How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom: A Step-by-Step Guide to Bathroom Cleaning

Gold Faucet and a white sink Below a Mirror in a white tile bathroom — Pexels/Karolina Grabowska

Bathroom cleaning is a task I often put off — and I know I’m not alone. Sure, I do a regular sink-splatter wipe-down or a quick rinse of the bathtub before filling it up. (And, since I have a pretty good handle on germ theory, the toilet is always sanitary.)

But a deep clean, where I scrub and disinfect all those nooks and crannies (i.e., behind the toilet where I know a very large spider is holed up)? Nope. Those bathroom deep-cleaning tasks usually get trumped by the whirlwind of daily household maintenance — laundry, cooking, dishes and childcare.

This summer has been filled with my preschooler’s beach-sand-removing baths and my post-gardening mud-rinsing showers. Plus, there was the night my irritable Siamese cat got herself trapped in the bathroom, nature took over and, well, I can no longer ignore the need for a thorough bathroom cleaning…

So, today is the day! And when I do a bathroom deep clean, I do it right. Follow along with my step-by-step guide to bathroom cleaning. Hopefully, by the end we’ll both have revived the sparkle in a space that gets a lot of heavy (and grimy) traffic, and could probably use more attention than we usually give it… until now!

Interior of a Modern, Minimalist Bathroom with a white toilet, walk-in shower with black tiles, wooden vanity and white sink — Pexels/Lisa Anna

Step 1: Take It All Out

First step: remove anything from the floor and everything from the hooks and surfaces. I put towels into the washing machine for a hot, mildew-busting wash, and pile everything else outside the door. (If the shower curtain is washable, pop that in the wash too.)

Empty the garbage bins and disinfect them with a sanitizing wipe or rubbing alcohol. I replaced all our floor bins with these wall-mounted ones from Ikea to maximize the square footage of our small, cottage bathroom.

Take out toiletries, wall decor, mirrors, laundry hampers… really, anything that isn’t nailed down, take it out! The bathroom should be as empty as possible. This provides clear sight lines to hidden dust bunnies and grungy corners.

Woman holding a IKEA Pepprig cleaning bucket against a white tile bathroom wall for HOME Network post on deep cleaning bathrooms — IKEA Canada

Step 2: Tools of the Trade

I get my lineup of cleaning sprays, scrubbers, sponges, gloves, broom, mop, cloths and paper towels all ready to go for the impending bathroom cleaning.

Having everything within arm’s reach removes the hassle of going back and forth to the storage cupboard with every step. This IKEA cleaning caddy has been brilliant at keeping all my bathroom cleaning bits and bobs in one place. Plus, it doubles as a wash bucket.

As for cleaners, I tend to keep it simple:

An easy solution of 1:1 vinegar and water for mirrors, glass and tiles
Baking soda for removing grime from the sink, bath or floors
Diluted castile soap in warm water for cleaning surfaces
Rubbing alcohol or oxygen bleach in a refillable spray bottle for disinfecting taps, surfaces, and toilets (and surrounding areas)

PEPPRIG Cleaning Bucket and Caddy, IKEA, $18.

Step 3: Dust or Bust

We are dusting! We’re dusting the light fixtures, the tops of cupboards, the towel racks, the shower-curtain rail and the toilet tank. Yes, I’m dusting behind the toilet tank too (sorry, spider).

I wipe surfaces with a warm, wet rag from the highest point to the lowest, so I can follow the dust down as it floats to the floor. Don’t forget to go along baseboards, skirting and any decorative mouldings too (I always do!).

Then, satisfyingly, I sweep it away or vacuum it all up… along with any hair or loose bits on the floor.

Woman dusting lamp in a bathroom for a HOME Network post about bathroom cleaning — Pexels/Karolina Grabowska

Step 4: Mirror Mirror

I give mirrors, bath or shower tiles, shower doors and windows a generous spray of the vinegar/water mixture. Then I wipe them down with a microfibre cloth or a paper towel. Using a lint-free cloth should help eliminate streaking and the left-behind little wispy bits.

Step 5: A Sinking Feeling

Next up, the sink and countertops! I go in with a sprinkle of baking soda and a sponge to scrub away any sneaky sink scum. Wiping it all away with a wet cloth, I pay extra attention to the mineral build-up around the taps.

Then comes a spray of rubbing alcohol, letting it sit for a minimum of 30 seconds, before wiping it away with a dry cloth. Since I’m feeling energized, I also pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to nix any future blockages.

A Boy Taking a Bath in a Bathtub — Pexels/Cottonbro Studio

Step 6: Bath Time

I give the bath and shower the same baking soda/boiling-water treatment as the sink, scrubbing away any grime and clearing the drain. If the shower head has mineral buildup, a vinegar soak for a few hours usually solves it.

Hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in oxygen bleach, and is super effective on that mould living in the shower caulking. Spray it directly onto the mould, let it sit for 10 minutes, scrub with an old toothbrush, and wipe away with a cloth.

After all of that, I wash down the tub and shower stall with warm soapy water and rinse away all the beach sand, garden residue and general filth. To really get that sparkle back, go in with a microfibre cloth to dry and polish all the bath/shower surfaces.

Step 7: Toilet Talk

OK, your turn, toilet! A little while back, I decided to “treat” myself and buy quick-release toilet seat. So, I flip off the seat and soak it in a hot water/oxygen bleach mixture (in the IKEA cleaning caddy bucket). While it soaks, I pour a cup of oxygen bleach into the toilet bowl and let it stand for 30 minutes. (All while wearing protective cleaning gloves, of course.)

Then, I spray down all the porcelain parts with the same oxygen bleach, letting it do its dirty work for the same amount of time. It bubbles when it makes contact with “organic matter”, giving me a strong indicator of just how necessary this deep clean actually was!

I wipe away the bleach with a paper towel, and then go around with warm, soapy water and a cleaning cloth or rag. Scrub the toilet bowl, flush, and then rinse the toilet brush and holder outside with a hose, letting them dry in the disinfecting sunlight.

Sunlight coming through from the window in a stylish bathroom. — Getty Images

Step 8: Totally Floored

Since I’ve already swept the floor in Step 3, what’s left is a good old-fashioned mop… with a disinfecting twist! My bathroom is very small — it’s basically the same width as my arm span.

So, before I mop, I reach across and spray down all the floor tiles with oxygen bleach, letting it sit for 30 minutes. After the grout lines have “bubbled” sufficiently, I do a double mop with warm water and diluted castile soap (with a drop of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil).

Honestly, I haven’t found a mop to top Vileda’s EasyWring Spin Mop yet — but am always open to suggestions!

Step 9: The Last Word

I do a quick alcohol spray and swipe on switches, outlet plates and the taps (alcohol wipes away any residue or streaks). I click the clean toilet seat into place, put back toiletries and hang a fresh set of towels.

There’s a new roll of toilet paper and box of tissues. The soap dispenser is full (we moved to automatic, wall-mounted foaming dispensers during the pandemic and never looked back!). The bathroom spray is full.

And my self-satisfaction is high… until the end of the next very sandy beach day. But then again, what’s a bathroom for, right? Happy cleaning, everyone!