The Complete Bathroom Cleaning Checklist for Every Schedule
Cleaning the bathroom might be one of the most dreaded household chores. By having a cleaning schedule and chipping off a few tasks at a time, we can keep mess, grime, and grossness to a minimum. Here’s a bathroom cleaning checklist for three different scenarios: the power clean (10-15 minutes), weekly maintenance (20-30 minutes), and deep clean (an hour or more).
Use these cleaning checklists as a starting point and make adjustments as necessary. We understand that everyone has different cleaning standards and cleaning tasks they consider important.
Roll up your sleeves and let’s get cleaning!
Bathroom cleaning hacks
Up your bathroom cleaning game with the following cleaning hacks:
- Store your cleaning products and supplies all in one place in a bucket: You’ll waste less time searching for all your cleaning supplies and have less reason to procrastinate. Here are some items to keep on hand:
- Microfiber cloths
- Sponges
- Paper towels
- Gloves
- All-purpose cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Baking soda (a good mild abrasive for scrubbing drains)
- Save and sanitize old toothbrushes: Repurpose your old toothbrushes. These are handy for cleaning small areas such as grout.
- Keep a small, hand-held shower squeegee in your shower: They’re fairly inexpensive and help keep shower walls and doors clean longer by wicking away water. Excess water buildup leads to water stains and soap scum. Give a quick 1-minute squeegee after every shower and you’ll find you can go longer between cleanings.
“Nothing inspires cleanliness more than an unexpected guest.”
—Radhika Mundra
The power clean (when you’re short on time)
Short on time? Have unexpected company popping by at the last minute? Do a quick 10-15 minute power clean. While your bathroom won’t be spotless, your guest(s) at least won’t recoil in horror.
Focus your attention on the following high-visibility spots:
Tip: When you don’t have much time, make things shine that are supposed to shine. These are the most noticeable areas that guests notice. For example, if you have a polished faucet, give it a quick wipe. Mirrors fall under the same category.
Weekly bathroom cleaning checklist
Because we should all have standards, you know? A clean bathroom might not be your top priority, but you’ll feel much better by setting aside 20-30 minutes to do a few tasks once a week:
Tip: Apply a squirt of toilet bowl cleaner at the start of your cleaning session and let it sit until you’ve finished all other tasks. You’ll get a deeper clean with less scrubbing required.
The deep clean bathroom cleaning checklist (when you’ve got an hour or more)
Kudos—you’ve set aside a good chunk of time to deep clean your bathroom. Put on some music and let’s get to work.
Credit: Aqua Mechanical / Flickr, Baking soda shoot in studio
Do all the tasks from the weekly bathroom cleaning checklist listed above as well as the following:
Tip: Rubbing alcohol is great at removing stuck-on toothpaste stains on mirrors. Using a small cotton ball or cotton pad, apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Work quickly (as alcohol dries fast) to remove any stains. Follow by using a glass cleaner for a spotless and streak-free mirror.
Author: Theresa Tesolin
Theresa is co-founder of RusticWise. She helps people unleash their inner DIY spirit by encouraging them to get dirty and make or grow something from scratch.