Bathroom Cleaning Checklist: How to Clean a Bathroom Like a Pro

Bathrooms are the most detailed rooms in any home to clean — that's why an extra bathroom adds more to a cleaning price than an extra bedroom. Professional cleaners get through them quickly because they work in a set order and let the products do the scrubbing.

The order professional cleaners use

1. Clear everything off. Bottles, toothbrushes and bath mats out of the way. Take out the garbage.
2. Spray first, scrub later. Apply cleaner to the shower, tub, sink and toilet bowl, then leave them while you do other work.
3. Dust top to bottom. Exhaust fan cover, light fixture, the top of the mirror and cabinet, towel bars.
4. Mirror and glass. Glass cleaner and a dry microfibre cloth, in an S-pattern from the top.
5. Shower and tub. Scrub the walls, fixtures, door or curtain and the drain. Rinse and dry the fixtures for a shine.
6. Sink and counter. Faucet, handles, the overflow hole and the drain.
7. Toilet last. Bowl with the brush; then the seat, lid, tank, handle and base outside, with a separate cloth you don't use anywhere else.
8. Floor. Vacuum or sweep, then mop, working toward the door. Don't miss behind the toilet.

Why bathroom products need time to work

Spraying a disinfectant and wiping it straight off cleans the surface, but it doesn't give the product time to disinfect. Every disinfectant label lists a contact time — how long the surface has to stay wet. It can be anywhere from under a minute to 10 minutes. Spraying first and scrubbing later (step 2 above) is how pros build that time in without waiting around.

Weekly bathroom cleaning checklist

• Toilet cleaned and disinfected inside and out, including the base
• Shower and tub scrubbed; glass squeegeed or wiped
• Sink, counter and fixtures cleaned
• Mirror cleaned streak-free
• Towels and bath mat swapped
• Garbage emptied
• Floor vacuumed and mopped

That's what a standard clean covers in every bathroom.

Deep-clean checklist (every few months)

• Grout — scrubbed with a baking soda paste or an oxygen-bleach cleaner. Our grout cleaning guide has the details.
• Shower glass — soap scum removed. Metro Vancouver has soft water, so cloudy glass here is usually soap scum, not hard water. See how to clean cloudy shower glass.
• Exhaust fan cover — removed (power off) and washed. A clogged fan can't clear moisture, and moisture is what leads to mould.
• Drains — hair pulled from the shower and sink drains and stoppers.
• Shower head — soaked if the spray is uneven.
• Inside drawers and the vanity — emptied, wiped, expired products tossed.
• Baseboards, door and door frame, light switches
• Shower curtain and liner — many can go in the washing machine on a gentle cycle; check the label.
• Caulking — look for black spots or gaps. Surface spots can often be cleaned; mould behind the caulk means it needs replacing.

Product safety in a small room

• Never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other acids, or with other cleaners. The combination releases toxic gases. Use one product, rinse, then another if you need to.
• Run the fan or open a window while you clean.
• Wear gloves, and follow the label's directions for dilution and contact time.
• Natural stone like marble reacts with acids — skip vinegar and use a stone-safe cleaner.

Doing the kitchen too? Use our kitchen deep cleaning checklist.