Cleaning doesn't have to take all day. We've rounded up several tips and tricks to show you how to clean your bathroom faster.
11 Tips for Cleaning a Bathroom Faster and Easier
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Vacuum First, Then Scrub
Do you ever find yourself chasing strands of wet hair or running into dust balls in the corners with your sponge or cleaning rag? You can clean your bathroom better and eliminate this nuisance by vacuuming the bathroom before you get out your cleaning solutions.
For a really thorough cleaning, start at the top, vacuuming the dust from light fixtures and the top of window casings. Then work your way down. And finally, vacuum the floor methodically so you cover every inch. You don’t want to leave any stray hair or dust bunnies to muck up your cleaning water. A soft-bristle upholstery brush works best for this type of vacuuming.
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Buff Off Heavy Grime
If you have glass shower doors in your bathroom and don’t keep on top of the cleaning, you can end up with soap scum so tough that it’s nearly impossible to remove. Here’s how to clean your bathroom better — bring out the heavy equipment. Pick up some polishing compound at a home center or an auto parts store and use an auto buffer to polish off the offending scum. If possible, remove the doors and take them out to the garage to avoid messing up the bathroom.
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Protect Your Shower Doors From Mineral Buildup
When the beads of water left on your glass shower door dry out, they leave minerals behind that are at best unsightly, and at worst can be tough as nails to remove if you let them build up. One option is to squeegee the glass every time you shower and whenever you clean the bathroom. But there’s an easier trick. You can avoid beading water altogether by coating the glass with an auto-glass treatment. Follow the instructions on the package to apply the treatment to your shower door glass.
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Install a Detachable Toilet Seat
A thorough deep clean of your bathroom includes every nook and cranny on your toilet. But it seems like no matter how hard you try, you can never get the hinges clean. There’s always a bit of cleaning solution that seeps underneath and creeps out later. Installing a detachable toilet seat solves the problem. Then you have easy access to clean under the hinges.
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Remove Stubborn Rust Stains With Acid Magic
If you have a lot of iron in your water and struggle with rust stains in your bathtub or toilet, here’s a perfect solution. Acid Magic dissolves rust like, well, magic. It’s as powerful as muriatic acid but much safer and more pleasant to use. You should still take all the precautions you would with any strong cleaning solution, like wearing gloves and safety glasses when you’re using it. But it’s better than regular acid because there are no noxious fumes, and it won’t burn your skin.
To clean rust from toilets and other porcelain surfaces, add three parts water to one part Acid Magic. Apply the mixture to the rust stains with a sprayer, brush or foam pad and watch the stain dissolve. Rinse with clear water. You can also use it full strength for stubborn stains. Avoid getting the acid on metal parts because they can discolor.
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Remove Tough Grime With Less Scrubbing
Whether it’s built-up soap scum on the shower walls, ground-in dirt on the floor tile or dried toothpaste on the vanity top, a Magic Eraser type sponge will make short work of it. Just dampen it and rub it on the offending mess. In most cases, the mess will come right off. These sponges are especially useful for removing ground-in dirt from porous floor tile and getting those pesky nonslip strips in the bottom of your tub clean. Unlike regular sponges, though, they wear out pretty fast. So be prepared to stock up.
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Make Your Own Greener Cleaning Solution
Professional housecleaner Maggie Orth likes to make her own cleaning products. Here’s her recipe for an all-purpose cleaning solution, modified from a recipe she found in the book Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan. Use this mixture to clean tile, countertops and painted woodwork. It’s a good all-purpose cleaner, but it’s not the best for cleaning glass. Orth uses club soda to clean glass.
In a 5-quart bucket, mix 1 cup of distilled vinegar, 3 tablespoons of borax, 1 gallon of hot water and 1/2 cup of soap-Orth uses Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds. She likes to add 10 or 15 drops of tea tree, lavender or lemon oil for a nice fragrance. Mix the ingredients and then pour some of the mixture into a spray bottle. Save the rest in a gallon jug. The raw ingredients will set you back about $25 to $30, but you’ll have enough to last for years!
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Clean Grout With a Bleach Pen
For tile walls, try using a bleach pen to transform your grout from grungy to great. This method is tedious, but the payoff is crisp, clean grout lines. Use the pen to “draw” bleach across the grout lines. The pen allows you to target the grout without getting bleach all over the tile. Wait ten minutes and then rinse.
For really mildewed grout, you may need a second application, and it can help to gently scrub the bleach into the grout with a toothbrush before allowing it to sit. Make sure to run the fan in the bathroom and to avoid skin contact. This method is best for light or white grout. If you have colored grout, test a small area first. It might fade.
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Clean the Exhaust Fan
If the grille on your bathroom exhaust fan is clogged with dust, try a trick that’s faster and more effective than vacuuming. Turn on the fan and blast out the dust with “canned air.” The fan will blow the dust outside. This works on the return air grilles of your central heating/cooling system too. Run the system so that the return airflow will carry the dust to the filter.
Caution: The cans contain chemical propellants, not just air. Don’t let children play with them.
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Bleach Away Stains
Remove stubborn stains from marble, cultured marble or plastic laminate with a bleach-soaked paper towel. Cover the towel with a cup to contain the bleach odor, and leave it in place overnight. If the stain has faded but not disappeared, just repeat the process. Test this trick in a hidden area first; it could discolor the surface.
Warning: If you have quartz countertops in your bathroom, it’s recommended you NOT use bleach.
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Make Cleaning Easier
One-piece toilets are easier to clean (fewer nooks and crannies), but they’re also more expensive and can be harder to install than a two-piece unit (they’re a lot heavier than a separate bowl and tank). If you’re feeling flush and want to make it really easy to clean your bathroom, consider a wall-mounted toilet.
Photo: Courtesy of Toto USA, Inc.
About the Expert
Maggie Orth is a professional housecleaner.
