Cleaning your bathroom: a complete guide

For the best clean, you’ll want to take out or store away any loose objects from the room such as bath and shower products, toothbrush holders and bath toys. You’ll also want to remove any linens, like towels and bath mats, and put them in to wash while you complete the rest of the bathroom.

Before applying any wet cleaning products or rinsing any surfaces, thoroughly dust the area first. To do this, use an extendable duster that can reach your light fittings and into any nooks and crannies, such as the spaces behind your toilet or sink.

As you’re about to start using chemical cleaning products, open your windows to keep the room well-ventilated and wear rubber gloves to protect your skin.

An extractor fan is a key part of any bathroom as removing moisture and steam helps reduce build-up of mould and damp, so you need to make sure it’s working properly. If it gets blocked you could end up with mould and extra dust in your bathroom, and you’ll be wasting electricity on a fan that isn’t working properly. Cleaning your extractor fan every 6 months will keep it in good condition without letting it get too dirty or blocked. Here’s how to clean your bathroom extractor fan:

• Lay down an old towel under the fan to catch any dust, debris, or water. You should also wear a mask to avoid breathing in any dust and switch off the power to the fan before you take it apart.

• Remove the fan cover. This may require a screwdriver, or it may just be attached with clips. 

• Remove the extractor fan filter.

• Soak the cover and filter in a bowl or bucket with warm soapy water.

• Use a vacuum cleaner to suck out dust and debris from inside the fan and switch to a duster to tackle the blades.

• Using a damp cloth soaked in a mild cleaning solution, wipe down the inside and outside of the fan. Allow it to dry before reattaching the cover.

• Put the cover back onto the wall and test your fan. If it’s still not working properly, you may need to replace it.

The toilet may be one of the most daunting parts of bathroom cleaning, but it can be quick and simple when you know how to clean it properly.

• Starting with the lid closed, spray an all-purpose bathroom cleaner onto every part of your toilet including the cistern, lid, sides, and front. Then open the lid and spray the seat and bowl. Make sure to be generous with your spraying so the solution doesn’t dry out before you wipe it off.

• Get your toilet bowl cleaner and apply it under the rim of the toilet, making sure to get it right into the corners. Leave this to sit for a few minutes.

• While you wait for that, spray an enzyme cleaner around the base of the toilet. This will break down any urine odours that may be lingering down there.

• Now you can use paper towels to wipe off the bathroom cleaner you sprayed earlier. Replace each towel when it starts to become too wet, throwing them away as you go.

• Get your toilet brush and use it to scrub under the rim of the toilet and in the bowl. Then sandwich the brush between the rim and seat and let it drip dry into the bowl.

If there’s limescale remaining at the bottom of your toilet bowl, this may require a deeper clean. 

• Empty the bowl of water. You can do this by soaking it up with a sponge, sucking it up with a wet vac, or turning off the water supply and then flushing it. 

• Pour a strong, concentrated vinegar into the bowl until it reaches the usual water level. 

• Leave it to sit for a few hours (ideally overnight).

• When you come back, scrub the limescale-affected areas with an abrasive sponge or a toilet brush.

• Flush the toilet to get rid of the vinegar and refill the bowl with water.

When your tiles get dirty, it can be really noticeable. Soap scum and mould can be a real eyesore but cleaning them is a simple task.

• Apply tile cleaner to a soft sponge and rub it into your wall tiles and grout using circular motions. This will minimise streaking. For tough porcelain tiles with low sheen, you can use the more abrasive side of the sponge to rub the solution into dirtier spots.

• Rinse well once cleaned. If your shower has a detachable shower head you can use that. If not, use a jug of water.

• If you’ve got mould in any grout spots, use a mould remover to tackle this, spraying it onto the affected area and leaving it to sit for a few minutes before wiping it off with a sponge.

Just like tiles, dirt has nowhere to hide on glass shower screens, making it really stand out and affect the look of your entire bathroom. Soap scum can turn your glass white, rough, and streaky, and this is unfortunately not something that your all-purpose cleaner or even bleach can clean up. This is where you need to get the vinegar out.

• Spray a solution with a high concentration of vinegar onto your glass shower panel and leave it to sit for a few minutes.

• Use a soft sponge or cloth to rub it into the glass, again using circular motions to minimise streaking. 

• Rinse with the shower head or a jug of water.

• Repeat if any dirt remains.

While you’re cleaning your shower, you may notice that the water from the rinse isn’t flowing properly down the drain. This may mean that it’s clogged, so you’ll need to clean that too. Here’s how to unclog a shower drain and waste.

• Remove the grill from the shower drain. This may need unscrewing with a screwdriver, or you may be able to just twist and lift it up.

• Reach into the drain to get any hair clumps out that may be stopping water from flowing down the drain properly. You can use gloves or reach in with your screwdriver if you’d rather not get your hands dirty. You can also pour hot water down the drain to loosen up some of the dirt and hair.

• Once the drain is clear of hair and larger pieces of debris, pour baking soda, vinegar and hot water into it and leave to sit for a couple of minutes. 

• Use an old toilet brush or scrubbing brush to clean the edges and top of the drain. Repeat this process if necessary.

• Reattach the grill and test the water flow. 

Your bath is another place where soap scum can build up. This may not be quite as visible on a white surface, but you’ll still want it to be clean so your next bathtime is as relaxing as it should be.

• Pour a mix of vinegar and water into a spray bottle and add a couple of tablespoons of dish soap. Spray this formula onto every surface of the bath.

• Determine what your bath is made of before you decide on a cleaning tool. If it’s made from acrylic, avoid using any abrasive materials like scourers or rough sponges as they can cause scratches. If made of porcelain, it will be able to stand up to more heavy-duty materials.

• Work from one side to the other, rubbing the cleaning solution in with your sponge to remove the dirt.

• Run your hand on the bath afterwards and if you feel any friction, there’s still some soap scum left. Give those sections another clean.

• Rinse clean with your shower head or a jug of water and dry with a microfibre cloth.

Mirrors can be a bit of a nightmare to clean, as you can spend ages cleaning them but still be left with unsightly streaks. Here’s how you clean yours without leaving any marks.

• If you have a few dirty spots on your mirror from hairspray, toothpaste, or other products you use in your bathroom, tackle these first with some rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad. 

• Once these have been taken care of, mix vinegar and water in equal parts and put the mixture in a spray bottle. Spray this across your mirror.

• Use a dry microfibre cloth to wipe the solution off the mirror. Start from the top and work your way down in a side-to-side zig-zag pattern.

• Shine a light onto the mirror to illuminate any missed spots or streaks and marks that have been leftover, and re-clean where needed.

Now you’ve cleaned your mirror, it’s time to move onto the sink.

• Fill a spray bottle with a mix of vinegar, dish soap, and water. Spray this into your sink, making sure to get the rims, under the tap, and into the plug hole. 

• Sprinkle some baking soda around the plug hole. This will help to break down the tougher hard water dirt.

• Use a cleaning-specific toothbrush to scrub the baking soda and vinegar solution into the sink, making sure to scrub into the plug crevices.

• Rinse any leftover cleaning solution away with your tap. 

• Dry the sink with a microfibre cloth.

• If your sink is set into a larger countertop, use a generic cleaner on the countertop or a specialist stone cleaner if yours is made of granite or marble.

It’s important not to forget about the taps and shower heads in your bathroom as these can end up becoming stained with hard water spots and limescale, which can be difficult to remove if it builds up too much.

• To give your metal fittings a general clean, use an all-purpose cleaner and a microfibre cloth.

• If your taps are covered in hard water spots or limescale, you’ll need to get the vinegar back out. Spray a solution with a high concentration of white vinegar (like the solution you would use on a glass shower wall) and leave it to sit for a few minutes.

• Take a soft sponge and scrub the tap or shower head to get rid of stains. You may need to do this a few times as hard water stains can be stubborn!

• If your shower head or tap is particularly full of limescale, fill a plastic bag with vinegar and tie it onto the shower or tap with an elastic band, submerging the fixture in the solution. Leave for 30 minutes to an hour and scrub clean after removing the bag. Run the water to rinse.

Now you’re at the final step; the bathroom floor. This one can be a bit of a chore, but once the floor is done, it’s almost time to sit back and relax!

• Starting at the corner furthest from the door, spray an all-purpose cleaner onto the floor, wiping it away with a microfibre cloth section by section.

• Clean towards the door, backing yourself out of the room as you clean. What you don’t want is to back yourself into a corner in the bathroom, so you have to walk on your newly cleaned floor to get out!

Once you’ve already cleaned, you can disinfect high-touch areas like the doorknob, tap handles, cabinets, and the toilet seat. All you’ll need to do this is a specialised bathroom disinfectant spray.

And that’s it! There are a lot of different zones and materials to tackle in your bathroom, and many of them might seem a little bit daunting at first. This step-by-step guide gives you all the info you need to clean everything in your bathroom, whether you’re wanting to do a deep clean or just freshen up the space.

Now you’ve been able to spend a little bit of time with all your bathroom fittings and fixtures, you may have noticed some DIY tasks that need doing. Take a look at our bathroom how-to guides for tips and tricks on everything from replacing a toilet seat to resealing a shower or bath.