Does your bathroom have a musty smell that lingers even after you spent half the day cleaning it? It could be caused by mould and mildew, which will require more than just a quick wipe to remove. Even after cleaning, they can come back quickly in areas where moisture is left behind.
Mould growth can be especially dangerous for people who have allergies or asthma, as these conditions can be worsened by breathing in spores. Even if you don’t have trouble breathing, it can still affect your overall health by lowering the quality of your home’s air and potentially leading to respiratory issues.
Let’s look at a few common bathroom cleaning mistakes that allow mould and odours to keep coming back to bathrooms even after a standard cleaning.
Leaving Surfaces Wet After Cleaning
A wet wipe-down is an essential part of any bathroom cleaning, but it can leave your grout, walls, and corners a little damp afterward. Fixtures and corners also make a great hidden home for moisture that can lead to mould growth. Ensure that these areas are dried properly after cleaning.
Cleaning tools like cloths, sponges, and mopheads can also retain moisture and develop odours. These are often overlooked, as most people use them to clean surfaces and then put them back in the closet or underneath the sink for the next use without cleaning.
After each bathroom cleaning, remember to dry surfaces and cleaning tools after you use them. It might take an extra minute or two to wipe everything down, but it’ll help a lot when it comes to preventing mould spores from forming, causing bad odours, and affecting your indoor air quality.
Forgetting to Clean the Bathroom Exhaust Fan
The bathroom exhaust fan is an important tool for removing odours and moisture from the air, but most people don’t think to clean it regularly. This can lead to dust buildup, which reduces the airflow and causes the fan to work harder while also keeping stale odours trapped inside.
Run the fan while cleaning damp bathroom surfaces can help them dry more quickly. You can avoid dust buildup by cleaning the fan cover and vent openings regularly, which will improve the air quality, prevent foul odours from lingering, and improve the lifespan of your home HVAC system.
Speaking of your home’s HVAC system, it can also contain bathroom mould or odours and distribute them into other parts of your home. They’re designed to circulate air, and if bathroom air has foul odours or registers, vents, or fans connected to the system come into contact with mould, it can spread to every room in your home.
Not Cleaning the Bathroom Drains
Bathroom drains are another easily overlooked part of bathroom cleaning, as we tend to ignore them if everything is working properly. Hair, soap, and other residues tend to collect below the surface, which can lead to unpleasant odours if they’re allowed to sit. Slow drains can also leave stagnant water behind.
It’s important to lift the drain cover, if possible, and clean out the opening of the drain regularly, as a lot of the debris can be removed easily if it’s near the top. If you don’t already own one, a drain brush is an excellent and relatively inexpensive investment that can easily remove debris from a drain and reach a lot farther than gloved fingers.
To fully clean the drainpipe, you don’t need to call the plumbers, a heavy-duty drain cleaner can provide a thorough clean, especially for debris, blockages, mould, or odours located lower in the pipe.
Overlooking Mould Inside and Around the Toilet Bowl
Most people clean their toilets regularly, but it can be easy to pass over certain areas during a standard weekly clean. Mould can form inside the bowl and below the waterline where it’s difficult to detect. Ensure you clean the hard-to-see areas under the rim, where mould can hide.
Buildup can also collect around the toilet bowl if not cleaned. The toilet tank makes a hospitable home for mould and odours, as most people simply wipe the top to remove dust and don’t think about behind or under the tank.
A quick rinse with toilet bowl cleaner and a brush might not be enough to avoid mould or odour buildup. The best way to keep your toilet smelling fresh is to thoroughly clean the bowl, rim, tank, hinges, base, and flush openings regularly.
Ignoring Window Sills and Shower Tracks
Another place that moisture can hide and lead to mould or mildew is the window sill. Condensation on the window can drip down into the tracks and leave them pooling with water. Shower tracks have the same problem, as they often trap water, with soap and dirt trapped inside.
You’ll want to clean both the interior and exterior window glass on your shower, the window sill, and scrub the tracks to get them clean. They should be fully dried to ensure no excess moisture is left behind, which can lead to the bad smells that keep reappearing.
Cleaning Over Mouldy Caulking
Even though they say mould resistant, your bathroom’s caulking, particularly around the bathtub or shower, might have embedded mould that won’t be removed by a simple surface wipe. If there are any cracks or other damage, water can get trapped underneath. If you see any dark spots, they could indicate that mould is growing beneath the surface.
You’ll want to use a heavy-duty bath and shower cleaner and let it sit for a few minutes to fully kill all mould spores. You’ll also want to remove everything from the shower first to avoid contamination and wear a mask to avoid breathing in spores while you clean.
If the caulking is heavily damaged or mould, mildew, or odours keep returning even after a thorough clean, it might be past the point of repair. If so, you’ll want to get it replaced. If it’s a small issue that only affects one location, you might not need to replace the whole thing.
Keeping Your Bathroom Free of Mould and Odours
Even with a thorough cleaning, mould and odours can still return if moisture or other buildup is left behind. Air fresheners can cover up the smell, but if the source remains, the problem will remain too.
Drains, toilets, fans, tracks, and caulking are the most commonly missed places for moisture and debris in bathrooms. But to be truly effective at cleaning the bathroom, you’ll need to clean and dry these areas often.
The goal is not just to make your bathroom look clean for the moment, but to remove the moisture, grime, and hidden buildup that allow mould and odours to keep coming back.
Need Help with Your Bathroom Cleaning?
If your bathroom has stubborn mould, buildup, or odours that keep coming back, a professional cleaning service can help give the space a proper reset. UrbanMop has years of experience cleaning bathrooms throughout the home, using the right tools and techniques to tackle hard-to-reach areas, built-up grime, and the spots that are easy to miss during regular bathroom cleaning. Book your next cleaning with UrbanMop and get your bathroom back under control.