In the list of chores every homeowner must do, cleaning the bathroom is one of the most dreaded. This is completely understandable because bathroom cleaning takes a lot of time and energy, not to mention a ton of cleaning products.
Despite the smaller floor space, there’s plenty to clean in a single bathroom, so if you don’t want to spend a whole day scrubbing away mold and mildew, follow these tips to keep your bathroom clean and save yourself the work later.
Ventilate Your Bathroom
Watermarks and molds are two of the hardest things to clean in the bathroom, but you can eliminate these messes by simply ventilating your bathroom. Both watermarks and molds are caused by moisture that’s left after you use the bathroom.
To prevent them from developing, turn on the exhaust fan when you use the bathroom, and leave it on for at least 15 minutes after. Open the bathroom window too to help the room dry faster.
You should also run a squeegee over the shower door, bathroom mirror, and window after you shower to remove excess water. If you’re just at home, keep the bathroom windows open and the curtains parted to let in air and sunshine, which inhibits the development of mold, eliminates lingering bad odors, and maintains good air quality inside.
Apply Water-Repellent Coating on Surfaces
Here’s another way you eliminate moisture in your bathroom faster and prevent it from damaging your bathroom cabinets, ceiling, walls, and door: waterproof your bathroom. Cover these surfaces with water-repellent coating. It prevents water, minerals, shampoo residue, and soap suds from drying on surfaces, so you easily clean them off without scrubbing.
You can also use a water-repellent spray for stainless steel to protect your faucet, showerhead, and metal surfaces from dirt, grease, lime scale, and sediments. A water-repellent coating can also help your metal fixtures fight against oxidation and rust.
Organize Your Cabinets
Organization is key to a clutter-free bathroom. Everything, from cleaning supplies to toiletries, should have their proper place in your cabinets. Clean towels should have their own shelf while cleaning supplies should be kept under the bathroom sink. Consider using a bacteria detecting towel, its color changing strips detect residual soap, dirt, sweat, and bacteria metabolites.
You can also separate the items in your cabinets by using baskets. For the drawers, you can use dividers to put everything in order. In the cabinet for your cleaning supplies, add a tension rod so you can just hang the spray cleaners and leave the floor space for your cleaning tools.
Keep your bathroom countertop as clear as possible. Avoid soap and shampoo residue by putting your hygiene products on an elevated tray. Create a system for organizing your stuff so you always know where to find the things you need and return them.
Purge Clutter Regularly
Clutter only gets out of control when you leave it to accumulate over time. You need to schedule a regular purging to keep your bathroom clean and organized. And by purging, that means going through your cabinet, drawers, baskets, and organizers to get rid of expired products and things you don’t use anymore, everything from medication and bath goodies to cleaning supplies and tools.
You can schedule monthly purges to get rid of everything you don’t need in your bathroom and organize weekly decluttering to collect the trash for the past seven days. Regular decluttering not only helps maximize the space in your tiny bathroom but also lessens the load when it’s time to deep-clean your bathroom.
Clean a Little Every Day
Cleaning becomes easier when you take it one day at a time. When dirt, grime, stains, and debris are left for a long time in the bathroom, they start to dry and stick to surfaces, making them harder to clean. Doing a little scrubbing, wiping, rinsing and decluttering every day helps to keep the mess at bay until the time you can give the bathroom room a thorough cleaning.
You can take a few minutes after your shower to do little things, such as throwing away the hair blocking the drain, wiping the moisture on the shower door and mirror, rinsing the soap suds on the wall and floor, and putting used tissue, cotton pads, and Q-tips in the trash. Keep a checklist for your daily cleaning routine to make remembering easier.
Prevent Plumbing Problems
Plumbing problems are a pain to deal with. Not only do they cost you a lot of money of fix; they also cause plenty of mess. You could save yourself the money and the energy if you knew how to repair minor plumbing issues. But you can spare yourself the whole trouble if you prevent these problems from happening.
Insulate your plumbing pipes to help prevent leaks, and inspect your drains, water fixtures, and plumbing system regularly to notice any issues before they cause trouble. Regular cleaning and decluttering also prevent rust, mold, and clogging from developing in your bathroom.
If you often encounter clogging in your toilet, consider installing a unit with a grinding motor, like the efficient SaniBest Pro toilet, which has a macerating pump that breaks down the wastewater to facilitate smoother drainage. It also uses an upflush system for easy installation.
Get Cleaning!
Moisture is a source of many problems in the bathroom, so always ventilate the room during and after you use it. Daylight also helps to inhibit the growth of mold, so part the bathroom curtains with fancy holdbacks and let the sunshine in. You save yourself from certain negative health effects (and a ton of trouble) by simply keeping your bathroom dry and ensuring there’s free-flowing air inside.
Aside from moisture, you also must deal with other messes, but it’s easy to get rid of them if you just make a habit of cleaning and decluttering your bathroom regularly. Don’t wait until the clump of hair strands, soap suds, dirt, and grime comes alive and hunts you down. Make time to tidy up a little every day and do some deep cleaning weekly.
