How to Disinfect a Bathroom

Disinfecting a bathroom can eliminate contagious diseases, especially during cold and flu season. Here's a step-by-step look at how to disinfect your bathroom.

Things You'll Need

• Cleaning supplies

Instructions

How to Disinfect a Bathroom

1. Your goal is to get down to the very base of your bathroom's interior, not to simply clean around items and straighten up. Take items like waste cans, toothbrush holders, towels, etc. out of the bathroom.

2. Sweep and dust the bathroom to remove surface dirt and dust. This will make the deep cleaning easier and more effective. Be particular, and clean underneath any items you were unable to remove. Dispose of the dust and dirt you've swept up.

3. Mix a cleaning solution in a bucket. An all-purpose cleaning solution like Clorox or Lysol bathroom cleaners will work well for this step. Mix according to directions, preferably with warm or hot water. Start at the highest points of the bathroom and work your way down, cleaning with a clean rag that you've dipped in the solution and wrung out. The rag should be thoroughly damp but not soaking wet. Test the solution in an inconspicuous place if you're wiping down painted surfaces.

4. When you reach the floor, scrub it with the rag or, if the dirt is stubborn, with a scrub brush (skip this step if the floors are carpeted). Work your way out of the bathroom and allow it to dry. While the bathroom is drying, wipe off the objects you've taken out of the bathroom with the cleaning solution--mix new solution if it has become excessively dirty from your previous steps.

5. When the bathroom is dry, take disinfecting spray, like Lysol, and apply a thin layer to surfaces that are frequently touched, like toilet seats, handles and faucets. Use a glass cleaner to scrub mirrors and chrome fixtures. When the Lysol has dried, replace the items you removed in the first step.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember to clean the spots you don't see -- underneath faucets and under the lids of toilets, for example.