I Tried a Grandma’s “Wet Room” Bathroom-Cleaning Technique — And It Didn’t Go as Expected

I am always up for trying a new cleaning technique. Not only because it’s my job as a cleaning writer, but also because any strategy that promises results through unknown-to-me ways intrigues me. So when I read about the “wet room” bathroom-cleaning technique on Apartment Therapy, I knew I had to try it. 

I loved the idea because it feels like a cleaning “secret”— in this case, one that’s handed down from the writer’s Southern grandmother. The “wet room” bathroom-cleaning technique involves using a sudsy broom to clean an entire bathroom, from top to bottom. Fill a bucket with warm water, moisten your broom, and then top the bristles with Borax or dish soap. Working from top to bottom, scrub the entire bathroom (dipping the broom into the bucket as you go). Make sure to rinse the broom, refill the bucket, and repeat scrubbing as needed. 

Honestly, the method reminds me of something my own great-grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Italy, would do. When we went on a family trip to Italy, so many of the bathrooms were “wet rooms” — there was no separate shower or tub. The entire room was the shower room, including the space occupied by the sink and toilet. Because of this connection to my own heritage, I was even more excited to try the wet room technique.

I had to make a slight modification, as my bathroom, unlike the Southern grandmother’s, isn’t all (or any!) tile. I decided to confine the method to the shower and tub area because I didn’t want to over-wet our wooden baseboards and vanity or painted walls. I grabbed a bucket and some Dawn Platinum Plus PowerSuds Liquid Dish Soap. I emptied the shower of product bottles, opting to put them straight into the sink rather than collecting them in a laundry basket. 

On my first try, I realized my broom was absolutely filthy, so I had to hit pause and clean it thoroughly before proceeding with cleaning the bathroom. I scrubbed the dusty top lip of the shower enclosure and worked my way down to the bathtub, scrubbing the shelves and the plumbing fixtures along the way. I loved the way the dish soap cut through the dirt and grime, and how the bristles of the broom easily addressed stubborn spots of soap scum, dust, and product drips. 

But I felt awkward using the broom on the walls of the shower, especially toward the top of the shower. I was using the edge of the tub instead of a step stool as a perch. Maybe if I’d used a step stool and stood farther back it would have been less awkward to wield the long handle of the broom. 

I also found it hard to effectively rinse the soap off with the broom. It didn’t hold enough water to ensure that I was cleaning off the suds and dirt without constantly dipping the broom in the bucket of water. Eventually, I soaked a small hand towel and squeezed it onto the walls of the shower to rinse off the soap. Then I used the towel to wipe off excess water because I didn’t want to worry about watermarks from drips.  

My final thoughts? For my particular bathroom, the wet room technique felt like a bit more trouble than it was worth. I like the idea of getting the shower really wet and sudsy to clean it, but I think next time I’ll use a big sponge, like one of those car-washing sponges. 

However, I do think that using a broom for cleaning out the tub is extremely efficient. Usually, I kneel on the floor and use a small scrubber and Bar Keepers Friend to clean the tub. But with the broom and dish soap, I didn’t have to bend, the bristles got the grime off, and the whole process was much faster. This portion of the wet room technique is for sure something I’ll bring into my cleaning habits from now on.