Bathroom Cleaning With Kids

Get your arsenal of cleaning supplies ready before you start the bathroom cleaning with kids. These effective products, all stored out of little hands' reach, will give you the confidence to tackle the task with your kids.

• Tub of disposable disinfecting wipes (make yours here)

• Tub of disposable glass and window wipes for mirrors and fixtures

• Ready-mop with disposable wet floor wipes

• All-purpose nonabrasive cleaner

• Scrub brush with a good grip for scouring tub and tile

• Household squeegee (hung in the shower)

• Toilet brush with caddy (choose an enclosed caddy that you can fill with an all-purpose cleaning solution to keep the brush fresh)

Now, we'll cover cleaning each area of the bathroom in detail. Given a child's age, this list of age-appropriate bathroom chores for kids can help keep expectations realistic.

Bathroom Cleaning With Kids: The Sink Area

Bathroom cleaning with kids should include disinfecting the sink, counter, light switches, and doorknobs with a disinfectant cleaner each week. 

Then, move on to cleaning and shining mirrors and chrome fixtures with a glass cleaner ( or glass cleaner wipe). Empty and wipe the wastebasket with a disinfecting wipe.

Clean the bathroom floors and keep them hair—and dirt-free with a disposable wet mop cloth. Several include disinfectants, an excellent choice for this room, especially today.

Keep the package under the sink, and at day's end, wipe up tracked-in-dirt, so tomorrow's shower will have you emerging on an (almost) squeaky clean floor. Each week, clean your bathroom floor with a good mopping.

Tub and Shower Cleaning

Rinsing the tub out after each bath will keep it clean. You know the drill, Mom. When cleaning the bathroom with kids, ensure they know the drill, too.

After the bathwater drains, swish around some fresh water to loosen and remove any soil or soap residue. Toddlers can help, and school-age kids can learn to do this simple cleaning trick alone. Grimy tub rings? Not in your house.

After kids' baths, air-dry tub toys. Group toys in a tub net to allow them to drain and keep mold and mildew in check. You can also shake the water from the toys and place them on the tub edge to dry.

Better still, store bath toys in a dishpan under the vanity. Squeeze water out of the washcloth and hang it on the tub spout or a bathroom hook.

Each week, get the kids to help clean the bathroom. They'll love to make fizz fun by cleaning the sink and tub with baking soda and vinegar.

Kids love the fizzing, and it gets the sink and tub sparkling clean. Older kids can scour the tub each week to keep it spotless.

Weekly bathroom cleaning with kids is a must-do, including disinfecting the toilet, tub, shower, sinks, and drains. 

One trick I use to make toilet disinfecting more frequent but much less cumbersome is to place an enclosed toilet brush caddy beside the toilet that I fill with water and a half-cup of bleach. That way, I can swoosh the bowl with a disinfected brush daily. 

I choose cleaners based on how well—and quickly—they work. Bleach is an absolute must for weekly potty room disinfecting, so bleach-containing toilet and tub/shower cleaners are my top choice. 

Here's the easiest way to keep your shower area clean. Squeegee shower surfaces before toweling off. It takes just 30 seconds or so to wipe away any soap or shampoo. Any kid old enough to shower alone is old enough to wage war against the dreaded Shower Scum Monster.

The added benefit to in-shower cleaning is that any soap scum left over from a kid still learning the clean rules is steamed loose during the shower, making it a cinch to send soapy residue down the drain.

Scour the tiles and grout around your shower each week to prevent mold and mildew. Also, remember to clean your shower curtain. Washable curtains and liner in the machine with bleach to remove mold and mildew.

Before rehanging the curtain, soak it in a salt-water solution to prevent mildew. Clean plastic with a laundry pre-wash spray.

Spray it along the top, letting it run down to cover the curtain. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then rinse.

Teach your kids to hang up their towels after showering or bathing. Everyone. No towels are allowed to be wadded on the floor. Younger children can fold towels in half and sling them over the towel rack. 

If even that's too much of a struggle, consider replacing racks in the kids' bathroom with hooks or pegs. Even toddlers can hang up towels. 

Bathroom Cleaning with Kids: The Toilet

To clean the toilet and keep your bowl clean, pour a half-cup or so of bleach into the potty each morning or evening and let it sit. 

This will help keep harmful germs in check. (Never combine bleach with a toilet bowl cleaner! The two combined release dangerous fumes.)

Also, wipe the toilet seat and rim daily with a disposable disinfecting wipe. Teach your kids to flush. Period.

This is the rule you'll want your kids to follow, especially when visiting friends' homes. This rule can be broken only during seven-year droughts.