One of the biggest struggles when it comes to cleaning is keeping your bathroom in a sparkling condition. We know that bathrooms can accumulate dirt quickly, more so than any other room in the house, and there's nothing worse than a dirty bathroom.
However, the problem with many bathroom cleaning products is that they contain all sorts of harmful chemicals that can damage your health. So, we've compiled a list of eco-friendly bathroom cleaning products and tips that use three main natural ingredients to help you tackle the dirt and grime in your bathroom. The ingredients you can use to clean your bathroom are: white vinegar, baking soda, water, and a hint of essential oils to mask the scent of the vinegar, giving you a fresh clean smell (alright, you can also use lemon!)
Cleaning your bathroom with microfiber cloths
Before you start cleaning, you need the right tools to accompany the cleaning products you'll be using. Your best friend when cleaning a bathroom is a microfiber cloth. It's the most superior material when tackling germs and tough grime in the bathroom. It leaves no threads behind, and it lasts a lifetime. Microfiber cloths are a valuable investment for long-term cleaning solutions. They are practical and effective and reduce the amount of cleaning solution you use, allowing you to save further.
Cleaning your bathroom tiles, floor and grouts
Whether it’s tile or wax-free floors, bathroom moisture creates a risk for grout. While it may be tempting, the bleach route is not necessary for floors to be clean and hygienic. All you need for this is a handy bathroom cleaning kit that includes microfiber cloth, AspenClean bathroom cleaner (voted best by Parent's Magazine and many others), and super effective scouring powder - SuperScrub.
Mix the scouring powder into a bucket of hot water, and use the microfiber cloth to cover the floor area. A little pro tip, add some lemon juice or a touch of lavender essential oil to the mixture, leaving a fresh-smelling floor.
If there are problematic areas (such as mould or grout that cannot be removed), follow this alternative natural solution: Mix 70 grams of scouring powder with 50 ml of water. This creates a high-viscosity paste to be poured on an old toothbrush. Use these tools to scrub the toughest of stains.
Unblocking drains while cleaning your bathroom
Depending on how blocked the drain is in your showers and sink, you might need a plumber to fight through the blockage. But a great way to stay on top of a partially clogged drain is baking soda, vinegar, boiling water, and the help of a plunger.
Pour the boiling water down the drain and add your baking soda, allowing it to sit for a few minutes. Then take your white vinegar, some more boiling water, and pour it over the baking soda. You will want to contain the reaction within the drain, so put in the plug and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes. Rinse the drain one last time with boiling water to wash everything away. If the drain is still clogged, try using a plunger to dislodge the contents blocking the drain.
Adding a drain strainer to showers and sinks will help catch a lot of the materials that can block the drain, making your life a lot easier when it comes to cleaning.
How to clean shower, bath & sink in your bathroom
Vinegar and water - or - baking soda and water also work for cleaning soap scum that builds up in baths, showers, and sinks. If you find those solutions aren't tough enough for those hard-to-clean areas, try mixing baking soda and water to make a paste. Apply the paste to the tougher cleaning areas and leave it to sit for a while so the paste can help break down the scum.
Unclogging the drain in your bathroom
What sounds more fun than pulling out clogs of wet hair covered in grease and dirt from a dirty pipe? It’s ok if nothing pops to mind. Usually, we think that the only way we get these messes unclogged is by using something like Drain-O or some other commercial products from your local Shoppers Drugmart. But these products contain chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite, which can cause permanent damage to skin and eyes on contact, and the vapours can burn lungs. Many also contain dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, a severe eye and skin irritant, and dichlorodifluoromethane, a neurotoxic eye irritant.
To prevent drains from ever getting to this point, the only sodium compound needed is sodium bicarbonate, your classic scouring powder.
Every two months, pour 170 grams of scouring powder down the drain, followed by 120 ml of white vinegar. Immediately seal the drain with a wet cloth or rag and let it sit for about half an hour. During this time, the chemical reaction will break down any blockages starting. Once the 30 minutes have elapsed, pour about half a litre of boiling water down the drain to wash away the remnants. White vinegar is one of the best eco cleaners, so you can also find other tips to learn how to clean with white vinegar here.
How to clean your toilet
In contrast to the popular opinion of dorm rooms, toilets need weekly cleaning. How is this done spotlessly while using natural ingredients? Easy.
Pour 150ml of white vinegar into the bowl and let it sit for half an hour. When time’s up, use a scrubbing brush lined with scouring powder and work inside that bowl. Sprinkle more scouring powder on any areas that are problematic and start scrubbing. You can even add a few drops of dish soap. Once finished, flush the bowl.
After completing the bowl, apply scouring powder on a damp microfiber cloth. To be effective, the microfiber cloth should have a high thread count and thick body, such as AspenClean Bathroom Microfiber Cloth. Use some elbow grease and make that bowl shine. The result is the microfiber will pick up 98% of all bacteria, and the powder will dislodge particles stuck on the surface.
How to clean mirrors
Bathroom mirrors can gather a lot of dirt over time, and one of the main issues when cleaning a mirror is the streaks and residue from the cloth that are left behind. Mixing 50:50 vinegar and water in a bottle will help get rid of the streaks when cleaning your mirror. This strength of vinegar in the solution can be an overwhelming smell for many people, so we suggest using our Natural Glass Cleaner for a streak-free mirror; bonus point: it smells great.
Also, be careful with the material you choose to wipe the mirror. Some materials tend to leave threads behind, which is why we suggest using a microfiber cloth. They leave no residue, and they almost last forever!
Cleaning the extractor fan
One cleaning task that many people seem to neglect is cleaning the fan in the bathroom, which is essential to remove lingering odours and moisture from the bathroom. When a fan gets blocked with dust, it prevents moisture from leaving the bathroom, leading to mould, which thrives in damp conditions.
If your fan is relatively clean, you might get away with using the dusting attachment on the vacuum, but if it hasn't been cleaned in a long time, you'll need a more hands-on approach to tackle the dirt.
One important thing to note is turning off the electricity that's powering the fan; it's always better to be safe than sorry when cleaning electronics. Remove the vent cover of the fan and wash it in soapy water. Then, use a cloth to wipe away any dust or dirt stuck to the cover. If you can, you will also want to clean any dust or dirt that has built up on the fan blades or in and around the unit, but I will repeat it again - make sure the electricity is off. Always make sure parts are properly dry before reconnecting everything.
Small bathroom checklist
While the previous points are the essentials, don’t forget the smaller pieces of your cleaning. This list will fill in any gaps:
- Cabinet fronts cleaned
- Countertops and shelves dusted and/or wiped
- All surfaces dusted
- Windowsills and window tracks cleaned
- Baseboards dusted and/or wiped
- Doorknobs, doorframes and doors wiped
- Light switches wiped
Don’t forget to use natural bathroom cleaners too
DIY solutions are handy when you have time, but finding the right balance between ingredients can be difficult for tackling different bathroom stains. However, because of the nature of the bathroom, when cleaning it, you want to make sure it is done right and in the most effective way possible.
Our Natural Bathroom Cleaner is our most sought-after product among AspenClean's consumers. It creates the perfect balance of natural ingredients that work perfectly on soap scum and hard water marks and is safe for use on multiple bathroom surfaces. Most of all, it smells fantastic!
Using the bathroom cleaner with our specially formulated Bathroom Microfiber Cloth makes cleaning much more effective. Our microfiber bathroom cleaning cloths use friction, static energy and capillary effects to trap and remove dust, dirt, oils and even bacteria. As the cloths are so effective, you tend to use less product, making it more sustainable.
For toilets or areas requiring a tougher cleaning approach, our Natural SuperScrub Scouring Powder will help you handle any of these issues with maximum efficiency. No matter how tough and old the stains are, our proprietary formula will allow you to remove them quickly and easily. Best of all, it is absolutely safe and prevents you from coming into contact with toxic chemicals contained in conventional cleaners and scrub powders. Our SuperScrub Scouring Powder is a much stronger version of baking soda; it works more effectively on stains and contains strong antibacterial and antifungal capabilities.
Trust us; you won't regret making the switch! And remember, you can always find the best green cleaning service company to help with it (if you’re lucky enough to live in Vancouver, Calgary or Toronto.) Finally, if you’re looking for more tips on how to clean more eco-friendly, don’t hesitate to check out our blog.
