How to Deep Clean a Bathroom

That trusty ventilation fan is crucial for preventing mold and mildew from growing in your bathroom. It not only removes unpleasant smells but also removes the built-up moisture from steamy showers and baths.

Unfortunately, vent fans also suck up dust when they're pulling moist air out, and the moisture can cause the dust to cake onto the vent. This gunk builds up over time and can limit the effectiveness of your fan.

• Remove the vent fan cover. This may require a screwdriver, or it may be held on with wires. You may need to use a step stool to reach.
• Brush and vacuum the vent cover with the hose and small brush attachment on your vacuum.
• Clean the vent cover in the sink with a damp cleaning cloth and dish soap. Rinse well and allow it to dry completely before replacing it.
• Use the brush attachment on the hose of your vacuum to clean out any loose dust inside the vent and on the fan blades.
• Use a damp microfiber or duster cloth to carefully wipe away any stubborn dust on the fan blades and within the vent box.
• Reassemble your vent fan and replace the cover once everything is completely dry.

While you have the step stool out, take down your light covers and clean them with dish soap and water in the sink, and dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel. Dust off the lightbulbs and surrounding fixtures with a dry duster before replacing the light covers. Wipe down all of the light switches.

You've just removed dust and grime from your ceiling fixtures, so it's a good idea to wipe down the walls and baseboards where a lot of dust can get plastered on with the moisture of a steamy shower.

• Use a damp dusting cloth to first wipe down the walls and then the baseboards,

OR

• Use a clean, damp microfiber mop or stick mop with a wet cleaning pad to wash the walls and then the baseboards.

Now that you've removed most of the dust, sweep or vacuum the floor so any dust that may have fallen doesn't get stuck to the other bathroom fixtures as you clean them.

Most disinfectants have to remain wet for at least 10 minutes in order to actually disinfect. To coat as much of the toilet bowl as possible with cleaner, use a bucket to quickly pour about a half-gallon of water into the toilet drain to trigger a flush without the tank replacing the water. Alternatively, you could also use the shut-off valve to turn off the water, and then flush the toilet.

Now that the water level has decreased, you can use toilet bowl cleaner to coat the inside of the bowl. Cleaners with an angled pour spout make it easy to get the cleaner under the lip of the bowl. Now, let this sit while you move on to another fixture to clean.

This is another task that takes some time to work its magic. Vinegar is amazing at breaking down mineral deposits, so it's great for unclogging hard water deposits in your shower head. Pour some vinegar into the sandwich bag, and use the rubber band to secure the bag around the shower head. Be sure the vinegar is covering all of the spray openings. Allow this to sit for at least 10 minutes, but as long as overnight, and then flush with water.

Bathroom sinks can harbor tons of bacteria from handwashing and teeth-brushing.

Peroxide is great for disinfecting your toilet and sink because it breaks down biological materials. In your empty spray bottle, mix peroxide and a squirt of dish soap and shake well. Spray down the entire surface of your sink and any counter areas and let it sit.

Or, if you prefer, you can use an all-purpose cleaning spray and disinfectant. Just follow the directions on the bottle.

A clean shower and bathtub can make your bathing experience so much more pleasant. You'll want to remove, and likely replace, any plastic shower curtain liner, or you can wash it with some old towels in the washing machine and hang it to dry.

• Spray down the shower walls and doors, if you have them, with the peroxide and dish soap spray or other shower cleaning spray.
• Use a scrub brush or gentle scrubbing sponge to wash the walls and doors, and rinse well with water.
• Use a handheld squeegee to remove the water from the shower walls and door to prevent streaks.
• If you have shower doors, use a small scrub brush or toothbrush to clean the door track. You can use vinegar to help break down any mineral deposits and soap scum that may have accumulated. Rinse well with water.
• Spray the floor of the shower, deep clean the bathtub and the surrounding ledge with peroxide and dish soap or shower cleaning spray.
• Scrub with your scrub brush or sponge and rinse well with water.

Now that your cleaning spray has had time to loosen up any biofilm and soap scum on the sink and counter area, you can give it a light scrub with a damp cleaning cloth, scrub brush or sponge, and rinse well with water. Dry with paper towels and then use paper towels to do a quick wipe of the cabinets.

Now that the inside of the toilet has had sufficient time to disinfect, you can get to work cleaning it the rest of the way.

• Use a toilet brush to scrub the inside of the toilet bowl, from under the lip all the way into the drain.
• Rinse the toilet brush head in the swirling water as the toilet flushes. Disinfect the toilet brush by pouring disinfectant over it, or soaking it in peroxide in a bucket before placing back in its holder.
• Spray the outside of the toilet, including both sides of the seat and lid, with your bathroom cleaner of choice. Make sure to also spray the sides and base of the toilet.
• Use paper towels to clean the seat, lid and outside of the toilet and tank. Use different paper towels to clean the tank than you use on the seat and lid.
• Instead of spray and paper towels, you could use disinfectant wipes to clean the outside of the toilet.

Clean mirrors will put the finishing touches on your newly gleaming bathroom. Apply vinegar or glass cleaner to a paper towel or clean microfiber cloth and wipe your mirrors until they are dry and streak-free. Then you can use disinfectant wipes to wipe down doorknobs and light switches. Now, enjoy your beautiful bathroom.