7 Easy Mistakes You Can Make When Cleaning the Bathroom

The task itself is a tough enough mountain to climb, so let’s first say this: There’s no wrong way to clean the bathroom. But… but! There are definitely methods you can try that will make cleaning the bathroom more effective and sometimes even easier. Cleaning knowledge is cleaning power and, when it comes to manual tasks like scrubbing the toilet and wiping the mirror, “power” means less physical toil.

Here are a few bathroom cleaning mistakes that, when corrected, will leave you with a spotless and functional washroom with far less work:

Yes, it’s a feat to even use that dirtiest of brushes to scrub that dirtiest of seats in the house. But if you don’t let it dry before putting it back in its cradle, you’re creating a pool of toilet water that you’ll be dipping into repeatedly. Now that’s yuck. Instead, dry your toilet brush by sandwiching it under the toilet seat and allowing it to drip into the bowl before putting it back in the holder.

If you don’t dust the toilet before you clean it, you’ll likely be wiping a wet trail of dust all along the toilet as you’re wiping it down. Dusting with a duster or the dusting attachment on your vacuum cleaner solves this problem and makes your actual wipe-down less about dusting and more about shining the toilet.

It’s a tempting spot to overlook. No one wants to contort themselves to reach that patch of floor between the back of the toilet and the wall. But if you skip it, not only will dust and hair accumulate over time, but odors from “oversplash” could become a problem as well.

Soap scum cleaners need time to work, whether you’re using the vinegar-in-a-bag trick on the shower head or a commercial spray on the glass doors. Trying to wipe down your shower walls before the cleaners have done their work is an exercise in futility (and wastes product, too).

We all want to come out of the shower and wrap ourselves in a soft fluffy towel, but using fabric softener on towels diminishes their absorbancy over time. To keep your towels soft, pliable, and absorbent, try adding a cup of vinegar to the wash cycle. Also try using less detergent when you wash your towels.

Baking soda and vinegar will always have a place in my cleaning arsenal. But using them at the same time cancels out vinegar’s disinfecting properties. To take advantage of the scrubbing power of baking soda and the antiseptic properties of vinegar, I use them separately: I sprinkle baking soda in our bathroom sinks and scrub with water and a sponge. After the baking soda is rinsed away, I spray with vinegar to kill germs.

Read more: We’re All Using Clorox Wipes Wrong, Apparently

Using rags means less waste, and that’s something we can all get behind. But if you use the wrong type of rag, your mirror won’t be sparkling when you’re done cleaning it. Regular rags leave behind lint and result in a fuzzy looking glass. Instead, for an old t-shirt, a microfiber rag or blue huck surgical towels when you clean the mirrors