Are you looking for the ultimate bathroom cleaning checklist or a detailed bathroom cleaning checklist to help you deep clean your bathroom from top to bottom? Keeping your bathroom clean prevents mold, mildew growth, and bacteria that are breeding grounds and make your family sick. A sparkling clean bathroom also looks more inviting and makes you feel relaxed when you soak in a warm tub or enjoy a hot shower.
This easy-to-follow monthly bathroom cleaning checklist uses simple bathroom cleaning and solutions like baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and hot water. It covers how to deep clean every area of your bathroom—from the toilet, tub, shower, sink, floors, and walls to the small details like door handles, light switches, and air vents.
Before hiring a cleaning company, follow this comprehensive bathroom cleaning checklist to wipe, scrub, spray, and disinfect your bathroom from floor to ceiling.
Necessary Cleaning Supplies
Make sure you have these cleaning supplies ready before tackling your bathroom:
Glass cleaner – Use to clean mirrors, glass shower doors, and smooth surfaces
Damp cloth – Either a microfiber cloth or lint-free rags to wipe surfaces
Spray bottle – For mixing and spraying DIY cleaning solutions
Disinfectant wipes – Convenient for wiping light switches, handles and outlets
Dishwashing liquid – Mix with baking soda and vinegar for cleaning scrub solutions
The Good Housekeeping company recommends using baking soda, vinegar, and hot water for cleaning most bathroom surfaces.
Clean Inside the Toilet and Sink
Start by mixing together a toilet cleaner inside the toilet bowl using baking soda, dish soap, vinegar, and hot water. Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff toilet brush in circular motions. Make sure to scrub under the toilet rim to remove any grime. Flush the toilet a few times to rinse thoroughly. This disinfects the toilet bowl, kills germs, and helps remove stains.
Before cleaning the sink, remove everything first—toothbrush holder, soap dispenser, lotions, cups, etc. Take a paper towel with bathroom cleaner spray and wipe down surfaces to prepare for scrubbing. Mix a paste of dish soap and baking soda and use a soft sponge to scrub the entire sink basin and faucet.
Make sure to scrub the drain area thoroughly. Rinse very well with hot water to remove all soap residue. Lastly, spray sink surfaces with disinfectant cleaner or rubbing alcohol and let air dry to disinfect.
Scrub the Shower Walls, Curtain and Bathtub
Spray shower walls, glass doors, shower curtain liner, and tub surfaces with a DIY cleaner mixed with dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes. Use a stiff nylon scrub brush and keep scrubbing the shower walls, plastic curtain rings and doors to remove soap scum, mildew stains, mold, and residue. Rinse clean with hot water.
For the bathtub, sprinkle baking soda granules all over porcelain or fiberglass surfaces – sides, floor, and around the drain. Spray or sprinkle undiluted white vinegar over the baking soda and let bubble for 2-3 minutes. This will help lift soap scum and stains. Scrub all tub surfaces and tile walls with a scrub brush in circular motions. Rinse very thoroughly with hot clean water from the shower head. As a last step, wipe surfaces down with disinfectant cleaner to prevent mold or mildew from recurring. Leave the fan on to air dry the tub and shower surfaces fully.
Scrub Surfaces and Grout Lines
Use a baking soda paste to scrub the sink basin and a grout brush for the tile grout lines. Clean tile floors with hot water mixed with a few drops of dish detergent—just enough for sudsing. Scrub floor and clean tile grout lines with an old toothbrush and clean water.
Be sure to scrub all surfaces in the sink area, including the faucet base and handles where grime builds up. The only exception would be any antique metal fixtures which should be wiped gently with plain water to preserve original shine.
Consumer Reports recommends scrubbing bathroom surfaces weekly and deep cleaning every one to three months.
Clean All Other Bathroom Surfaces
Wipe down all other bathroom surfaces – countertops, cabinets, drawer handles, and mirrors with a clean microfiber cloth using an all-purpose natural bathroom cleaner spray. Don’t forget to clean the grout and sides of the sink and areas around the faucet! Carefully wipe light switches and electric outlets with a lightly dampened cloth.
For tile or vinyl floors, first, sweep up any dirt or debris with a broom. Mix warm water with a couple of drops of blue Dawn dish detergent in a bucket. Dip your mop into the soapy solution, wring thoroughly, and mop the floors. Use a soft bristle grout brush dipped in the cleaning solution to scrub any stained or dirty grout lines. Use a small toothbrush dipped in dish soap to scrub corners and along baseboards. Rinse the floor by wiping with a barely damp mop or cloth. The last step is to use paper towels to soak up any excess water. Open windows or use a fan to circulate air to allow the floors to completely air dry.
Dust Light Fixtures, Air Vents, and Walls
Dampen microfiber cloths with clean water and use to wipe bathroom walls to remove dust, dirt, and stains. Pay special attention to corners, along baseboards and ceiling corners where dust collects. Use microfiber duster cloths and a hand-held crevice vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment to carefully remove dust from light fixtures, the medicine cabinet, cabinets, and air vents so it doesn’t float around when disturbed later. Lastly, spray a paper towel lightly with disinfectant and wipe light switches, electric outlets, and door handles which are magnets for germs!
Wash Bathroom Towels, Mats, and Shower Curtain
Remove bath towels, hand towels, bath mats, and shower curtain or liner, and machine wash on the hot or warm + hot water setting. Add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to the wash water as a natural bacteria-killing boost. While washing wash towels, and wipe down bath towel rods and shower curtain rings with hot soapy water or disinfectant to remove soap buildup and residue.
Check plastic or fabric shower curtain liners for mildew and mold. To clean, fill your bathtub with very hot water and add 1 cup of liquid chlorine bleach. Place the shower curtain into the hot soapy water solution and let soak for 30 minutes up to a few hours. This will kill mold and disinfect the toilet itself. Rinse thoroughly under running water and rehang to dry.
Deep Clean Vanity Cabinets and Drawers
Completely take everything out of your front room and bathroom vanity cabinets and drawers. Remove shelves, small slide-out trays, and drawers if possible. Use a multipurpose, non-abrasive foaming bathroom cleaner spray to thoroughly clean inside all cabinets and drawers. Spray surfaces, let sit briefly, and wipe clean using old rags, paper towels, or microfiber cloths.
The optional extra step is to disinfect cabinets by wiping down all interior wood or laminate surfaces with rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide cleaner, or tea tree oil cleaner. Place drawer liners, shelves, or small trays back in after everything is fully dry.
Final Step – Check All Details!
As a final step after you’ve cleaned everything, walk around your bathroom and inspect all areas from top to bottom. Check countertops, sink fixtures, mirrors, shower fixtures, door knobs, etc to ensure all surfaces are free of dirt, and soap residue and are disinfected. Verify corners, edges, and tile grout are free of grime or mildew. Check walls and baseboards for dust and towel rods are rust-free. Your bathroom should now be fresh, clean, and bacteria-free ready for the next month!
