Real Good Cleaners » The Complete Guide to Bathroom Deep Cleaning: Pro Tips That Save Time

While a regular surface clean will ensure your bathroom looks respectable all the time; essential for when unexpected guests come over, an occasional deep clean is important as well.

Getting into every corner, nook, and cranny keeps the germs at bay, ensures mould and mildew cannot take hold, and keeps your bathroom smelling fresh and clean.

Here's how to give your bathroom a deep clean and still have time left for some fun on the weekend.

Regular Clean Versus Deep Clean: What's the Difference?

Regular cleans and deep cleans are both essential to keeping a bathroom pristine, but what's the difference between them and why should you care?

Deep cleans involve the following:

They are not as frequent and can be performed on a monthly, quarterly, or even twice-yearly routine
Deep cleans have a broader focus and take in areas that are not cleaned as regularly as other parts of the bathroom, such as inside bathroom cabinets and drawers.
Stronger cleaning agents and specialised tools may also be used.
Given the level of detail, a deep clean will usually take more time than a regular clean.

Regular cleans are typically as follows:

Can be performed daily, weekly, or monthly depending on how often the bathroom is used and the number of people living in the household.
Typically focuses on surface level cleaning and wiping down visible surfaces.

How Often Should You Deep Clean Your Bathroom?

The frequency of a deep clean will depend on household usage.

A high traffic bathroom may need a deep clean every 3 months, while low traffic bathrooms could easily go 6 months between deep cleans.

Bathrooms will usually show you signs that it's in need of more attention than a regular scrub. Look out for the following and you will have a good idea of when to get the heavy tools out:

Visible mould and mildew, such as darkened areas on white tile grout and black orpink spots in the corners of the bathroom
Opaque soap scum and hard water deposits on glass (your tiles may feel grainy from these deposits even though you cannot see it)
Clogged drains
Strange odours
Your bathroom has lost its usual sparkle, even after a regular clean.

Steps to a Deep Clean That Leaves No Corner Unscrubbed

Taking just 10 minutes to set up properly can save you a lot of work later on, so have your kit locked and loaded before you tackle a deep clean.

Prepare the bathroom:

Ventilation - you may be using hard core products so make sure you open windows and turn on the ventilation fan.
Safety gear - Even eco-friendly products can play havoc with your skin and lungs, so make sure you don the gloves and mask.
Clear the bathroom - Remove floor items like bins and toilet brush holders. Remove all bottles from shelves and the floor to ensure an uninterrupted flow.
Set up your work space - Position your cleaning kit so it's close by but not in danger of getting knocked over. Trust me when I say having everything on hand ensures you spend less time cleaning.

Pro-Tip: Cleaning for clients? Take photos before you start. Not only does this remind you of where everything goes when putting stuff back, it also gives you a record of what you've done and how much you improved the bathroom.

The Professional Pre-Treatment Strategy

Many non-professionals go wrong with the cleaning process by trying to pre-treatment and cleaning all at once. Strategic timing is the key to getting in and out in record time.

Begin With Pre-Treatment

Pre-treat the areas you are going to deep clean with a quality bathroom cleaner. I use a half-and-half mix of vinegar and water to spray the basin and pre-soak the shower and bath areas. Vinegar is environmentally friendly and non-toxic and very cheap, so use as much as you need.

The vinegar will need 5-10 minutes to do its work of softening grime build-up. While it's doing that, pre-treat the toilet bowl with a toilet cleaner or other bleaching agent (hydrogen peroxide is a good option).

While you are letting the cleaning agents do most of the heavy lifting for you give the rest of the bathroom a once-over, noting any hidden out of the way spots that may have mould or mildew build-up. Give those a good squirt with the vinegar, or your choice of mould killer.

Start From the Ceiling and Work Down

After a few minutes have passed, it's time to start the cleaning proper. Work from the top down so nothing gets missed and you are always clearing up dislodged particles that fall to areas you haven't cleaned yet.

The ceiling fan is an often neglected feature of the bathroom that can build up an incredible volume of dust and grime. Use your microfibre cloth to trap the dust and keep it contained. You will need a step or ladder to reach the ceiling. Don't forget the light fixtures while you're up there..

Next, I move on to the bathroom mirror and basin. I use a glass cleaner or water with a couple of drops of Morning Fresh dishwashing detergent to clean the surface to a spotless shine. Glass cleaner is another option. Use a good quality microfibre cloth for the best results and finish by buffing with a cloth designed for glass.

Next clean the basin and surface areas. A light scourer can work wonders here to remove any stains, like rusty rings from wet deodorant cans and caked on grime around the bottom of taps or faucets. I drop a dab of Morning Fresh in and then wipe the basin and surrounding area all over. Finish with a dry cloth to mop up all the moisture.

Be careful with scourers. Some materials can mark and scratch more easily than others. Steel wool has no place in the bathroom and only mild scourers should be used on other surfaces. Be gentle to avoid damage that can be expensive to repair.

Move on to the shower cubicle. Rinse the vinegar off before scrubbing. Fill a small bucket with water and a drop of Morning Fresh. Scrub all over. Pay attention to the lower areas as this is where the soap scum tends to leave the most residue. Rinse and use a squeegee to remove excess moisture. Dry with a microfibre cloth and buff with a glass cleaning cloth for extra sparkle.

To sum up:

Spray all areas to be cleaned and move to the next task.
Apply toilet cleaner and then leave while cleaning bathroom mirror and vanity.
Clean the toilet inside and out. Wipe the outside down with a bit of Spray 'N Wipe or your preferred choice (make sure to clean behind as well)
Clean the bath (a bath that's not used regularly should only need a quick dust).
Finish with the shower cubicle, rinse, squeegee, dry, and buff.
Mop the floor and you're done.

Performing this routine every month only takes about 20-30 minutes but will keep your bathroom looking sparkly fresh, prevent mould buildup, and avoid the bi-yearly deep clean that takes most of your day.