If you're the type of person who likes to keep their bathroom looking spotless, you won't want to miss this guide, as we show you how best to clean your accessories.
Once upon a time, there lived a poor servant. Her beauty, though unmatched in the land, was often hidden by the dirt she was tasked to clean. Her vain, yet ugly sisters ensured that she never ran out of things to do. And so she scrubbed and cleaned, and she scrubbed some more. Cinderella was her name, and cleaning was her game, and you would never see a bathroom sparkle as hers did.
Her secret? She cleaned everything from top to bottom, and never missed a single spot, spending each day cleaning the bare necessities: her bathroom accessories.
Some of you might ask, “What’s the point of cleaning all the small, little things?”. Well, as the old saying goes, a little goes a long way. While large fixtures may get all your cleaning attention, you simply mustn't neglect cleaning your bathroom accessories as they are just as important. And when the time comes, make sure you use the proper cleaning materials, or you may end up causing lasting damage to chrome finishes.
So, if you want your bathroom to sparkle like a fairy tale, read on as we explain how to keep the accessories in your bathroom free from germs and clean to the touch.
Cleaning towel racks
First of all, let’s start with the low-hanging fruit (pun definitely intended!)—the things you hang your towels on—towel bars, rings and hooks. These fixtures are used several times a day, as members of your household dry their hands or towel down after showering.
The easiest and most straightforward method of cleaning these hanging fixtures is to use a non-abrasive cleaning solution and a wet cloth to wipe them clean, before letting them air dry. And, of course, whilst you're doing this, it's important to keep your towels looking good and smelling fresh by changing and washing them. Once a week should do it.
One thing to avoid is hanging dripping wet towels on your hooks or bars and keeping them there for an extended period. This can wear your fixtures out (and increase the spread of germs), even if they have a waterproof coating, so don't make it a habit, even if they usually come with a waterproofing coating.
Freshening toilet paper holders
Next, let’s look at toilet paper racks. These are usually made up of metallic material or plastic, though you might be more familiar with the latter. Plastic toilet paper holders are pretty easy to clean: just whip out a disinfecting wipe and wipe it clean, or give them a quick scrub with soap and rinse under water.
Metallic toilet paper racks will need a little more care, especially since they might erode when coming into contact with cleaning chemicals. If you’re not sure what metal your toilet paper holder is made of, just use soapy water and a cloth to clean it.
Brush up your toilet brushes
Third, we’ll look at toilet brush holders. If you’re a stickler for cleanliness, toilet brushes could be used as often as every day, so your toilet brush holder can get quite dirty quite quickly, and if left alone, this might result in a buildup of mould and decay. When cleaning your toilet, be sure to rinse the toilet brush holder clean (hold over the toilet and rinse with a jug of hot water), and keep the bathroom smelling as fresh as ever.
Sanitising your soap holders
While it might sound funny to clean bottles that hold your soap, it is super important. If left alone, the soap can solidify around the pump mechanism, trapping dirt, reducing the amount of soap you dispense with each use and making washing your hands harder than it is supposed to be. To keep your soap dispenser free from gunk, give it a quick wipe over once a week.
It's a similar story with soap dishes. If you leave them to their own devices, they will soon start looking grimy, with nasty soap scum and residue. Remove your bar of soap and give the dish a clean with a cloth and hot water.
Choosing your accessories
As you'll be aware by now, keeping your bathroom clean is important, and a huge part of cleanliness is tidiness. If you have too many accessories in your bathroom, you might want to consider cutting down the number of items, ranging from things like waste baskets to trays, so that your space doesn't feel too cluttered. Prioritise which bathroom accessories you really need to keep your bathroom organised and practical. Do keep your bathroom dry when not in use to prevent the buildup of condensation and the growth of mould.
Making your cleaning agents
When cleaning our homes, most of us opt for the easier option of buying household cleaners from our local shop. This however might not be ideal, especially since they can cause corrosion to your expensive metal fixtures, so you might want to draw inspiration from nature and make some natural cleaning agents yourself. You’ll be surprised what a little lemon, water and even baking soda can do to clean your bathroom. If you find yourself low on supplies, surf the web to find out how others have concocted their organic cleaning agents, and you might just find that these work better than the store-bought ones in cleaning tough spots and leaving behind a fresh scent.
Read our full article on how to make your own reusable wipes.
When it comes to cleaning materials, keep a cloth or a rag handy for cleaning your bathroom accessories and keep a towel spare to dry everything off. Remember, a little goes a long way when maintaining a clean home.
And how often should you clean your bathroom accessories? Well, it's a simple matter of how little or how much you use them. For example, if you don't use your towel rack much, this reduces your need to clean it as much as your toilet paper rack if you use it often. Simply ensure all your bathroom accessories are as clean as they can be when the time comes for you to do your routine cleanup.
Conclusion
While it may not seem like it, cleaning your smaller bathroom accessories is an important part of your overall bathroom cleaning routine. Accessories can trap a fair bit of dirt and spread germs easily. Cleaning them contributes to the overall freshness of your bathroom, so do take some extra time every week, and ensure everything in your bathroom is as clean as can be.
Shop bathroom accessories
If you want a bathroom that sparkles like new, why not invest in some stylish new accessories? At Victoria Plum, we have a huge range to choose from, with options for budgets big and small. Simply click below to begin browsing.
