I’m sure we all have our own routines when it comes to cleaning the bathroom. I usually start with the toilet, then move to the shower, then address the sink, mirror, and floors. In fact, if I can clean all of those in one go, I’m probably feeling really productive! But beyond those weekly maintenance cleanings, there’s definitely more we should be doing. Bathrooms have the potential to become the dirtiest room in the house if left unchecked, due to the unique combination of warmth, humidity, and bacteria that congregate there. But with just a few basic cleaning supplies, it’s easy to keep your bathroom (and the things you store in there) clean and healthy.
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Here are 9 common bathroom items that could probably use a cleaning.
Related: 9 Things You Need To Replace In Your Bathroom
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1. Bath Toys
Bath toys can build up layers of soap scum and mildew if they aren’t being cleaned. A quick soak with some vinegar will take care of that! Just put your bath toys into a bucket, then fill with warm water and add 1 cup of white vinegar. Let the toys soak in the vinegar water for an hour, then rinse them with clean water and let them dry completely before storing again.
2. Shower Curtain Liner
Your vinyl shower curtain liner is another item that attracts mildew and soap scum. Rather than replacing your liner when it gets yucky, give it a wash in your washing machine! Shower curtain liners can easily shred in the wash, but you can “cushion” the liner by throwing a couple of your bath towels in the same load.
Use your regular laundry detergent, along with 1 cup of baking soda. The baking soda will help loosen the gunk attached to your shower curtain, and the friction from the bath towels will help wash it away.
3. Loofahs
You can also wash your bath and shower loofahs in your washing machine. You can wash them on a normal cycle with your normal laundry detergent. Just make sure to hang your loofahs to dry after washing them, rather than using your dryer.
4. Toilet Brush and Brush Holder
I’m sure I don’t need to spell out why it’s a good idea to disinfect your toilet brush every once in a while, right? ;-) You would thoroughly clean and disinfect anything that might have accidentally fallen into the toilet, so why should your toilet brush be any different? Once a month or so, soak your toilet brush and toilet brush holder in a bucket full of warm water and a couple of capfuls of bleach. Let them soak for a half hour or so, then rinse with clean water.
5. Drain Stopper
If you have really long hair, or a lot of girls in your house, chances are you already have to clean out your tub or shower’s drain stopper semi-regularly. But for the rest of us, it can easily slip our minds to keep the drain stopper clean and the drain clear.
Pull the drain stopper out of the drain, and soak it in a cup of white vinegar to loosen any gunk that may be clinging to it. While the stopper is soaking, give your drain a quick cleaning with some baking soda and vinegar.
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6. Shower Door Track
If you have a shower door rather than a curtain, the track or frame of the door can get pretty gross over time. Dissolve all the gunk down in there by pouring white vinegar into the track. (If your track drains too quickly to hold any vinegar in it, line the track with paper towels before pouring the vinegar in. The paper towels will absorb the vinegar and let it do it’s thing.
After letting the vinegar sit in the track for a while, use a paper towel or a microfiber cloth to wipe any gunk out.
7. Hair Brushes
Hair brushes collect more than just your hair! Oils, hair products, dust, and dead skin can build up on your hair brush over time. Loosen any build-up on your hair brushes by soaking them in a sink full of warm, soapy water. (I always use Dawn, but any dish soap will work.) Rinse the brushes clean and let them air dry before storing them back in your drawer or cabinet.
8. Exhaust Fan
If you haven’t taken a peek at your bathroom’s exhaust fan in a while, it’s probably a good time to do it! Your exhaust fan helps remove moisture from the air, which is a pretty important job in a small, often humid room. If your exhaust fan is covered in dust and grime, it probably isn’t doing its job properly. Without the exhaust fan removing moisture, your bathroom could potentially become a breeding ground for mold and mildew. Yuck!
Cleaning your bathroom’s exhaust fan is actually a lot simpler than it may seem at first glance. You’ll be done in less than half an hour, but you’ll be enjoying the benefits of your hard work for months to come.
Read More: How To Clean That Neglected Bathroom Fan
9. Toothbrushes
Your toothbrush may clean your teeth, but it needs a regular cleaning as well. Toothbrushes can be a hotbed for germs and bacteria. Disinfect your toothbrush by soaking it overnight in a cup of warm water along with 10 drops of Tea Tree essential oil. Do this soak once a week for a cleaner, healthier mouth.
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I have gold plated faucet and sprayer in our shower and manufactures strongly suggest we do not use vinegar or any acidic cleaners. There is build up hard water stains. Do you ha e any recommendations to remove these?
These tips for cleaning your toothbrush came from “tips.net”.
-Soak it in a cup of boiling water for 3 minutes.
-Run it through the dishwasher in the top rack.
-Swish it in mouthwash containing alcohol.
-Soak it in a cup of water mixed with a teaspoon of peroxide. You can use your toothbrush right after you take it out of the mixture, but rinse it well if you don’t like the taste of the peroxide.
-For daily cleaning of a toothbrush, run it under hot water and run your thumb firmly over the bristles for several seconds. Then rinse it.
Good ideas all. I’ll try them and see which one works best for me.
I soak hair brushes in the sink in hot water with ammonia. It removes all the hair products from your brushes…
Wouldn’t the ammonia be hard on your brushes?
I use one of those disposable plastic containers with lids that you get for soups from take-out joints, or from the deli at grocery stores to clean hairbrushes. You know the kind; around 8″ high, holds around 2lbs of potato salad? I cut an X in the lid with an X-Acto blade or a work knife, (I set it on a thick block of Styrofoam and wear blade-proof gloves; safety first and foremost!) jam the brush handle through so that the brush part goes into the container. Then, put some Dawn or clarifying shampoo into the container along with very… Read more »
I put my comb and hairbrush in the dishwasher occasionally
Thank you for all you’re smart ideas and solutions!!can you tell me how to get rid of cigarettes smell in the house and how to clean my bathroom floors..
These are all great ideas! Thanks so much for all you do Jillee! I look forward to your post everyday.
Thanks!
I have vacuumed my exhaust fans every 2 weeks for decades. Using the brush and crevice attachments keeps them remarkably free of dust and gunk without having to disassemble the whole thing.
I use denture tablets for lots of things! Great for toothbrushes and hairbrushes. They also remove stains and dried gunk from thermoses, coffee pots, and deep skinny vases that are hard to clean. Toilet brush too. Doggy chew toys and grooming tools. My friend uses them to soak her kids’ bath toys. Anything that needs cleaning and sterilizing and can be soaked for a while, then rinsed off. And they’re pretty cheap if you get the no-name brand. (Plus, no after-smell of bleach or vinegar – although those are great cleaners too.) I’ve even used them in a pinch to… Read more »
I put my toothbrush in the dishwasher and use the sanitize setting.