7 Things in Your Bathroom You Might Not Be Cleaning Enough

Your bathroom is the one room in your home dedicated to keeping you clean, but it’s also the room that always seems to get dirtier faster than any other room. Germs and bacteria are just a fact of life in the bathroom, but if you’re only cleaning staples like the shower, sink, toilet and floors, you might be missing other spots that need a little extra care, too.

Here are 7 spots in your bathroom you might not be cleaning as often as you need to be, and how to take them on.

Did you know Martha Stewart suggests cleaning your shower curtain liner once a week? If you’re only cleaning your shower liner when it looks dirty, it might be time to add regular cleanings to your routine. The good news: they’re machine washable, so you can either scrub them by hand or toss them in the wash with a mild detergent. Good Housekeeping suggests adding a few bath towels in the washing machine for extra cleaning agitation.

Fun fact: Studies show that your toothbrush holder is actually the third germiest place in your home, according to Molly Maid. And since it touches your toothbrush, the thing you put in your mouth every day, it’s definitely worth cleaning a lot more often. Molly Maid suggests soaking it in hot water and using soap and a pipe cleaner or other small brush to get rid of any residue, then either run it through the dishwasher or sterilize it with boiling water, vinegar, or a bleach solution.

Loofahs, like sponges, are full of nooks and crannies that trap dirt and bacteria—not exactly what you want to clean and scrub your body with. Loofahs should be replaced if they start to smell different or if the color changes, but in the meantime, there are ways to keep them cleaner longer, according to HuffPost—try soaping it up and rinsing it on its own after you shower, then putting it in a place where it can dry thoroughly. You can also soak it in a bleach solution, or even microwave it for 20 seconds so long as your loofah isn’t plastic.

The bathroom and bacteria basically go hand-in-hand, and the last thing your hand touches before you leave it? The doorknob. If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your doorknobs (that goes for the rest of your home, too) it’s definitely time for a wipe-down. You can use cleaning wipes or a cloth and cleaning spray, but either way, it only takes a minute to de-germ your doorknobs, and it’s totally worth it.

Much like your doorknob, your light switch is one of the last things you’re touching on the way out of the bathroom, so if you’re not cleaning it regularly, it’s likely that just by turning off the light on your way out, you’re getting bacteria right back on your hands post-washing up. Clean your light switch the same way you would your doorknobs.

You use your toilet brush all the time to scrub your toilet, but how often do you clean the brush itself, or the stand it rests on in between cleanings? Cut back on bacteria (and any potentially weird smells) by disinfecting your toilet brush with bleach, and spray the holder with disinfectant spray and rinse with boiling water or soak it in bleach—get the full instructions for cleaning at Cleanipedia.

The space behind the toilet is often out of sight, out of mind, but that just means there’s room for bacteria to build up back there. WikiHow advises using a brush or a broom to sweep up dirt and debris, then wiping the area down with a cleaning wipe or with cleaning spray and a cloth.