Tips for Cleaning Bathroom Linens and How Often They Should Be Cleaned
Cleaning the bathroom is a household ritual that family members may take turns with every week or two. Few people truly enjoy cleaning the bathroom, but these are necessary tasks that must be done for the health of everyone who uses the facilities. In addition to scrubbing the toilet, sink, and shower, bathroom linens must also be cleaned on a regular basis. Here are some tips for cleaning bathroom linens, including how often these items should be cleaned and the risks of neglecting them.
Cleaning Bath Mats
Bath mats are very useful in preventing slips and falls in the shower and tub, but they are also a common source of mold and mildew growth. Rubber mats used in bathtubs and showers can even cause foot fungus and unpleasant smells if they aren’t cleaned regularly.
Conveniently, you can use your bathtub to clean your mat without much time or effort at all. This should be done about once a month. Lay it at the bottom of the tub with the suction cups facing up, and fill the tub with warm water. Then, pull on some rubber gloves and pour a couple cups of chlorine bleach into the bathwater. Use a bristled brush to scrub the mat, rinse it off, and allow it to fully dry.
Cleaning Hand Towels
Hand towels are commonly used after using the restroom and may be shared by multiple people. This habit encourages the spread of germs, especially when towels aren’t swapped out for clean ones regularly.
Hand towels tend to get pretty dingy over time with regular use. Avoid using too much detergent and don’t let towels dry out too long in the sun to prevent this. Vinegar is great for brightening up dingy hand towels, and you can simply add a cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle to remove detergent residue. Other at-home remedies include adding a cup of baking soda or borax to your wash, or perhaps letting hand towels pre-soak in a tub before the machine wash cycle. Hand towels should be washed or replaced at least once per week.
Cleaning Shower Curtains
Just because a shower curtain is next to you while you’re getting clean doesn’t mean that it’s clean too. Like bath mats, shower curtains are prime gargets for mold and mildew growth because they are so frequently left moist.
One solution is to toss your plastic shower curtain into the washing machine with two bath towels on the gentle setting, along with a ½ cup of baking soda during the wash cycle and ½ cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle. Bleach is useful for getting mold and mildew off of shower curtains, so you can also add a ½ cup of chlorine bleach with a ¼ cup of laundry detergent into a warm wash cycle along with a couple bath towels. Once washed, you can put the shower curtain and towels into the dryer on a low setting for about 10 minutes and then hang until fully dry. Once a month is a good rule-of-thumb for cleaning the shower curtain.
Cleaning Bathroom Rugs
Bathroom rugs are used to avoid slips and add softness to the areas outside the tub, in front of the sink, and around the toilet. At least every few weeks, make sure to wash your rugs according to the washing instructions on the tag. Microfiber rugs and other fabric rugs with a plastic or rubber backing can usually be placed in the washer with a mild detergent and with cold water. Bathroom rugs should always be tumble-dried at the lowest temperature setting or air-dried. If the backing is coming off your mats, consider buying new ones because those pieces can get stuck in the washing machine or dryer.
To go along with your newly clean bathroom linens, we would love to show you our beautiful selection of hand-picked decorative products and plumbing supplies to suit every bathroom. Faucets, sinks, whirlpools, medicine cabinets, showers, and steam baths are just a few of the bathroom fixtures that you can browse in our five New York showrooms. Stop by the one nearest you to see for yourself!