How to clean the bathroom?

[Sleepysnoozytime]

I realise this is going to sound stupid, but I was never taught how to clean properly so I’ve been muddling along but I don’t think I’m doing a good job.

The bathroom is my main issue. The grouting is black and mould stuff doesn’t seem to work. I’ve been scrubbing with a toothbrush which fades it a bit but not really. The edge of the shower has a narrow gap between the door and tray and it gets dirt, dust, god knows what in there and I can’t get it out. I use microfibre cloths to wipe the paintwork and tiles down and they just seem to leave little fibres and dust behind. I vacuum round first and tried dry dusting but I think the moisture in the room just leaves it all damp and stuck.

I’ve been watching videos on YouTube but they all seem to be either awful filthy hoarder bathrooms or lovely clean ones that just need a wipe over. This is a normal bathroom: loo, sink, shower cubicle, tiles in the cubicle and half tile around the rest of the room, tile floor. It’s about 15 years old and I want to get it clean and free of mould before repainting the ceiling and top section.

Please, can you describe to me how you clean your bathroom! The tools you use, products etc. Literally the only bit I can do is bleaching the toilet and scrubbing the limescale off, the loo does look ok. At the moment it feels like I’m putting in a lot of effort but it’s doing nothing.

Some bathrooms are a pain to keep clean with little nooks and crannies. In my old house it was impossible to get the sliding shower door runners clean without removing the door. I used to use a toothbrush and then tip loads of water over it (and the floor) and used a towel to soak it up.

Magic sponges can be good for getting scum marks of shower doors. Clean it regularly and squeegee the shower walls so the grout doesn' grow mould. Also ventilate it lots. HG mould spray is the best one but sometimes grout is so far gone it needs scraping out and redoing. Sealant is the same.

Cif or flash bathroom with a non scratch sponge is good, make sure you rinse it off with hot water to get the shine.

Apparently, the bamboo loo roll is better at fluff and dust reduction. White vinegar for cleaning the mirror.

I will say I am lucky to live in a soft water area though.

Lyndsey at Risolve on Tiktok has the most glorious, over the top bathroom clean I've ever seen. Her husband uses a foam sprayer and detailing brushes and scrubbers for the bathroom cleaning. Prepare to be wowed if you watch it.

There's actually some really good tips and a pretty cheap cleaner he makes and yes, he does the grout.

Highly recommend Mould Magic gel. It stays in place for longer (and therefor works better) - much better than the foam ones which make such a mess and drip everywhere.

I also have nooks and crannies in my shower!!

When you say the grout is black, is that mould or is it the colour of the grout? I was cleaning dark grey grout and scrubbing for months in our rental until I realised it was the actual colour of the grout.

Anyway- i use bathroom spray on the basins and the toilets and the bath itself. I occasionally use a stainless steel polish for things that are stainless steel. We have very hard water where we are and the limescale on the shower glass is terrible. I do try with over the counter sprays but DH who studied chemistry as an undergraduate tends to have a major attack on it every 6 months or so with serious nasty chemicals. So I can't really help there.

I hate cleaning my bathroom for the reasons you describe. I sometimes use a dry dusting cloth to pick up the dust before I go in with a spray and cloth with hot water, squeeze the cloth out so it’s not dripping wet. Then wipe over with kitchen towel to dry and remove any remaining bits. It’s a right faff to be honest!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232761369499

These are the dry dusters I use, they are sold as floor mop refills but they work well as a dry duster

For pink grime mix bicarbonate of soda with fairy liquid to make a paste and scrub the grouting with a toothbrush. Really effective.

To get rid of the mould you need to leave raw bleach on it for a while and then scrub it off. It will keep coming back though so you need to address why you have it and probably re-grout.

Are you actually scrubbing the room with a bucket of water or just using sprays? I find a lot of 'cleaning' videos just use a cloth and spray and I wouldn't consider that cleaning.

It sounds like it never gets dry in there. Do you have a decent extractor? Could you use a dehumidifier?

Thanks for the messages so far!
To answer some questions…
there is no extractor fan, I leave the window open all the time as it’s only small. But it’s been so horrible and wet all winter (Home Counties) that I don’t think it does get dry until things warm up. We have hard water but a softener device for the house so it’s not dreadful in the bathroom.

My routine right now…
Vacuum the floor as it’s always dusty and loose hair about.
Dry dust the ledges, windowsill, top of loo.
Bleach in a bucket of hot water, use that to wipe over all the surfaces with a microfibre cloth. Wipe down the tiles and paintwork (some sort of shiny bathroom paint, not sure what).
Bleach down the loo, scrub with brush.
Mirror I have a glass spray and wipe with a cloth.

That usually looks ok but does leave little fibres behind which I would love to avoid!

And then the shower. The grout is meant to be white. This is the big problem as I have tried various sprays and gels, left them for hours before rinsing and scrubbing. Is replacing grout hard?
Any advice on something to blast the muck out of narrow crevices like the door edge would be great too!

Prevention is better than cure… Make sure all household members do their share.

Shower:
Use a squeegee after every shower - every single time. No ifs, no buts, no excuses.
Spray daily shower spray in the nooks and crannies once a day.
Clean the trap at least once a month.
Use a shower/bathroom cleaner - spray on and scrub with a kitchen sponge or similar, leave for recommended time, then rinse off and polish with a microfibre cloth or kitchen paper.

Bathtub:
Use daily shower spray after every 2nd or third use.
Use a shower/bathroom cleaner once a week. Or more if heavy use.

Sink:
Train everyone to leave the sink as they found it.
Anyone leaving toothpaste debris gets a first warning…
Use a shower/bathroom cleaner every day.

Loo:
Train everyone to leave the loo as they found it.
Anyone leaving skid marks gets a very strong first warning…
Use a bleach containing loo cleaner - like those yellow bottles - every day.

Tiles, floor and paintwork:
Use a shower/bathroom cleaner on tiles once a week/fortnight
Everything else: vacuum and clean with Flash or similar every week or two.

(The above frequencies are not set in stone but suggestions based on extent of bathroom use and desired standards of cleanliness. YMMV.

To get the bathroom to a point where the above is sufficient, use Viakal. But do read and follow the instructions, especially with regard to how to leave it as it is quite abrasive.

Depending on use, you may want to do an ‘in-between’ kind of clean every few weeks/months. Wipe and then remove all bottles, toothbrushes (dishwasher!) and bits and bobs so the bathroom is entirely bare. Then blitz it with shower/bathroom cleaner and polish with a microfibre cloth or paper towels. Use Viakal for areas that seem to need it. Deep clean the loo, floor, woodwork, window, light fittings

(This is a modified version which I wrote for my sons because verbal instructions seemed to go in one ear and out the other. I periodically resend it when the state of the bathroom suggests that they might have ‘forgotten’…)

Bleach is the only thing that will really bring back the sparkle to tiles and grout. I worked as a housekeeper in various high end hotels, that were cleaned daily, but every fre months, we bleached the tiles to bring back the shine.

Regarding dirty grout, try Viakal and/or bleach. However, given it’s 15 years old, you may need to regrout. You can do it yourself - check YouTube videos - but it is a very tedious job, so you may want to find a handyman to do it.

You'll have to decide whether you want the new grout to provide contrast or blend in with the tiles. Choose a non-white grout unless the tiles are actually white.

Oh my God, I have just spent twenty minutes watching that man clean their (beautiful) bathroom-I really want him to come and clean mine! I don’t think I have ever cleaned it that well!

People that don’t just use any old cleaning spray bottle on a wet cloth, what exactly do you use? The chap in the video had some hardcore stuff (Castile soap mixed with something I didn’t hear) for foaming and then hydrogen percarbonate (is that like hydrogen peroxide?) for ceramics/bathtub/tiles.

Do we need stuff like that or would a bucket with washing up liquid and squirt of bleach be ok?

I also love the (car detailing) drying towel and spray he had-I wonder if those ones are sold in the UK as well?

Great thread - something I’ve only recently discovered is huffing dry after cleaning - I use the glass cleaner tea towels that you see in bars - don’t leave any fluff and really shine

Crevice tool for the shower screen - a long narrow hard bristle brush gets in everywhere
another vote for mould magic gel on grouting / sealant
Grouting pen also great once mould removed - makes it come back to bright white. It’s basically just a chalk pen so needs refreshing every now and then but so much easier than re grouting!

Huffing 😂

lol ! We should introduce it as a new phrase ( cleaning bathrooms does make me huff !!)

I definitely huff and puff these days!!

@Shinyandnew1 , He mixes Castile soap and isopropyl alcohol 1 cup each and then fills the rest of the 2 gallon foamer with water. I mixed a smaller batch and it cleans as well as Dawn Power Wash.

Sodium percarbonate is the cleaning agent in OxiClean.

Thank you!

What’s Dawn powerwash? Is that an American thing?

Dettol Mould and Mildew remover in green/white spray bottle for grout. Leave it on as long as you can. Then rinse- don't usually need to scrub

The micro fibre cloths that are very close knit/woven and don't make your hand feel 'icky', are great for mirrors

JML battery operated brush.looks like an electric toothbrush.great for grout & hard to reach areas on shower door.

https://amzn.eu/d/0dtdMChN

I use a steam cleaner in the bathroom to get grime around the taps and where the shower screen meets the shower tray, it literally blasts the stuff out. You can then wipe up the grime with a cloth and dry with kitchen paper. It also works on grout and all the nooks and crannies around the toilet seat. My bathroom always feels super clean when I’ve gone through it with the steam cleaner.