How Soon Can You Use the Bathtub After Cleaning It? (The Answer May Surprise You!)

Time can blissfully fly by when you’re taking a bath. You may have had a long and busy day beforehand — which is probably the reason behind filling the tub in the first place — but the rush of those stressful minutes can dissipate into the moment as soon as you dip your toes in and forget about all that. 

Well, except for one problem: If you cleaned your bathtub with chemicals right before this self-care activity, should you count the minutes before stepping in? After all, the goal is to steep yourself in a stress-free atmosphere, not worry about something else you should’ve done to be safe. 

“Cleaning a bathtub doesn’t have to be a huge chore,” says Mary Gagliardi, Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert. “You can easily clean your tub and start enjoying a long soak in no time.”

Gagliardi, who also goes by the moniker “Dr. Laundry,” says there is a lag between applying your cleaning solution, letting it sit, and rinsing it, but there isn’t a need for more patience beyond that. Read on to get her tips for cleaning a tub so that you can have it ready for whatever the day may bring. 

When taking a bath is on the schedule, it’s usually at night when sleep is near and energy is low. The last thing you want to do, even if it might be a good idea, is get a pair of rubber gloves and scrub the tub down. But if you do decide to suck it up and thoroughly clean your tub before you lay in it, know this: Gagliardi says the process should take all of 10 minutes, and you can enjoy a well-deserved soak as soon as you’re done. 

“The tub can be used immediately after rinsing — there is no need to allow it to air dry,” she says. And since you’re not required to wait, the type of cleaner you use shouldn’t affect this time frame. Just make sure the solution is completely washed down the drain. 

Cleaning a bathtub is much easier and faster when you get in the habit of regular prep work. In other words, you’ll keep soap scum and mildew at bay if you routinely hose your tub down with water and use a squeegee on the surrounding tiles as soon as you’re done rinsing yourself off. But when it’s time to do a deeper clean, you need three items: rubber gloves, a cleaning agent, and a cloth. 

“Start by clearing the tub area,” Gagliardi says. “Remove bath toys, bottles, soaps, razors, and the nonslip bath mat. Set them out of the way so you can easily access the tub.”

Once your tub is cleared, Gagliardi recommends putting on gloves and using a bathroom cleaner (like Clorox’s Bathroom Disinfecting Cleaner) to clean soap scum, watermarks, stains, and germs without the harshness of bleach. 

“Start at the top of the tub and work your way down the sides to the bottom, holding the bottle 6 to 8 inches from surfaces as you spray,” she says. You’ll also want to spray your faucet and hardware. From there, wait up to 10 minutes for the solution to soak. “Wipe with a wet sponge or cloth, or rinse with water,” Gagliardi says. “For heavy soap scum, tough stains can be wiped away with a light scrubber sponge.” Return the bath items to their proper spots, and you’re all set! Easy enough, right? 

Your tub’s cleaning schedule depends on how often it’s used, but a good rule of thumb is to clean it every one to two weeks. You can clean it less often if it’s used by fewer people (and pets), and more often if it’s the solitary place a family can get clean. 

If you’re using the parameters set by Gadliardi, you can spray your bathtub prior to cleaning other aspects of the room — like the vanity, mirror, and toilet — and then rinse it off when you’re done. Cleaning the floor could only take an additional 10 minutes, and you’ll have an entirely clean bathroom in about a half hour. 

“The bathroom cleaner can also be used to clean the plastic packaging for shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash containers, as well as nonslip bath mats, so you can clean those, too, once you’ve cleaned the tub,” Gagliardi suggests. Might as well get everything sparkling. 

As with any other shower or soak, it’s wise to rinse down your tub with water after your bath is finished if only to keep your sparkling handiwork intact for as long as possible. Sometimes those bath bombs can leave a ring, so it’s nice to not see remnants of it long after the suds have disappeared. Don’t worry, it’ll only take a few minutes at most, and then you can get right to bed. Sounds like a perfectly relaxing evening!