• Adding colour to your bathroom

• Buying a new bathroom (Part 1)

• Essential, but never boring….toilets!

• How to pay for a new bathroom?

• A guide to bathroom furniture

Time to spring clean the bathroom

As we head into March and with a little more time on our hands than usual, what better opportunity is there than to give your bathroom a decent spring clean. As a bathroom, ensuite, or cloakroom is generally smaller other rooms in the house, they can easily get overlooked. However, it’s the one room in the house that is probably used more often than any other and so requires as much attention, if not more. With a little time and effort, the result is always worthwhile.

So, what are the main cleaning materials needed for a bathroom?

Microfibre cloths are the best to use. Always have two to hand, one for the actual deep cleaning, one for the wiping down afterwards.

All-purpose cleaning solution works well in a bathroom. The best mixture being 1:1 water and vinegar but particularly dirty areas, such as around the base of the toilet, it’s better to use straight vinegar. Add essential oils or fresh lemon juice for a nice fresh scent but do not us on granite or marble surfaces due to their acidic properties.

A window polishing cloth and water is perfect for achieving a sparkling, streak-free finish on windows, mirrors, and metal fixtures.

A toothbrush is ideal for getting into all the tight crevices as well as tackling any grout.

Baking soda has the power to freshen and clean a variety of spots and marks throughout the home – the bathroom being no exception. It is a super-effective, but gentle, abrasive and is also a natural deodorizer.

And finally, toilet cleaner for freshening and bleaching the toilet pan.

With materials at the ready, it is time to get started.

Firstly, open the windows and let in some air. There is nothing better than some fresh air to invigorate you while cleaning. If you can leave the door open too so that the air can circulate around the space.

Next remove any curtains, shower curtains, bathmats, hand and bath towels and start a load of laundry. Get this underway before coming back to tackle the bathroom surfaces. Remove all items from the countertop, shelves, shower etc and place them outside of the bathroom – while this might seem time consuming, it makes it far quicker and easier to do a thorough deep clean.

As with all rooms, it is best to clean from top to bottom and from one side of the room to the other so that you’re not creating a mess in an area that you’ve just cleaned. Start on the inside and work out towards the door. Start by dusting the ceiling, removing any cobwebs with the microfibre cloth. Move downwards dusting the windowsills, blinds, top of shower, mirrors, vents, light fixings working your way down to the skirting boards.

With the dust out of the way, apply the all-purpose cleaning solution wiping down surfaces, walls, and skirting boards. Similarly, work from top to bottom and towards the door. Don’t forget to wipe around light switches, toilet paper holder, bottom of bath and top of door frame.

Easy to ignore, but of equal importance, are all the harder-to-get-to-places such as the window frames, base of the toilet, taps and grouting. Here the toothbrush and baking soda are invaluable – make a paste using water, and get into all the crevices, rinse with water, spray with vinegar and then wipe down.

Now it’s time to bring all your objects and belongings back into the bathroom. Wipe them down before putting back on the surfaces or shelves. If you have time, go through any cupboards or cabinets, and throw away any items that have passed their expiry date or items you no longer use.

Finally, put fresh towels, bathmats, and shower curtains back in place and enjoy your new sanctuary.

22nd Feb 2021