College bathrooms can be such a mess, particularly when you’re sharing them with other people (who, let’s face it, aren’t that clean themselves).
With so many people sharing one space, though, cleaning is super important, especially for maintaining your mental health and wellness so you can focus on your work.
Below are 5 tips to get that college bathroom sparkling and shiny in no time!
5 Tips on How to Clean a College Bathroom
The first step to getting anything clean is to gather up the supplies you’ll need.
Here are a few items you will need before you get started:
- Toilet brush
- Toilet bowl cleaner (like Clorox or Lysol)
- Tub/Shower cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles has some good options, or again Clorox or Lysol)
- Sponge or scrubber
- An all-purpose cleaner (Windex or Method)
- Paper towels or cleaning rags
- Vacuum or Broom
- Mop
- Optional: Rubber gloves (good for keeping your hands clean and clear of the chemicals you’re about to use!)
1. Start with the High-Touch Areas
It probably goes without saying that the areas that are touched the most are the dirtiest, so it’s a good idea to tackle those first.
Think of things like the toilet (especially the handle), sink and handles, doorknobs, counters, and such.
It’s a good idea to use a special germ-killing solution for these areas to disinfect them, so use sprays that are antibacterial.
2. Clean the Toilet
This is where your toilet bowl cleaner will come into play.
Most toilet bowl cleaners have instructions for cleaning or sanitizing the bowl, and we recommend reading the instructions depending on what you want to do.
(Hint: If your toilet bowl hasn’t been cleaned in a while, it’s probably a good idea to disinfect it, so check out those instructions to see what you need to do!)
Make sure to squeeze the bottom around the underside of the rim, and scrub with the toilet brush to dislodge any dirt and debris. After you’re done, flush the cleaner to reveal your shiny, clean toilet.
Don’t forget the outside of the bowl! You’ll want to make sure you wipe down the bowl, seat, stand, and base so that no dirt is left behind. Generally, your all-purpose cleaner or antibacterial spray will be fine to use here.
3. Tackle the Shower
Now for the biggest part of the bathroom: the tub/shower!
Spray down the shower walls with either your all-purpose spray or your tub cleaner, then scrub it down with a sponge. Just be sure to rinse off the cleaner when you’re finished.
Showerheads have a habit of getting dirty and clogged from so much use, so every once in a while, we recommend taking some vinegar and water, and scrubbing the showerhead down to keep things running smoothly.
Use a drain cleaner to clear any clogs in the tub drain, and you’re all set.
4. Cleaning the Sink and Counter
Cleaning the sink and the counter is pretty straightforward: All you need is your all-purpose cleaner and some paper towels.
Make sure to put away any items left out on the counter, then spray the whole sink and counter down and wipe with your paper towels. Don’t forget to do the faucet and the mirrors, and if you need to, you can always respray for tougher messes like makeup.
Once you’re done, if you’ve noticed water filling up in the sink instead of draining, grab that drain cleaner to de-clog your sink, and then you’ll be ready for the final step.
5. Sweeping and Mopping the Floor
You’re almost done!
If you have a vacuum, we definitely suggest using it here. It’ll make it a lot easier to clean up the hair and dirt on the floor.
No worries if you don’t have one! A broom and dustpan will do the trick just fine.
Don’t forget to get into any crevices and behind the toilet; a lot of dirt can get stuck in those places and get missed.
And finally, grab that mop. Most bathrooms aren’t very big, so you can get away with a Swiffer here, which makes things a lot easier because they provide the mopping solution for you.
When using regular mops and cleaning solutions, make sure to dilute the cleaning solution with water. We highly recommend reading the instructions on the back of the bottle here so you know how much water to mix with your solution.
Final Thoughts
Once you’ve mopped, you’re all done, and now you’ve got a shiny, clean bathroom to enjoy!
To make things easier, you can keep all your cleaning supplies either in the bathroom or a nearby cupboard for quicker access the next time you need to clean.
For now, you should absolutely treat yourself to a snack, or maybe a cup of coffee so you can work on that pile of homework building on your desk.
Happy cleaning!