Cleaning the bathrooms in your home is a thankless necessity. The best bathroom cleaning products help you clean every nook and cranny, ensuring your bathrooms sparkle… until it’s time to clean again.
Did you know some of the best bathroom cleaning products don’t always come ready-made from a store? There are a number of cleaning products we purchase at the store regularly; however, the products we routinely use to clean the bathroom include a few natural, homemade gems. You know, because we prefer not to inhale toxic fumes when a natural alternative works just as well, if not better.
You have probably found a few bathroom cleaning products lists, and you may even have one of your own. This is another great list of cleaning products for the bathroom to help you spend less time cleaning, while achieving the same level of clean.
These are the best bathroom cleaning products you need in your home.
Before we dive into the list of bathroom cleaning products, be sure to also read the home cleaning supplies list.
Packed with helpful tips and the prettiest cleaning supplies—think beautiful wool duster, glass spray bottles and neutral cleaning caddy—it’s the definitive list of cleaning supplies to help make the thankless chore of home cleaning more efficient but pretty at the same time.
The Best Bathroom Cleaning Products
Some of the bathroom cleaning products we use are ready-made, store bought solutions. Namely, a disinfecting toilet bowl cleaner and grease-fighting dish soap.
Dish soap often works in concert with other cleaning products, while the toilet bowl cleaner works on its own.
When possible, natural bathroom cleaning products are our preference. If we find a product to clean the bathroom that works just as well, and is made without harsh ingredients, it may find its way into our home.
Baking Soda for Cleaning Sinks and Bathtubs
Baking soda has been used for decades as a mildly abrasive cleaning agent. For bathroom cleaning, baking soda works wonders on porcelain sinks, especially when a little elbow grease won’t cut it.
Storing baking soda in a glass jar with a little wooden scoop is a way to make something utilitarian look pretty. Honestly, it’s also much easier to handle than the gigantic bags of baking soda.
You can get large glass storage jars with lids at Target. They range in size from 64oz to 256oz. Jars like these look stunning in a pantry too, as long as you don’t need an airtight seal.
Use baking soda in the bathroom to clean:
- Sinks
- Tubs
- Showers
Of course, check that the materials in your bathroom are compatible with baking soda, as not all materials are.
Tip: Make a natural homemade shower scrub cleaner by combining 1 cup baking soda with 2 to 4 tablespoons of dish soap and ¼ to ½ cup hydrogen peroxide.
A scrub brush comes in handy for many cleaning jobs around the house.
White Vinegar as Glass Cleaner
Ubiquitous white vinegar, like baking soda, is a pantry staple in many homes. At our house, we use vinegar to clean mirrors and glass, naturally sanitize surfaces and as a fresh produce wash.
Vinegar is one of the best bathroom cleaning products, because it’s natural. Practically everyone has a mirror in their bathroom that needs a quick clean every few days.
Transfer vinegar to a more manageable, and prettier, glass spray bottle to make it easier to clean with.
From water spots to soap scum, a little vinegar effectively cleans bathroom surfaces. That said, do not use vinegar on natural stone, such as granite and marble, as the surface will etch over time.
Dish Soap Bathroom Countertop Cleaner
You may be surprised to learn that dish soap is one of the best bathroom cleaning products.
The grease-fighting power of dish soap helps to effortlessly lift soap scum from bathroom surfaces, such as glass shower doors and surrounds, as well as deep cleans tile grout.
The homemade shower cleaner mentioned earlier in the post includes dish soap as the main soap scum fighting powerhouse.
Our primary bathroom shower is surrounded in glass. Unfortunately, it is not a frameless shower. So, while it looks nice, cleaning soap scum from the door track and all the crevices is challenging, to say the least.
To efficiently clean such a large surface, you can combine a ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of dish soap with water in a glass spray bottle. Shake it up and spray it wherever you need to clean.
Dish soap is typically safe to clean natural stone countertops and tile as well. Read the label just to be safe before using it in your own bathroom.
Full Circle's reusable latex and cotton cleaning gloves are some of the best you can find. Target carries a white cleaning gloves that also work well.
Toilet Bowl Disinfecting and Cleaning Solution
You can easily find toilet bowl cleaners at the store. You can also find plenty of recipes online for homemade toilet bowl cleaner.
Through the years, we have found a bathroom disinfecting cleaning product works the best to truly deep clean toilets.
Seventh Generation Disinfecting Cleaner with Hydrogen Peroxide is a more natural, ready-made bathroom cleaning product we reach for. (We had been using Honest Company Disinfecting Spray, but it was discontinued.)
Hydrogen Peroxide to Disinfect Bathroom Surfaces
Another natural home staple that has many uses to clean bathrooms is hydrogen peroxide. You may be most familiar with using hydrogen peroxide as an antiseptic on wounds.
Inherent properties of hydrogen peroxide make it a workhorse of a bathroom cleaning product. Specifically, hydrogen peroxide disinfects surfaces, including toilets.
In fact, one of the main ingredients in the aforementioned Seventh Generation Disinfecting Spray is hydrogen peroxide.
Tip: Store hydrogen peroxide in a dark or opaque bottle out of sunlight—direct or indirect. Sunlight breaks down hydrogen peroxide, rendering its efficacy useless.
To be most effective, after you spray hydrogen peroxide on whatever you are cleaning, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before scrubbing or wiping it away.
Water to Support Bathroom Cleaning
Sometimes, all you need is a little water. Water may not have cleaning properties, but it does aid in diluting potent cleaning solutions. Especially when it comes to homemade cleaning products, water supports the cleaning process in a notable way.
For instance, a 1:1 mixture of vinegar to water makes an effective bathroom and shower glass cleaner.
You can also make a natural stone bathroom countertop cleaning product by mixing a ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of dish soap with 16 ounces of water.
Bleach as Bathroom Cleaner
Bleach is last on this list, because it is rarely used in our home. In fact, we only recently purchased a bottle to kill shower mildew.
As far as cleaning products for the bathroom go, few come close to the potency of bleach. Bleach is fickle, though. Preparing to use bleach takes time.
While this is not a health blog, and I do not offer any related advice, here are just a few precautions to take when using bleach:
- Have a well (very well in my case) ventilated area.
- Wear eye protection
- Use rubber gloves to protect skin
- Consider using a mask
Fully read the label instructions before using bleach.
Looking for more home cleaning solutions?
Check out 14 Household Uses for Rubbing Alcohol. Be sure to read and download the Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to clean a bathroom, like any room, is to begin from the ceiling down. That is, start with the highest fixture that needs cleaning. For instance, hot/cold air exchange vents, lighting fixtures and shelving. Otherwise, you will end up double cleaning after dust falls onto surfaces.
Allow sinks, tubs and toilets to soak for 10-20 minutes with whatever bathroom cleaning product you’re using. Specifically, most disinfectant sprays direct you to wait a little while before scrubbing or wiping away. This enables the cleaning agent to work on stains and bacteria. Read each label's instructions for the products you use.
The best bathroom cleaning products are actually a range of products. Due to the difference in materials—natural stone, porcelain, vinyl, glass, and so on—there is not one bathroom product to rule them all, typically.
That said, if you do not need to deep clean your bathroom, an all-purpose bathroom cleaning product may work for you. Check the label for directions to ensure surfaces in your bathroom are compatible.
Disinfectants are the best bathroom cleaning products to use for sinks and toilets. For obvious reasons, bathroom sinks, toilets and tubs get the most use and require a cleaning agent that will effectively kill any bacteria lurking on these surfaces. As always, follow any and all instructions on the cleaning product label before proceeding.
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