June 2022

Of course you clean your shower. But you probably don’t enjoy it, and probably put it off longer than you should. And maybe you realize there are not only aesthetic reasons to keep it clean, but also hygienic ones. It should come as no surprise that your bathroom is one of the most the important places to keep clean in your apartment or townhome. Bathrooms can be packed full of germs. If you’re not cleaning regularly you can start to see things like mildew or mold spores forming on your shower curtain, shower head, drain, and tiles.

Let’s start with the question of how often you should clean your shower. That depends on what part of the shower you’re talking about. Some things should be cleaned after every shower, while others only need weekly or monthly cleaning. Here’s a guide…

After Every Shower

• If you have a glass shower door, use a microfiber cloth or small squeegee to wipe it down.
• Remove any hair or debris from the drain.

Weekly

• Use a spray bathroom cleaner to wipe down the walls, floor, and any chrome surfaces.
• If you use a fabric bathmat, launder it.

Monthly

• If you use a shower curtain, remove and pop it in the laundry to wash it.
• If you use a silicone bathmat, clean it with a mild detergent.

When it comes to cleaning the walls and floor of your shower, the best time to do it is immediately after you’ve taken a shower. The steam from your shower helps loosen soap scum and grime, which makes it easier to get things clean.

If you have a tile shower, you may notice the grout (the stuff between your tiles) becomes discolored or mildewed over time. How often you need to clean your grout will depend on how good of a job you do with your weekly shower cleaning. When it is time, you can use a store-bought grout cleaner or make your own. Just mix ½ cup of baking soda with 2-3 tablespoons of water – or just enough to form a paste. Then use an old toothbrush to scrub your grout with the paste.