The Best Bathroom Cleaners

Bathrooms are the one place in your home where you spend a lot of time directly exposed to some of the worst germs. Using the right products and processes can make quick work of tackling the messes and return your bathroom to a clean sanctuary. There are a lot of considerations for choosing a good bathroom cleaner.

Many are strong chemicals with harmful fumes that may leave behind toxic residue. Others are well-intentioned, environmentally friendly choices that are ineffective on the tough jobs. With so many great products on the market, there’s a great balance. Below are our favorites.

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BEST ALL-PURPOSE
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This is one of the best cleaners we’ve ever used. Its concentrated formula allows varying dilution for different tasks- just add to water in a spray bottle and go! Originally only found in organic and specialty groceries and online, we are finding it in most stores and online now. It’s very popular for a reason! We tried it at several levels of dilution and were so impressed. It has a strong odor at first of pine (not like Pine-Sol) but that rapidly dissipates. We tried it on a grimy bathtub coated in soap scum and mineral build-up. It needed to sit for a few minutes but it dissolved everything fast and the tub and tile were sparkling clean afterward. This is also an excellent degreaser in the kitchen when washing up pots and pans. It's biodegradable, does not leave a residue behind, and is safe to use just about anywhere. It has a strong smell when not diluted though and you will need to purchase a spray bottle.

BEST ALL-PURPOSE

No products found.

This is one of the best cleaners we’ve ever used. Its concentrated formula allows varying dilution for different tasks- just add to water in a spray bottle and go! Originally only found in organic and specialty groceries and online, we are finding it in most stores and online now. It’s very popular for a reason! We tried it at several levels of dilution and were so impressed. It has a strong odor at first of pine (not like Pine-Sol) but that rapidly dissipates. We tried it on a grimy bathtub coated in soap scum and mineral build-up. It needed to sit for a few minutes but it dissolved everything fast and the tub and tile were sparkling clean afterward. This is also an excellent degreaser in the kitchen when washing up pots and pans. It's biodegradable, does not leave a residue behind, and is safe to use just about anywhere. It has a strong smell when not diluted though and you will need to purchase a spray bottle.

BEST SPRAY
No products found.
The cleaning power of vinegar is one of those best-kept secrets that your grandma probably didn't teach you. This spray utilizes vinegar and water softeners to pretty much melt away hard water and grime in the bathroom. For stubborn hard water and soap scum stains, this can be sprayed on to soak in a little and then voila! It's not going to remove hard water stains that are really old and built up easily, but after a few rounds, we've brought back a tired old glass shower door that was practically frosted glass it was so bad. It should not be used on porous surfaces like marble, limestone, or unsealed rustic tile/brick. This does have a very strong smell of vinegar that may smell acidic to some and you will want to air out your bathroom after using. But it's soooo worth it. 9 Elements does not contain all the nasty stuff like bleach or harsh synthetic fragrances. I use it to clean my stainless steel pans and sinks too with great success.

BEST SPRAY

No products found.

The cleaning power of vinegar is one of those best-kept secrets that your grandma probably didn't teach you. This spray utilizes vinegar and water softeners to pretty much melt away hard water and grime in the bathroom. For stubborn hard water and soap scum stains, this can be sprayed on to soak in a little and then voila! It's not going to remove hard water stains that are really old and built up easily, but after a few rounds, we've brought back a tired old glass shower door that was practically frosted glass it was so bad. It should not be used on porous surfaces like marble, limestone, or unsealed rustic tile/brick. This does have a very strong smell of vinegar that may smell acidic to some and you will want to air out your bathroom after using. But it's soooo worth it. 9 Elements does not contain all the nasty stuff like bleach or harsh synthetic fragrances. I use it to clean my stainless steel pans and sinks too with great success.

BEST TOILET CLEANER
No products found.
This is a neat little system comprised of a handle and single-use disposable pads. A pad loaded with cleaner is attached to the handle to clean the toilet. The biodegradable pad is flushed away and the handle replaced on the side of the toilet for next use. We’ve always liked the disposable one-time use pad system because it eliminates the need to keep a dirty brush by your toilet. However, we struggled with the idea of throwing away a non-biodegradable sponge every time we cleaned the toilet. This solved both problems. We did not like that the pads don’t hold up as well as the old-style nylon pads but we learned that once we’d scrubbed all the build-up off in a deep clean, these pads won’t have to work as hard. They easily handle cleaning the toilet as long as you use them regularly and don’t let build-up accumulate. You can also buy heavy-duty cleaning pads for use with the cleaning handle, but they are not flushable.

BEST TOILET CLEANER

No products found.

This is a neat little system comprised of a handle and single-use disposable pads. A pad loaded with cleaner is attached to the handle to clean the toilet. The biodegradable pad is flushed away and the handle replaced on the side of the toilet for next use. We’ve always liked the disposable one-time use pad system because it eliminates the need to keep a dirty brush by your toilet. However, we struggled with the idea of throwing away a non-biodegradable sponge every time we cleaned the toilet. This solved both problems. We did not like that the pads don’t hold up as well as the old-style nylon pads but we learned that once we’d scrubbed all the build-up off in a deep clean, these pads won’t have to work as hard. They easily handle cleaning the toilet as long as you use them regularly and don’t let build-up accumulate. You can also buy heavy-duty cleaning pads for use with the cleaning handle, but they are not flushable.

BEST CLEANING WIPES
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TDisinfectant wipes are the answer to the problem of what to do with dirty rags after you’ve cleaned icky surfaces like the side of a toilet. They are already ready to use, convenient, and stay moist in the resealable canister. There is a soft side and a side with a scrubbing texture for a little more muscle when doing more than just wiping down a surface. These are sturdier than paper towels and the scrubbing texture picks up nasties like hair and lint too. We can’t live without them and use them everywhere in the home, not just the bathroom. They are a little pricier but a good choice if you prefer not to reuse sponges, cleaning rags, or mops. Buyer beware, they cannot be flushed or you will be inviting the plumber for an expensive visit.

BEST CLEANING WIPES

No products found.

TDisinfectant wipes are the answer to the problem of what to do with dirty rags after you’ve cleaned icky surfaces like the side of a toilet. They are already ready to use, convenient, and stay moist in the resealable canister. There is a soft side and a side with a scrubbing texture for a little more muscle when doing more than just wiping down a surface. These are sturdier than paper towels and the scrubbing texture picks up nasties like hair and lint too. We can’t live without them and use them everywhere in the home, not just the bathroom. They are a little pricier but a good choice if you prefer not to reuse sponges, cleaning rags, or mops. Buyer beware, they cannot be flushed or you will be inviting the plumber for an expensive visit.

MOLD/MILDEW REMOVER
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Concrobium is one of those best-kept contractor secrets we won’t ever live without again. It’s a tri-salt polymer that removes and prevents mold. It has no bleach, ammonia, or VOCs so it’s not going to make you and everyone in the house miserable. Bleach does not effectively treat porous surfaces like grout or wood and will not prevent it from returning. Concrobium has to come in contact with the surface where the mold/mildew is occurring and as it dries it destroys the mold spores. You then wipe the area clean of the stain. In an area like a shower you may have to repeat applications every few months. If you find there is recurring mold you may have bigger problems behind the wall. We don’t recommend ignoring excessive mold growth in bathrooms.

MOLD/MILDEW REMOVER

No products found.

Concrobium is one of those best-kept contractor secrets we won’t ever live without again. It’s a tri-salt polymer that removes and prevents mold. It has no bleach, ammonia, or VOCs so it’s not going to make you and everyone in the house miserable. Bleach does not effectively treat porous surfaces like grout or wood and will not prevent it from returning. Concrobium has to come in contact with the surface where the mold/mildew is occurring and as it dries it destroys the mold spores. You then wipe the area clean of the stain. In an area like a shower you may have to repeat applications every few months. If you find there is recurring mold you may have bigger problems behind the wall. We don’t recommend ignoring excessive mold growth in bathrooms.

BEST GLASS CLEANER
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Sprayway is far and away our favorite glass cleaner. A non-ammonia formula with exceptional performance, it comes out as a nice thick foam. It doesn’t run down a window or mirror as soon as it’s sprayed on, and does not leave residue when wiped away. It does such a great job on windows, mirrors, glass, and surfaces like countertops and even sink and bathroom fixtures. It leaves a nice clean shine and no residue. The smell can be strong when you use a lot of it but it goes away pretty quickly.

BEST GLASS CLEANER

No products found.

Sprayway is far and away our favorite glass cleaner. A non-ammonia formula with exceptional performance, it comes out as a nice thick foam. It doesn’t run down a window or mirror as soon as it’s sprayed on, and does not leave residue when wiped away. It does such a great job on windows, mirrors, glass, and surfaces like countertops and even sink and bathroom fixtures. It leaves a nice clean shine and no residue. The smell can be strong when you use a lot of it but it goes away pretty quickly.

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