slough off) leave behind a microscopic film.

What to do: Spray countertops, walls, and the ceiling with an all-purpose cleaner and turn on the shower, cranking the hot water until steam builds (about five minutes).

Turn off the water, shut the door on your way out, and let the steam and the cleaner mix for 20 minutes. Then wipe down all surfaces with a clean cloth. To reach high spots, use a clean, dry microfiber mop. Wipe the tile floor, too, but only after you've finished the rest of the dirty work. For stubborn mold and mildew, try a mold remover.

To minimize watermarks on ceramic tile, apply a coat of car wax once a year. Water will bead up and roll off. Mildew-resistant paint can also help on untiled walls and ceilings.

06 of 10

Get the Toilet Sparkly Clean

Toilet and bath
Marlene Ford/Getty Images

Why: Gerba says that a flushing toilet, when viewed in slow motion, resembles a fireworks display. And since germs linger in the bowl even after flushing, bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, can fly into the air and land on the seat, the handle, and other surfaces.

What to do: Pour a cup of baking soda into the bowl. Let sit for a few minutes; brush, and flush. Still seeing spots? A damp pumice stone is abrasive enough to remove limescale and mineral deposit stains but gentle enough not to damage surfaces.

In cases of extreme grime buildup (or acute toilet-crevice trepidation), invest in a small, light-duty electric pressure washer. It lets you blast hard-to-reach areas, like the spots where the hinges meet the seat, from a safe distance. Start on the lowest setting—you'll be amazed by what comes out.

Close the lid when you flush, and use the vent fan (it sucks up bacteria before they can settle). Start now if you're not already storing toothbrushes and contact lenses inside the medicine cabinet.

07 of 10

Clean the Bathroom Sink

How to Clean Bathroom Sink, white bathroom with roses
Getty Images

Why: Prepare to shudder: The sink drain wins for the highest bathroom bacteria count—topping even the toilet seat. In his research, Gerba has detected as many bacteria down there as you would find on a cutting board used to slice raw meat. And faucet handles? You touch them after using the toilet and before washing your hands. Eww.

What to do: You don't need heavy duty cleaners to make the bacterial stew disappear. The best tip for how to clean bathroom sinks? Pour white vinegar or baking soda down the drain and flush with hot water.

For the faucet, Gerba recommends disposable disinfecting wipes, which significantly reduce bacteria. (In contrast, cloths may just move germs from one spot to another; Gerba has even found bacteria from the toilet bowl living in the kitchen sink.)

If you must use cloths, be fastidious about where each one is employed and stored. When the handles are done, floss the faucet (yes, you read that right). The stringy stuff is perfect for tackling that narrow, grimy space where the base of the faucet and the taps meet the sink. While you're at it, give the bathroom mirror a once over with glass cleaner.

08 of 10

Wash Hand Towels the Right Way

How clean bathroom hand towels, organized linen closet
Hero Images Inc./Getty Images

Why: Many share them, and they trap moisture—that's a recipe for bacteria stew.

What to do: Use the sanitizing setting if your washing machine has one (or bleach them). Replace with clean towels every three to four days.

Spread wet towels on a bar, where air can circulate, rather than hanging them from a hook, where folds form. Don't forget to clean the towel bar; it too collects bacteria. And avoid hanging wet towels near the toilet. (Remember that slo-mo spray we talked about?) It's also a good practice to wash your bath mats often as they are another breeding ground for bacteria.

09 of 10

Degerm the Bathroom Vent

Clean Bathroom Double Sink
Simon Watson/Getty Images

Why: While it helps reduce mold and mildew, the fan also inhales a smorgasbord of airborne particles, which can linger on the blades and the vent.

What to do: First, flip the circuit breaker. Then remove the cover and soak it in warm water and dish soap. Use the vacuum's nozzle attachment to get gunk off the fan blades; wipe with a damp cloth. Remove dust from the motor and other nooks and crannies with a stiff, clean paintbrush, and suck up the debris with a vacuum. When it's completely dry, replace the cover.

Later, put the fan on a switch timer (an easy job for a handyperson), and run it during every shower and for 30 minutes afterward to keep moisture (and energy use) in check.

10 of 10

Clean Your Bathroom Cleaning Tools

Oxo GoodGrips Toilet Brush & Canister set
Jens Mortensen

Why: Without this deep clean, your toilet brush could simply be a breeding ground for bacteria.

What to do: Tackle the toilet brush itself, which you should clean after every use. Here's how: Secure the brush handle between the already-cleaned seat and the basin to hover over the bowl; pour bleach over the bristles. Let stand for a few minutes, then douse with a pitcher of clean water. Next, fill the brush canister with warm, soapy water and let sit; dump the dirty water into the toilet.

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Sources
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  1. Whiley H, Giglio S, Bentham R. Opportunistic pathogens Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Legionella spp. colonise model shower. Pathogens. 2015;4(3):590-8. doi:10.3390/pathogens4030590

  2. Lai ACK, Tan TF, Li WS, Ip DKM. Emission strength of airborne pathogens during toilet flushing. Indoor Air. 2018;28(1):73-79. doi:10.1111/ina.12406

  3. Maillard JY, Bloomfield SF, Courvalin P, Essack SY, Gandra S, Gerba CP, Rubino JR, Scott EA. Reducing antibiotic prescribing and addressing the global problem of antibiotic resistance by targeted hygiene in the home and everyday life settings: A position paper. Am J Infect Control. 2020;48(9):1090-1099. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2020.04.011

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