Bathroom/Toilet

I have seen many filthy bathrooms, and the very sight of them makes me feel sick. I hate breathing in there because of the smell of old urine, the mould spores floating around in the air. I hate seeing black on shower curtains, soap scum everywhere. Dirty bathrooms are a breeding ground for bacteria and germs that can cause illness. Have you ever seen brown slimey stuff in the corners of the shower? That is a collection of dirt, dead skin cells and oils from your body. When you turn the tap on to wash your hands after being in the toilet, how many other dirty hands have touched it? How long as it been since it was cleaned? Personally that makes me want to hurl.

Bathrooms and toilets need a regular “Deep clean” - not just a surface clean. Wiping the toilet and vanity unit is not enough to keep the germs and bacteria at bay.

Showers
Showers should be thoroughly cleaned weekly. There is a buildup of dirt, mould, dead skin cells, soap scum and other very disgusting things in there. The longer you leave it the harder it is to clean.

I monthly get the scrubbing brush out and give the floor a huge scrub to lift any stains from hair dyes, dirt etc. I usually use a bleach gel and scrub vigorously. I like to scrub over the drain hole making sure the suds and bristles can lift some of that mould that grows down the drain.

I give the mould spots that grow a good scrub as well. Mould sprays I find are very potent smelling and totally unnecessary. Most shower cleaners can remove mould without the use of this product. Mould appears as dark spots in the shower. It can grow under seals in the shower as well as in little cracks and gaps that are part of the shower. The build up of mould can be prevented with thorough regular cleaning and keeping the bathroom aired out. The use of exhaust fans and open windows helps clear away moisture in the air as well as prevent bacteria growth and reproduction.

Walls are cleaned weekly as well to remove soap scum and hair product residue. Make sure the grout is cleaned as well to prevent mould growth and soap scum build up.

If you have a shower curtain make sure you give it a flick or two to remove the excess water that is on it. Don’t leave the curtain open, because that slows down drying time and encourages mould and mildew groth. Take the curtain down once every 4 weeks and give it a good thorough clean. I don’t have a shower curtain, but I would soak soak it in bleach and hot water for an hour or so.

Shower squeeges are excellent and helping keep the shower clean and aids in drying it out somewhat. I bought mine in BigW for next to nothing. You just wipe the doors and walls down with the squeege and all the excess water falls to the ground. It also helps lessen the scum build up as well.

For a no chemical clean and for a good “deep clean” Skipper recommends a steam cleaner. She has a Pirahnna steam cleaner which shoots out steam at a high pressure. It gets into little nooks and crannies, blasting out mould, mildew and dirt. It’s wonderful, and pretty much effortless.

Toilets
Toilets need to be cleaned at least weekly with a good toilet cleaner, more often if you have little boys who haven’t quite got the handle on directing their wee into the bowl.

Get yourself some toilet duck or the equivalent (let’s face it, they all clean the toilet, who cares if it has Teflon in it or not!) and squirt the product under the rim of the toilet and leave for 10-15 minutes. Get your toilet brush and scrub the bowl and down the bottom where the water is.
Spray the toilet seats, porelain (the whole entire thing – even the outside) and the floor with disinfectant and leave for a few minutes. Wipe thoroughly.

When you are cleaning the toilet, spray the light switch and the door handle with disinfectant and give that a good clean. Dirty hands have touched them after being to the toilet, so it’s good to bust the germs every.

Basins
These things can get so grimey and disgusting. I clean mine twice a week, but that’s because I can’t stand seeing sludge and grot in the sink. I like it to be sparkling!! Get some vinegar cleaning spray (see below) and spray all over the taps, sink, tiles and surrounds then wipe it all up.

Bath
It depends on how often you use it. My Mum never thouroughly cleans her bath, because no one uses it. It gets a dust and that’s it. I have 2 kids and they bath most days, so my bath gets a good scrub monthly, but wipe over weekly. I dust the edges, spray with my vinegar cleaning spray and give it a good rinse. For a more thorough clean, I scrub with bicarb so the soap scum and dirt comes off, then spray with vinegar. I rinse and then it’s all sparkling.
If you don’t want to use vinegar, Ajax make a very good bathroom gel. It has high levels of bleach in it, so make sure the room is well ventelated. Scrub the bath with the gel and rinse VERY thoroughly. Or if you are feeling lazy, fill the bath up with hot water, to the level where the dirt rim is, squirt in some bathroom gel and leave soaking. You can use this water to clean your toilet, basin and floors with when you are done.

Towels
These need to be changed frequently. I usually change mine twice a week. If you live in the tropics you may need to change more often because damp towels tend to smell sooner. Smelly towels = smelly body. If it doesn’t smell you don’t need to change it, but I wouldn’t leave it any longer than a week.

Face Washers/Hand Towels
I change these daily for my kids. They smell musty and I think that must be so unpleasant for them to have their face washed with a smelly flannel.
Hand towels need to be changed frequently, depending on how many people are using it. My hand towels are changed twice weekly if it looks “used” mid week, and I tend to change it before visitors come so it’s nice and fresh.