8 expert-approved bathroom cleaning hacks that will change how you clean

Cleaning your bathroom is a task that no one enjoys, but it’s an essential part of keeping your home in order. 

From TikTok to Instagram there are a huge number of bathroom cleaning hacks out there that promise to transform how you clean a bathroom, leaving it spotless with minimal effort.

On TikTok #CleanTok has over 62.3 billion views and #bathroomcleaning has over 742.6 million views, so there is a lot of demand for knowing the best ways to keep your bathroom ideas squeaky clean. The problem is how do you know if these cleaning hacks actually work and are safe? 

Karl Huckerby, cleaning expert at Spare And Square says, ‘Safety is the first thing everyone needs to think about when it comes to bathroom cleaning hacks, as sometimes these pieces of advice aren't the safest.’

Bathroom cleaning hacks  

These are some of the top hacks doing the rounds on social media which are safe and work. From natural substitutes for your best cleaning products to how to unblock a sink, these hacks will transform your cleaning routine. 

1. Use essential oil in your bin

To keep your bin smelling fresh, take a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil and place it on a couple of cotton balls or pieces of tissue and place it at the bottom of the bin. 

This will prevent any unpleasant odours from developing and simply replace the cotton balls or tissue once you can longer smell the essential oil. If you don't have any essential oils, just use a couple of drops of disinfectant instead. 

2. Natural drain unblocker

If you have a light blockage in your drain use fairy liquid, bicarbonate soda, white vinegar and boiling water to dislodge the blockage. The bicarbonate soda and vinegar create a fizzing reaction which helps dislodge any light blockages and the fairy liquid helps remove grease and oil. 

'Drain unblocker can be quite expensive, so I tried this natural drain unblocker hack on my bathroom sink,' says Rebecca Knight, Ideal Home's Deputy Digital Editor. 'In under 10 minutes the water was draining much faster, I was impressed for a hack that cost pennies to do.'

3. Toilet brush drying trick

This clever bathroom cleaning hack is about prevention rather than cleaning up after. All over social media we've spotted cleaning fans trapping a toilet brush handle under the toilet seat and letting the brush drip into the toilet bowl. 

Bacteria loves wet conditions, so allowing your brush to air dry prevents dirty water from building up in the holder and allowing bacteria to thrive.  

4. Use denture tablets for a white sink

Denture tablets are a surprising wonder cleaning product and they're ideal for getting your sink gleaming again. Simply fill your sink with water before dropping in two denture tablets. 

The tablets contain baking soda which is great for dissolving dirt and grease easily so there's no need to scrub hard to get that shiny white finish. Leave the tablet for at least 30 minutes before cleaning and rinsing out the sink. 

5. Use shaving foam on your mirror

When you take a hot shower or bath, the bathroom can become very steamy, including your bathroom mirror. This can be annoying if you need to use the mirror after you've gotten out of the shower.

An easy way to tackle this is to tag this shower foam hack onto the end of your routine when cleaning a mirror. Apply a thin, even layer of shaving foam and buff it into the mirror before wiping it dry with a clean and soft cloth. This will last for 1-2 weeks before you will need to repeat the process. 

6. Clean up your grout

If your grout is looking like it needs a good clean, ‘Combine one tbsp water and one tbsp bicarbonate soda into a paste and spread over the grout. Spray with vinegar and with a little elbow grease, give the grout a good scrub with a toothbrush, unearthing any grime,' says Ashley Cooper, marketing director at Triton Showers.

7. Remove showerhead limescale

For a showerhead that contains limescale in the nozzles, cleaning with vinegar is the hero ingredient to remove it according to Ashley Cooper, marketing director at Triton Showers. Limescale in your shower not only blocks the flow of water but looks unsightly. 

‘A simple fix is to remove the head, insert it into a sealable plastic bag or container and fully immerse it in vinegar for two hours. Upon removing, give the nozzles a quick brush or wipe to remove any remaining deposits. Rinse with water and screw back onto the shower hose – good as new!’

8. Tackle surface grime with a homemade mix

For surface grime that is leaving your bathroom looking dull, Cooper recommends a mix of cooking oil, tea leaves, vinegar and boiling water to bring up the shine in your bathroom for a complete transformation. 

FAQs

Cleaning products you should never mix together  

It is tempting to try all the bathroom cleaning hacks doing the rounds on Instagram and TikTok, however, there are a few rules around mixing certain cleaning materials you should bear in mind. Karl Huckerby from Spare And Square warns that mixing certain products can have a dangerous impact on your health or damage your bathroom by staining or tarnishing your finishes. These are the combos to avoid:

Bleach and vinegar: Despite both being great cleaning products on their own, when mixed together they create chlorine gas. Being in an environment with chlorine gas could cause a variety of problems, including breathing difficulties and burning of the skin.

Bleach & Ammonia: When mixed, these products create a gas called chloramine. The effects of this gas are similar to the effects of chlorine gas.

Hydrogen Peroxide & Vinegar: This creates peracetic acid, an acid that decontaminates surfaces but is also highly corrosive.

Bleach & Rubbing Alcohol: This mixes together to create chloroform.

Drain cleaning products: Mixing drain unblockers is dangerous as these include particularly strong chemicals.

Which hack are you going to try out?