It seems that if I’m not cleaning the kitchen, I’m cleaning the bathroom. Bathrooms can take a lot of time to clean because of all the different surfaces and how much they get used. Plus, if you have boys and have ever cleaned their bathroom… #eww. Here are my favorite homemade bathroom cleaners and how to use them.
DIY Homemade Bathroom Cleaners
If you’re like me, cleaning the bathroom is your least favorite cleaning chore. Luckily, a checklist and some homemade bathroom cleaners are all you need to make the job easier. They also help you save money!
You don’t need a lot of fancy cleaners. Bathroom cleaning can really be simple. Simple ingredients like borax, castile soap, and essential oils, like eucalyptus, make for a clean (and fabulous smelling!) bathroom. Here are some of my tried and tested homemade bathroom cleaners and cleaning hacks.
Mirrors
Like my windows, I clean mirrors with a mix of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Paper towels can leave a lot of residue, but one of my favorite way to shine mirrors is with repurposed t-shirts (they make great rags). Old newspapers also do the job nicely.
Cleaning Bathroom Counters
I use a microfiber cloth I have on hand and some homemade bathroom cleaners to get the grime off of my counters. Don’t forget to wipe down the walls every once in a while! They can get dusty and germy too, especially walls by the toilet area.
Here are some DIY cleaner options for the countertops:
Tile, Shower, and Tub Bathroom Cleaner Recipes
If you have some microfiber towels, you can use them for all of these surfaces. I’ve even found them to be an effective soap scum remover in the shower. If not, other natural options work great too.
Here’s how to get a naturally clean shower and tub:
- Equal parts of vinegar and warm water will clean tile, counters, cabinet fronts, and soap scum in the shower. I use 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water.
- A baking soda and water paste will clean stuck-on gunk in the shower and tub (use vinegar instead of water for really tough stains)
- Use this homemade shower cleaner for soap scum and rust from hard water. Spray it on the tile and even shower doors. This works well for buildup in bathtubs too.
- Here are some great natural tile cleaner and grout cleaner recipes.
- For stained tubs and really tough messes, this homemade scouring powder works great, though it isn’t needed for regular cleaning.
- For mildew on hard surfaces (like tile), tea tree essential oil is a good option. Porous surfaces with mildew on them should ideally be replaced since the mold is also deep below the surface.
Toilets
About once a week, I sprinkle some baking soda around the inside of the toilet to coat, then I dump a cup of white vinegar into the water. Then I give it a good scrub with a reusable toilet brush.
The baking soda and vinegar fizz to remove stains and any lingering smell. This also works on the outside of the toilet and floor to get rid of the “boy” smell from bathrooms.
I’ve found that the lingering urine smell (especially with potty-training boys) is often hiding in the toilet seat hinges and under the bolt caps on the side of the toilet. I take these off and thoroughly clean them every two weeks or so.
Here are my cleaning recipes for a naturally clean toilet, inside and out:
- Disinfecting spray
- Toilet bowl cleaner fizzies
- Bathroom toilet spray (like Poo-Pourri)
- All-purpose bathroom cleaner spray
- Hydrogen peroxide makes a good toilet cleaning solution. Just wipe down the outside of the toilet to disinfect.
General Bathroom Cleaning
Here are a few more homemade bathroom cleaners that can be used on multiple surfaces. If you’re too busy to make your own cleaners, Branch Basics is my favorite natural use-it-on-everything cleaner. I’ve also discovered a great company called Grove Collaborative that I discuss in more depth in this post. They make great natural cleaning products and a fantastic glass spray bottle.
Air Fresheners
Most of the stink in a bathroom comes from urine and germs on surfaces and in the air. By giving everything a good clean, that will naturally take care of any stinky smells. It’s always nice to walk into a bathroom, though, and smell something fresh like lemon or cinnamon and clove.
I’m not a fan of bathrooms that smell like bleach, artificial air fresheners, or other toxic chemicals! Products like Febreze and Lysol Spray have a host of chemicals that can be really harmful, especially to children. To freshen the bathroom without the toxins, try these natural ideas:
- Pumpkin spice room spray
- Natural air freshener recipes
- Use an essential oil diffuser in the bathroom. Keep in mind that if the room is small, you don’t need to use much in the diffuser! Be sure to double-check any safety contraindications before diffusing an oil.
Here are some good cleansing essential oils to try.
- Citrus oils like lemon, tangerine, lime, bergamot, and sweet orange
- Germ fighter blend (features cinnamon, clove, and other antimicrobial essential oils)
- Kidsafe germ destroyer blend
- Basil
- Tea tree
- Lemongrass
- Eucalyptus
How do you clean your bathroom? What is your least favorite room to clean? Let me know in the comments below!
How do you feel about the new popular vinegar and dawn dish soap as a tub/shower cleaner? Is that safe to use?
I started to use the 50/50 vinegar/water solution with a little dawn in it and I love it for the bathtub and shower. Just spray it on and it takes very little scrubbing to get a clean tub and tile.
My mother in law has very hard water with a ton of calcium and rust in it. She bought one of those kitchen sponge things that has a handle you can fill with dish soap. She fills it half way with vinegar and then adds whatever dishsoap she has on hand. It works like a charm.
I LOVE IT USE IT ALL THE TIME.
I purchase inexpensive washcloths (like the kind you can get in bundles from Walmart) and use these instead of paper towels. they can be used to absorb grease in the kitchen or to wipe up a spill, etc. then they just get tossed in the washer. i have not purchased paper towels for several years now.
I purchase inexpensive washcloths (like the kind you can get in bundles from Walmart) and use these instead of paper towels. they can be used to absorb grease in the kitchen or to wipe up a spill, etc. then they just get tossed in the washer. i have not purchased paper towels for several years now.
I purchase inexpensive washcloths (like the kind you can get in bundles from Walmart) and use these instead of paper towels. they can be used to absorb grease in the kitchen or to wipe up a spill, etc. then they just get tossed in the washer. i have not purchased paper towels for several years now.
Hi, I just found your site for the first time. Great post! I use vinegar or more often a citrus infused vinegar as my primary cleaner, but I do the same as you and use both vinegar and bicarb soda in my toilet. I keep meaning to try a bicarb paste on the grout in my shower…
I too use a cup of baking soda in the toilet but don’t find I need to also add the vinegar (though I am sure when I let it get bad the vinegar would require less scrubbing). I am definitely going to try your scouring powder. I use 50/50 vinegar/water for most everything but it doesn’t seem to work when things need a good scrub (I too have two little boys under age 5).
I just started making a citrus/pineapple enzyme base. It is supposed to be similar to what Bio Kleen uses in their Bac Out line. It is still fermenting, but I can’t wait to try it out. Supposedly you can use it on basically any surface (even your skin).
Surely hydrogen peroxide is a harmful chemical?
It is actually rated much safer than any other cleaning products. You can even get food grade if you are concerned. Personally, I use regular hydrogen peroxide on my teeth and gums for natural whitening.
I use the vinegar/water solution for most general cleaning, but one of my tools in cleaning the bathroom is a stainless steel scrub . . . goodbye soap scum! And pumice stones work well for hard water stains in the toilet bowl.
Thanks for the shout out! Also, I so glad that you are encouraging people to use non-toxic cleaners. My grandmother told me a blood-curdling story about one of her little guys drinking bleach and there is a similar story in my husband’s family. Another time a friend accidentally used ammonia in her BBQ sauce because she mistook the bottle under her sink for the ACV. In the end, nobody had any after she tasted it but it sure scared me. There are better ways to clean!