Cleaning a Bathroom: Minimum Standards

The minimum standard for a bathroom is easily understood: its fixtures should be clean enough to use without hesitation, its towels dry, and its air free of the damp odour by which neglected rooms announce themselves.

This is routine household work rather than a campaign. A few surfaces attended to after use and twenty minutes once a week will usually keep the room in order.

Clean the toilet weekly, using a brush and cleaner inside the bowl and a separate cloth for the seat, hinges, outside, and base. Ordinary cleaning is generally sufficient. Disinfectant is useful when someone in the household is ill or when the product label calls for it. The underside of the rim and the point at which the fixture meets the floor are easily missed and generally require attention.

The sink collects toothpaste, soap residue, and hair with indecent speed. A quick wipe with a damp cloth after each use prevents the build-up, while a proper clean weekly with a bathroom spray prevents the limescale ring that tells a guest how long it has been since you last paid attention.

Rinse the bath or shower after use and draw a squeegee over the glass and tiled walls. Once a week, clean the surfaces and scrub any grout upon which discolouration has begun; early attention saves the much less agreeable work required after mould has established itself.

Use glass cleaner and a cloth upon the mirror, then sweep or vacuum the floor before mopping it. Hair gathers in the corners with remarkable persistence, and is easier to remove dry than after it has been distributed through the water from the mop.

Change the towels after three or four uses and spread them upon the rail between times. When the work is performed weekly, twenty minutes is generally enough; postponement lengthens the task and makes every part of it less pleasant.

Use cleaning products according to their labels and allow any disinfectant to remain wet for the stated contact time. Open the window or run the fan. Never mix bleach with ammonia, acids, vinegar, toilet cleaner, or another household chemical. More fumes do not produce a cleaner bathroom.

Further guidance

• When and how to clean and disinfect your home, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention