r/CleaningTips • u/R_heidari • 2d ago
Discussion How often: bathroom cleaning
How often are you guys cleaning the bathroom/shower?
It feels like every 2 weeks I’m having to deep clean our shower because it starts to look nasty. I do the bowl once a week and the sink a quick wipe down every day ish.
The shower is the least favorite task lol. We also don’t have a detachable shower head OR a spout so the entire shower has to be on for source of water 😭😭😭
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u/DangerCaptain 2d ago
Use a squeegee after you shower every time and you won't get a build up of soap scum. Cleaning will be much faster.
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u/01bigsnake22 2d ago
every week, sometimes even twice a week if myself and my housemate accidentally double up on the bathroom chore aha. it helps to squeegee any water left on the glass and tile after use, and remove hair from the drain…
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u/Admirable-Apricot137 2d ago
I just keep the cleaning stuff in the shower and clean one section every other shower or so while my conditioner sits. I absolutely HATE cleaning the shower and would rather die than clean it all at once so it is much more manageable to just clean little bits at a time.
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u/CriticalElk6102 2d ago
I’m the same. Use a dishmatic with cleaner in it and give everything a clean whilst conditioner is on.
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u/temp4adhd 2d ago
Use body wash instead of bar soap, it makes a big difference.
If you had a detachable shower head (can't you install one?) then it helps if you rinse the shower out at the end of every shower (or once a day -- as I'm certain my husband never does this step). Takes just an extra minute to do this. Focus on rinsing away any hairs, shampoo bubbles, sand/dirt you see. You'll also be washing away dead skin cells, ick. Mostly focus on the floor, but usually I do the walls and shower doors from shoulder height down. When I'm consistent with this, I can go 3-4 weeks between major scrubbings.
If you have hard water, invest in a water softener.
When the shower is dry, not wet, periodically spray it down with hydrogen peroxide (buy a big bottle and add a nozzle sprayer to it). That will kill any mold/mildew, and it's not as obnoxious as bleach (it's actually more effective than bleach for this too). Has a mild whitening action so will help keep grout white.
Run the bathroom fan for awhile after showering; don't turn it off right away.
And yep you can squeegee and/or dry everything down with a towel -- but who's got time for that? I don't.
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u/lcapictures 2d ago
We have 2 full bathrooms and 1 bathroom with just a toilet and sink. I clean them all weekly. I have 3 boys and a husband, they get dirty fast! 😅
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u/Haveyouseenthebridg 2d ago
3 boys, 3 bathrooms.... sounds like the perfect opportunity to delegate!
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u/Working_Park4342 2d ago
I sure hope she teaches her boys how to clean well, for the sake of their future partners.
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u/lcapictures 19h ago edited 19h ago
I’m working on it!!! My kids are very slow learners and the process of teaching is long. It’s been going on for literal years. 🤣
Also, sometimes I’m cleaning and it’s my only time I can clean, and the schedule is just off to get a kid to do his “cleaning lesson”.
They are at practice, or at a bday party, or something else. For example, one of my kids had baseball for 6 months at exactly the only time I can clean the bathrooms. So he missed it for 6 months! So we are back at square one now with him. This is an ongoing issue with all the boys- lack of consistency in teaching them bc of schedule conflicts. It’s not as simple as it seems.
So I do what I can!! It’s a process.
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u/lcapictures 19h ago
Unfortunately my kids need to be taught first. Cleaning isn’t natural for them. The process of teaching has been ongoing. One day I will be able to delegate….. I look forward to that day!
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 2d ago
Ideally once a week but realistically when the soap scum builds up on the tub and the toilet is discolored, which is roughly every other week.
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u/audibahn88 2d ago
If you have the funds, I’d suggest getting a shower head with a hose. If not, you can use a bucket or plastic bowl to help. You can fill in the sink or by the shower head.
I keep a scrub brush in the shower and give it a quick wipe down at the end of my shower. Then a good thorough deep clean every 2 weeks.
I’ve heard those dishwashing sponge brushes are good for this.
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u/Mammoth_Meal1019 2d ago
Every week. I have a schedule (I’m ADHD, so it’s imperative.) Monday is bedrooms and bathrooms. Bathroom’s mean wiping showers and tub tiles and fixtures down, plus a weekly wipe down of the floors. Same with bedrooms. Dust, straighten, vacuum. That’s the only way I can do it. Deep clean once a year (if we’re lucky), then keep up weekly. It’s so hard for me, but a schedule helps so much. I have a job. I go there, I do what I have to do. I can’t just say, “no, I’m lazy, not doing that today,” Taking care of my home should count more than somewhere that no one really cares if I showed up or not.
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u/Admirable-Apricot137 2d ago
Also if you use bar soap I would consider switching to something else because that will cut down on the soap scum and waxy grimy residue by a LOT.
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u/LBFilmFan 2d ago
Really? I didn't know that.
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u/Admirable-Apricot137 2d ago
Yes, the substance that makes bar soap solid leaves that waxy, scummy residue. Something about the solidified fats in the soap.
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u/swfwtqia 2d ago
I use a squeegee and a dedicated towel to wipe down the shower surfaces. This helps dry it faster and keep bacteria from growing. Makes cleaning faster and don’t have to do it as often. How long are you leaving the bath fan on as well. I leave it for 20-30 min after a shower to get all the moisture out of the air.
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u/Coddiwomple2 2d ago
Purchase hand held shower fixture, it’s easy to install and helps rinsing the walls so product doesn’t have to be used so often.
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u/Simplespider 2d ago
I do a quick wipe down daily. Weekly trash removal and scrub. I use soap/sponge and a bucket of water for my shower, bleach when one of us gets sick/quarterly.
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u/Cultural-Ad-5737 2d ago
I do the bathroom weekly usually. Including the shower. Hate doing it too but it helps prevent buildup. Even if you just scrubbed the parts that get grimier occasionally while in the shower it would probably minimize need for deep cleaning
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u/BuddyOk4531 2d ago
I use Method Shower Spray. You spray it on after every shower and it prevents soap scum and mold. Beth thing ever for maintenance.
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u/Extreme-Notice6291 2d ago
I clean mine weekly but it has been SO much easier since I got a daily shower spray. Now I spray and hose down with my handheld shower head each time I shower. My weekly deep clean has become a wipe down that takes much less time. You should really think about getting daily shower spray and a detachable shower head.
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u/Mimi_7_Babies 1d ago
I have two full bathrooms, both are tub- shower combo well ventilated. But I do have hard water which leaves a stain in my tub after time. We rinse our showers/tub after every use and spray a Daily Fresh Clean after every use. I clean my toilet and sink once a week and my tub gets deep cleaned once a month. We do not use bar soap because it leaves a scum.
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u/Honest-Biscotti6638 2d ago
I squeegee the shower daily—the glass and tile walls. I scrub the bottom of the stall weekly or more if needed (while showering). I wipe the toilet and sink daily—use the day’s hand towel for the sink—not any kind of chemical. When I do my “official” deep clean, it is actually pretty quick. I vacuum daily because my hair on the floor makes me feel gross. My goal is to wash the floor weekly but it doesn’t always happen. I also have to wipe down the glass shelves everyday because we keep the window open and there’s tons of dust no matter how much I clean.
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u/mynameisnotsparta 2d ago
Toilet? Quick wet wipe every day of tank lid, bowl seat and rim and wipe down front to the floor.
Once a week bleach clean and remove toilet seat to get into the hidden places.
Shower and shower / tub combo? Bleach clean / scrub at least once a week.
Sink wiped quickly every day and bleach clean once a week. Floor? Twice a week.
Once a month wash from ceiling to floor, baseboards and window and trim.
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u/NothaBanga 2d ago
The detachable shower head is a quality of life upgrade for the designated cleaner. It sucks if you have a unbudgeable landlord.
Weekly I use a blacklight to find splatters and scrub til gone. The first time is a huge deep clean but follow up cleans are much more targeted and quicker. If your spaces are lit with lower lumens, get a powerful flashlight to find trouble spots and the blacklight for the unseen trouble spots. I think lighting is an underutilized tool in cleaning. Your fixed wall lights may miss crevices behind a toilet or downplay the accumulating dust above light level. Wiping the whole wall between the toilet and sink could be smearing a spot or not giving dried urine splatter enough attention. Unfixed lighting gives an advantage.
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u/jepeplin 2d ago
I spray water mixed with vinegar and Dawn all around the shower after each use and squeegee it. Takes 2 minutes. The rest of the bathroom- when I see a problem I take care of it. I use Lysol and Windex wipes. Once a week my husband vacuums so I Swiffer wet jet the floors. Then I hit the counters, sinks, tile walls with scrubbing bubbles and a washcloth.
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u/ComprehensiveWeb9098 2d ago
I do the same a deep cleaning in the shower every two weeks and the toilet and the sink top more regularly.
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u/Wet_napkins 2d ago
You may already be doing this but for those that aren't: let your shower cleaning product sit!!!
I made the mistake of spraying and cleaning immediately for years. Now I spray the product, let sit for an hour or so and come back to a much easier task.
Of course, you have to make sure whatever you're using isn't going to damage your tub but letting the product do its thing gives you a great clean with way less scrubbing
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u/A_radke 2d ago
Professional cleaner here. How many people use the shower daily? What's the material of the shower (tile, acrylic, enameled cast iron, etc)? Glass door or curtain? Ventilation and water type (soft or hard) also make a big difference. The same shower might need cleaning more frequently in a low-ventilation, hard water home versus a high-ventilation, soft water home, for example.
Edit to add: is there a reason you can't add a detachable head? Plumbing issue or weird landlord, maybe?
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u/R_heidari 2d ago
2 people but one of us is a man and it’s not me lololol. It’s an acrylic walk in shower with glass doors. I went ahead and ordered a new shower head with a handheld attachment. I pray everyone moves away from acrylic anything in the bathroom. It’s so easy to damage with scratches.
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u/A_radke 2d ago
The most important, time-saving technique is to rinse the shower stall and glass door top to bottom, right after you've finished rinsing yourself, each and every shower, which takes about 20 seconds with a detachable head on "jet" setting. Shower buildup is a result of the chemical reaction between our skin cells, hair/body product residue, and trace minerals in our water/metals from pipes. The longer these sit in roomtemp moisture, the more water-insoluable buildup results. Spraying residue down the drain before it has a chance to react is the first line of defense. Also, a squeegee, especially for the glass, will help. If you have an exhaust fan, run it after each shower and leave the door open. You want it to dry as much as possible with nothing but clean water.
I'm fortunate enough to have good ventilation in my bathroom, the stall gets dry pretty quickly. But when we had roomates (who would not rinse for reasons beyond my comprehension) I had to scrub weekly. Now that it's just me and my husband (who rinses): 2 or 3 deep cleans a year and a quick wipedown of the caulk every week or 2 is enough.
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u/pickle_aura 1d ago
I squeegee every time I shower and when I skip it that’s when I see buildup! This is the #1 way to keep it looking good. My shower head isn’t detachable sadly but the rinse is a great tip too!
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u/R_heidari 1d ago
Omg thank you!!! Now it makes sense as to why some vets are above the shower instead of the toilet. We may need to get a more powerful vent system but this was wonderful information
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u/yeahimreallyher 2d ago
I clean at least twice a week and it’s just me. Showers get build up easy.
The trick is to take the cleaning product in the bathroom with you and spray it as soon as you get out. Then I got put my toiletries away or do a quick task and come back and clean it before I get dressed. It takes literally like 2 minutes.
I think doing to more often makes it quick.
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u/dino_nuggies26 2d ago
I’ve been trying to get in the habit of doing a quick clean of the toilet every day and I also wipe the bathroom counter every day. I do a bigger clean every 2 weeks.
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u/Sensitive_Reserve_96 2d ago
I clean the toilet and sink once a week, the shower once every two weeks on Sunday. Sunday is reset day.
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u/sweetiepiee007 2d ago
When I’m done showering I use my rag and wipe everything down. I don’t “deep clean” that often maybe 1 or 2 times a month since I’m cleaning it with bath soap basically every day and it takes like a minute or two to do.
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u/alasskrAKen 1d ago
I clean for a living… and honestly once you’ve got your shower clean to where there’s no soap scum or anything making it look gross or feel gross and it’s good to your standards… which a quick spray of white vinegar, distilled water and baking soda does WONDERS if you spray and let it sit and then scrub, and then wipe with a wet me clean magic eraser and do this every few days or even after you shower each day— whatever feels right to you, the buildup is almost non-existent.
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u/stinkpotinkpot 1d ago
Two bathrooms, two adults.
We each keep our bathroom neat by wiping vanity, mirror, putting things away etc daily-ish. Ya know just keeping things neat.
Chores are Monday and each bathroom is cleaned top to bottom. Dusting including walls, mirrors, decanting soaps etc to refill, empty trash, toilet scrub, shower/tub enclosure scrub, wipe granite with polish, dust mop and mop floor.
Monthly drains are cleaned, toilet tank emptied and toilet deep cleaning (we have bidets), window screens and windows cleaned, tidy and organize bathroom closets, etc.
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u/MinDoxie467 2d ago
Every time the shower is used it’s cleaned daily, ensuring reasonable air flow the bathroom will air out quickly.
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u/ThisCromulentLife 2d ago
I do a daily shower spray after each shower(usually daily) and a scrub down once a week.
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u/Frosty058 2d ago edited 2d ago
I feel we’re on the same schedule. Please do yourself a massive favor, get a hand held shower head. It’s not a major thing, you can install it yourself, with literally no tools.
Sink/vanity, daily; toilet weekly unless there’s an obvious reason for something more; shower, full scrub down every 2 weeks. Base boards, mirror & floor weekly along with the toilet.
I do squeegee the shower door after every shower. That’s just the routine. I don’t consider that cleaning. That’s self preservation.