Here’s the dirty truth: cleaning the bathroom sucks. The rings on the toilet, the icky grout in the shower, and those mirrors...not to mention the toothpaste and makeup stains on EVERYTHING.
And, according to Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and author of The Germ Code, you should be cleaning your bathroom at least once a week. This is because, in bathrooms, contaminants accumulate quickly since the moist environment is prime for bacteria growth. But how many of us are actually doing that? Alternatively, how many of us are actually just wiping our sinks down with a wet paper towel and calling it good?
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled some of our favorite tips for how to make cleaning your bathroom a little easier and a little less scary. Ready to dive into the soap scum?
The Toilet
Yep, we’re starting with the heavy hitter first. Despite being the stinkiest job, toilet cleaning is actually probably the easiest--if you do it right, that is.
For the inside the bowl, we recommend spraying the perimeter with DAZZ Bathroom Cleaner, letting it sit for a bit, then thoroughly scrubbing above & below the water line with a toilet bowl brush. For stubborn stains and rings caused by hard water, try using a pumice stone. These bad boys look like they’d be too rough to use on your toilet, but trust us! The pumice stone we linked is made specifically for toilet bowls, and won’t scratch or damage the porcelain.
As for the rest of the porcelain throne, spray with DAZZ Bathroom Cleaner and wipe down with a microfiber rag. Our number one piece of advice is to avoid bathroom cleaners made with harsh chemicals. Most toilet seats are made of plastic and can be damaged by those cleaners, while DAZZ’s mixture of citric acid and baking soda cuts through the soap scum safely and effectively.
BUT. You’re not done yet. Did you know that you’re supposed to clean your toilet brush after every use? And by cleaning, we don’t just mean dipping it in some clean water and shaking it off. Toilet brushes are basically the new home for all that bacteria that was formerly in your toilet.
The best way to zap that bacteria is by thoroughly spraying the brush with either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Let it hang over the toilet bowl for about 10 minutes, enough time for the germ-killing to happen. Then, thoroughly rinse it with water and let it drip dry again.
Showers
First things first: empty the dang shower. Pull out the shampoo bottles and washcloths, and don’t forget to pull out any extra hair caught in the drain (we know, gross).
Once you’ve cleared out the shower and sprayed the entire thing with DAZZ Bathroom Cleaner, let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Brush your teeth, fold your socks, have a mini dance party while you wait. Or, spray the shower before cleaning the rest of the bathroom, and use your waiting time to tackle that toilet or sink.
We like using scrub brushes or sponges on the shower - they get down & dirty much better than a rag. Use your brush or sponge to scour the tile and porcelain, then grab a stiffer bristle brush for the trickier grout. Something like this would work well.
Another trick to cleaning grout: spray it generously with hydrogen peroxide before scrubbing it down. Are we obsessed with hydrogen peroxide? Probably seems like it...but who can blame us? It’s inexpensive, safe, and effective. Plus, you probably already have it in your medicine cabinet.
Once you’ve sprayed and wiped down your shower, make sure to rinse it thoroughly - not because of chemical residue (DAZZ doesn’t play that game), but instead to wash away all of the dirt and oil that DAZZ dissolves.
After all that, your shower will be cleaner than you are (no offense).
Glass and Mirrors
Ah, that tricky glass. Always ready to attract smears of soap and toothpaste, but never willing to get clean. So stubborn.
We’ve found that, for any mirrors, it’s best to 1) spray with DAZZ Window & Glass Cleaner, 2) wipe down with a rag (preferably microfiber), then 3) finish by polishing with a new, clean rag to get rid of any streaks or smears. That also goes for the outside of shower glass.
For the inside of a shower, first clean the glass with DAZZ Bathroom Cleaner, to remove any tough soap scum. After that, you can use a new rag and polish it with the Window & Glass cleaner to achieve that crystal-clear finish.
To keep your shower glass clean and clear for as long as possible, we suggest investing in a squeegee for the shower and using it to wipe down the glass after every shower. We know, sounds like a pain, but it’ll prevent water stains and also it’s kind of fun.
Warning: the glass might be so clean that you accidentally try to walk through it. This is normal.
Finishing Touches
For any brightwork (faucets, knobs, etc), you can use DAZZ Window & Glass cleaner to make them shine again.
Once you finish cleaning with DAZZ, you may want to go the extra step and disinfect your bathroom. We suggest transferring a DAZZ trigger sprayer over to a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, then using that to lightly mist any surfaces in your bathroom. Let the surfaces air-dry and, in about 10 minutes, they’ll be disinfected! No wiping necessary, since hydrogen peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen.
Have any other tips you’d like to contribute? Send us an email! Want to know the dirt on cleaning a different part of your house? Let us know!