Tips on how to clean and maintain your bathroom

No-one enjoys cleaning their bathroom, especially in the winter flu season when its often cold. Yet we all know that the longer you leave it, the harder it is to clean and the last thing you want during a flu and cold season is a dirty, hard to clean bathroom. Harmful microorganisms such as Shigella, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, E. coli, norovirus and coronavirus happily breed in dirty bathrooms and can be dangerous those closest to you.

Keeping yourself and your family safe and health at this time of year requires diligent personal hygiene and clean and hygienic bathroom.

Fun facts about where bacteria hides in your bathroom;

• Toilet bowl: 3.2 million bacteria per square inch
• Toothbrush: 200,000 bacteria per square inch
• Shower: 120,000 bacteria per square inch
• Taps & Basin: 6,267 bacteria per square inch
• Toilet seat: 295 bacteria per square inch
• Bathroom floor, in front of toilet: 764 bacteria per square inch
• Light switch: 217 bacteria per square inch

What does this really mean for you?

• The average shower is used twice a day, that’s 700 times a year.
• Allowing 10 minutes per shower, showers are in use for more than 116 hours a year, double that in a home of 4 people.
• This means that on average, over a 10-year period a shower recess is used for 2300 hours which is equivalent to more than 3 months of continuous use.
• The toilet is used 2,500 times per year and sat on for 25 minutes a day!
• We all spend about 13 months of our lives on a toilet seat!

Here’s the real issue. Even the cleanest looking bathrooms are hiding millions of germs, bacteria, pathogens, mould & mildew. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Yuk! So how do you keep this germ farm clean?

The best way is to have a regular bathroom cleaning routine. This can be a daily routine which includes the simple stuff like, squeegeeing the bath, shower and floor after each use, refreshing your towels and wiping the toilet down; and weekly & monthly routines, which involve breaking out the cleaning products and bit of hard work.

On top of this schedule a yearly check-up and inspection from a shower repair professional to make sure there are no leaks, cracked tiles or damaged grout and that’s a solid bathroom hygiene plan that will give you a clean, hygienic and functioning bathroom FOREVER!
We put together this checklist to help you out. Add or subtract steps depending on your own OCD!

Every Day Routine:

1. Minimise amount of moisture in your bathroom after you’ve finished using it by using a towel or squeegee. After every shower use, run your squeegee over the walls of the shower to remove any remaining water and moisture, then towel it dry. This simple step after every shower is a great way to stop mould and slime building up in your shower. It will also mean you won’t need to use harsh chemicals as regularly which is good for your tiles, glass and your health.
2. Ventilate your bathroom well. Poor ventilation is one of the top causes of mould. Many bathrooms are damp and badly ventilated. If you have an extraction fan, make sure you leave this on for 20- minutes after your bath or shower. If you have windows, open them and pull back your blinds or curtains.
3. Put the toilet seat down. Faecal matter, bacteria, and other invisible nasties can spray up to six feet away when you flush. YUK! So next time your partner refuses to leave the seat down, you can tell them just how anti-social they are!
4. Wipe down all basins and benchtops, including any silicone joins around the vanity. Harsh chemicals damage silicone, so regular cleaning with a wet cloth is best.
5. Clean spots and streaks from mirrors
6. Check toilet sides and base for drips and disinfect if needed.
7. Sweep and spot clean the floor if needed.

Weekly Routine:

1. Sweep and mop floor, especially around the toilet area.
2. Clear your vanity benchtop and clean and dry the entire perimeter. If there is white or grey haze around the faucet that will not come off with normal cleaning, that’s calcium build up so use a product such as CLR to remove it.
3. Don’t forget the soap dish. Staying on top of this will save you money in the long run.
4. Clean, sanitise, and rinse the toothbrush holder or cup.
5. Clean down and mirrors including the frame.
6. If your bath or shower has a door, be sure to clean that as well and polish the metal frame.
7. If you have a bath or shower curtain, dust the rod and rings and check the inside of the curtain for shampoo drips or mould and mildew – spot clean if necessary.
8. Change the towels and bathmat for clean ones.
9. Clean down light switches, door knobs and the areas around them.
10. Check the walls and spot-clean as necessary. If you have tiled areas outside the bathing areas, you can polish them with glass cleaner to keep their mirror shine.
11. Check drains and remove any hair that may cause blockages in the future.
12. Use bleach or other disinfectant in the toilet bowl. Put the toilet brush inside the bowl, this sanitizes the brush. Let the cleaner sit for 10 to 15 minutes to work its magic. Give it a good scrub using your clean toilet brush take the time to get underneath the toilet seat and the entire perimeter of the toilet.

Monthly Routine:

1. Wash the shower curtain fully.
2. Remove the shower head and check it for calcium clogging the nozzles. If necessary soak it in 1 cup water and 1 cup vinegar to dissolve any deposits.
3. Inspect the ceiling over the bath and shower for water spots and mould or mildew. Wipe it down if needed.
4. Check and spot-wash the door if required.
5. Look over the grout lines and scrub any grimy spots with a toothbrush or angled grout brush. You can use bleach to attempt to remove stains, but not more than once a month or you could damage your tiles and grout

When you need that really deep, once in a year clean, call The Shower Dr. We’ll clean and sanitise your shower recess and bathroom with mold inhibiting products and check for any leaks or other potential issues. We’ll give you a report on the state of your shower and make any recommendations to make your shower safe and healthy for you and your family. And because all our staff direct employees of The Shower Dr and all have been thoroughly briefed on safety measures and are absolutely committed to upholding them. We are updating our staff daily on new information relating to Coronavirus and will continue to apply every new measure advised by the Australian Government.

Call The Shower Dr on 07 3274 2843 and let us help you keep your family safe.