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10 Basic Tips on How to Clean Bathroom Tiles and the Bathroom Overall

Nothing beats entering a bathroom that feels as clean as a room designed around hygiene and cleanliness should be. But sometimes creating a truly clean bathroom can feel like a daunting task…and keeping it clean closer to the “impossible” end of the daunting spectrum. Especially bathroom tile and grout. With spring cleaning in the air, though, there are some tips and tricks for how to clean bathroom tiles and keep them clean.

American Standard green bathroom
American Standard green bathroom

Clean the bathroom a little every day.

This doesn’t mean do a thorough deep-clean of the bathroom on the daily. Instead, it means doing those small, 20-second tasks that will perk up your bathroom’s freshness each day, such as spot-cleaning the mirror or floor tile and wiping off the counters, tile backsplash, and/or sink. Weekly, however, you’ll want to do the following bathroom cleaning tips. But, if you do it each week, you’ll find it gets easier and you get more efficient.

American Standard green bathroom

Vacuum the bathroom tile.

Sweeping and mopping is all very well, but sometimes the powerful suction of a vacuum clean is what is needed to remove hair and debris from the bathroom tile, whether it’s on the floor or wall.

American Standard green bathroom

Pre-heat the tile.

When possible, turn on the faucet to the hottest water setting possible and fill the bathtub and sink with a couple inches of hot water to heat surrounding areas. Splash some hot water on troublesome spots of tile as well. Let these sit for a few minutes while you clean the mirror or wipe down other surfaces. Then drain the hot water and clean the surrounding tile and area; the increased heat has been known to significantly increase the effectiveness of alkaline cleaners.

American Standard green bathroom

Work from top to bottom.

If your bathroom has tile as a tub surround, as a backsplash, and on the floor, you’re going to want to clean from the top down. Spray the antibacterial cleaner all over, then do your scrubbing from the top down. This increases the efficiency of your cleaning session, as you don’t have cleaner and grime running down or dropping onto your already-cleaned areas.

Spread the cleaner evenly.

When you are working on cleaning tile, you’re going to want to spread the bathroom tile cleaner (including DIY natural tile or grout cleaner) around evenly across the tile and grout. You can do this most effectively with a sponge or soft cloth.

American Standard green bathroom

Don’t rush.

Most bathroom tile cleaners (and other cleaners) work best when they have a few minutes to sit and fight the grime on the tile itself. Resist the urge to start swiping the cleaner away right after you spray it and spread it around. Let it sit there for about five minutes to really activate the cleaning capacity.

American Standard green bathroom

Scrub the surfaces.

Once your bathroom tile cleaner has sat for about five minutes, it’s time to scrub it clean. Tile surfaces range in hardness, but grout tends to be more porous, so be sure to use a non-abrasive scrubbing tool, such as a softer scrub brush or non-scratch pad. You can also look into using natural ingredients to clean grout, if going green in cleaning is your jam.

American Standard green bathroom

Try Magic Eraser.

If you really want to learn how to clean bathroom tiles, we recommend giving Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser a try on your stubborn tile and porcelain surfaces. This is less effective on grout, but it works great on the smoother surfaces of tiles.

American Standard green bathroom

Rinse all cleaners.

You don’t want all of your hard cleaning work to be un-done by leaving chemicals on the surfaces of your bathroom tile, so be sure to rinse them thoroughly after cleaning.

American Standard green bathroom

Dry all surfaces.

Particularly on the floor, where a wet floor means a major safety hazard, you’ll want to be sure to dry all surfaces thoroughly. Consider using color-coded dry rags (e.g., red cloths for the floor, yellow for the toilet, and blue for the sink) to avoid cross-contamination of potentially residual surface germs.

10 Best bathroom cleaning products available nowadasys

Better Life Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner

American Standard green bathroom

There’s definitely a wide variety of cleaning products that can help you keep your bathroom nice and clean and a lot of them are targeted to suit specific needs. This Better Life cleaner is great for tubs and tiles and it made out of plants so it’s a natural cleaner. It’s great for getting rid of water stains, mineral deposits and even mild mildew and rust stains. It’s not toxic and it has a lovely tea tree and eucalyptus natural fragrance.

Lime-A-Way Bathroom Cleaner

American Standard green bathroom

What really makes a bathroom look bad is all the limescale and rust that can appear in various places. Some stains are quite difficult to remove and scrubbing can ruin the surface and the finish. Luckily, products like the Lime-A-Way cleaner step in to help. This cleaner gets rid of tough limescale, calcium and rust stains without the need of scrubbing.

Clorox Bleach Pen Gel

American Standard green bathroom

In some spots a little bit of bleach can make all the difference. This is a Clorox bleach pen which makes it easy to apply the substance in targeted spots and to apply the treatment to only the affected area. It has a fine point applicator for small spots and a broad scrubber in case you have a larger stain to deal with. Use it to make the white surfaces in your bathroom look gorgeous and like new all the time.

Granite Gold Grout Cleaner and Scrub Brush

American Standard green bathroom

With time tiles start to look old and dirty and that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the tiles themselves. You can keep them clean and like new but if the grout lines between them start to change color and to accumulate dirt that messes up the whole look. With this Granite Gold grout cleaner, you can give your whole bathroom a quick refresh. You can spray it on any color of grout and it’s safe around lots of materials like stone, porcelain, slate, ceramic, concrete and glass.

Soft Scrub with Bleach Cleaner Gel

American Standard green bathroom

Having a more basic cleaner that you can use for the sink, toilet and other surfaces is always handy and the Soft Scrub gel is a nice option. It contains a little bit of bleach and it’s a disinfectant. It’s great for large surfaces but also for spot cleaning and it’s very versatile, keeping the bathroom clean without being harsh on the surfaces.

Grout-EEZ Super Heavy Duty Tile & Grout Cleaner and Whitener

American Standard green bathroom

For tiles that have been neglected for some time and are in need of a good scrub you can use the Grout-eez cleaner. It cleans the tiles and gets rid of the dirt and grime in the grout lines between them. It’s safe to use of ceramic and porcelain tiles both white and colored and it comes with a stand-up brush so you can scrub them while standing up without having to be on your hands and knees.

Getace Electric Spin Scrubber

American Standard green bathroom

Speaking of brushes, here’s a cool product that makes cleaning the bathroom easier and more enjoyable. The Getace electric spin scrubber has a long handle so you can clean the tiles, the floor and reach into the corners with ease and without having to bend down at any time. It’s a cordless scrubber so the cable won’t get in the way and won’t limit you in any way. It’s a very helpful tool for anyone with back paint or just for anyone in general.

Unger 2-in-1 Grout and Corner Scrubber

American Standard green bathroom

Corners are notoriously difficult to clean and a lot of times they can ruin the whole look of the room. The Unger scrubber was specially designed to reach into the corners and to help you clean those difficult to reach spots so your tiles and floors can look like brand new once again. It has V-shaped bristles that get deep into the grout and get rid of all the grime, dirt, mildew and scum and a comfortable handle with a good grip.

O-Cedar Microfiber Steam Mop with 1 Extra Refill

American Standard green bathroom

Steam mops take cleaning to a whole new level. They’re excellent for tiled floors in areas like bathrooms and cleaners and they clean the surface like no regular mop ever could. The O-cedar steam mop has a nice and simple design with an ergonomic handle and a triangular shape that lets it get into all the corners. Use it to get rid of all the grime and dirt and kill all the bacteria on your bathroom floor without using any harsh chemicals and without scrubbing.

Shark Steam Pocket Mop with Swivel Steering XL Water Tank

American Standard green bathroom

The Shark steam pocket mop is also a great option. It has a large water tank and an 18 ft power cord and it’s great for large surfaces. You can use it on tile and other types of floors and quickly and efficiently get rid of all the dirt in one motion. It’s great for bathrooms, kitchens, entryways or if you have outdoor pets in general. It has a nice swivel mechanism that lets you twist and turn to reach all the areas without much effort and it’s easy and comfortable to use.

Enjoy your clean bathroom, now hopefully more than just once a week!