How To Teach Kids To Clean The Bathroom

Want to teach your kids to clean the bathroom? Grab the free Bathroom Cleaning Checklist and get started with these helpful tips!

Chores.

They’re not usually at the top of the list of kids’ favorite things to do. And honestly, they’re not usually at the top of our list of favorite things to teach.

So many of us have felt that teaching our kids to clean can sometimes feel like watching a herd of snails moving through peanut butter. I mean, wouldn’t it just be easier, faster and more efficient to just do it ourselves?

Real answer? Yes! It would be…in the moment.

But taking the time to teach this important skill will have immense payoffs – for them and for you.

Yes, it takes a lot of patience (and so much repetition), but it does get easier. And before you know it, your kids will be cleaning to your standards. And it won’t take an eternity anymore!

But what about trickier chores like the bathroom?

I know, teaching kids to clean the bathroom might seem a little scary at first. It’s not the easiest chore.

I hate to admit it, but when I started teaching my kids, I honestly thought they’d never actually learn to get it clean enough. Clean to the point where I wouldn’t have to go in and do a few touchups later.

But I was wrong! They do a great job and I want you to have that success too.

In today’s post, you’ll learn all about how to teach kids to clean the bathroom in the easiest way possible. With a few simple and safe supplies and this Bathroom Cleaning Checklist, your kids are going to be little pros in no time!

Okay, let’s dive on in.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here. 

BEST SUPPLIES FOR CLEANING THE BATHROOM

There are so many opinions on what the best bathroom cleaning supplies are. Use whatever works best for your family.

These just happen to be my favorite. They do an excellent job and are easy enough for even my young kids to use.

BATHROOM CLEANING SUPPLIES

• Clorox Cleaning Wipes. When it comes to cleaning certain parts of the bathroom (ahem, toilet, I’m talking to you…) I just want something I can throw away. These wipes are my favorite for cleaning the bathroom. The “scrubby” texture really gets the job done.
• Mirror Cloths. I used these once when helping a friend clean her house. And I’ve never looked back. They do an incredible job. No streaks, no lint, no smudges. They leave our mirrors and glass surfaces perfect – with only water!
• Microfiber Cloths. These cloths are the best. We use them for so many things.
• Toilet Bowl Cleaner. We like this one.
• Toilet Scrubbing Brush. Any brush will do.
• Mop. I love using this for mopping. It’s easy, quick and does a good job!
• Broom. Any broom and dustpan will do!
• Scrubbing Bubbles. We only use this occasionally when the shower needs a deep clean. (See the end of the post for more details.)
• Cleaning Gloves. Reusable gloves like these work well.

Store as many of these supplies as you can in the bathroom. And grab a basket or two to keep under the sink for cloths, gloves, and cleaners.

HOW YOU CAN HELP AS THE PARENT

Teaching kids to clean the bathroom takes time. Here are 5 ways you can help the process go smoothly.

Looking for more ways to teach kids to clean? Find these 5 tips along with a few others in this bedroom cleaning post.

1. BE AN EXAMPLE

Kids learn best through our examples. Let them see you clean. Let them see that it’s a part of everyday life.

My kids see me speed clean all the time. And my husband and I like to point out how good it feels to be in a room after it’s been cleaned.

We’re not perfect. We still have times when we get so busy that we all get behind in cleaning our bathrooms. But when we get caught up again, we point out how nice it is to have it clean again!

2. BE CLEAR

Kids feel safe with boundaries. They need clear expectations.

So when it comes to cleaning the bathroom, let your kids know what you expect. Go through the checklist with them a few times. Show them how to do each step. And then show them again.

Just as much as they need clear expectations, they need repetition. A lot of it.

Also, be clear that helping out is part of being in a family.

My kids have come to understand that cleaning is just something we do in our family. All of us live here. All of us make messes. And all of us have to help out.

Our house isn’t a democracy.

That might sound harsh, but my kids have their whole adult lives to make their own decisions. As for now, our home is a teaching ground.

3. BE CONSISTENT

Have them clean the bathroom every week.

If you only have one bathroom for them to clean and you have more than one child old enough to do this chore, rotate through the kids. But make sure it’s getting cleaned every week.

Not only will this help them get better and faster at it, but it’ll keep the bathroom from getting out of control.

We all spend time doing chores on Saturdays. Of course, we have weekends where it doesn’t happen. But it’s finally gotten to the point where cleaning is the norm, not the exception.

4. BE PATIENT

Remember, our kids are constantly learning. And progress is a spiral. If you feel you’ve repeated yourself 1,000 times, don’t worry. It’ll eventually sink in.

Until then, be clear, be consistent, but also give grace.

All I ever expect of my kids is for them to try their best. Take laundry for example. The way my 5-year-old folds his pants compared to the way my almost 8-year-old does is very different. But his best is still a success in my book.

5. BE FUN

This one’s totally optional, but if you’re feeling up to it, make cleaning fun! Cleaning doesn’t have to be a dreaded task.

I love cleaning to music. And sometimes my kids like to race each other or try to beat me.

TEACH YOUR KIDS TO CLEAN THE BATHROOM

Kids do really well with visuals. So grab a copy of this Bathroom Cleaning Checklist to put in the bathroom. (I laminate all my checklists and charts with this laminator and laminating paper and use tacky putty to hang it on the inside of a cabinet door.)

The checklist is in the order the bathroom should be cleaned. Although I’ve had times where my two older kids split the bathroom and divide the tasks between themselves.

Here’s how it works:

PREP:

Toilet bowl cleaner. Show them how to squirt the cleaner in a way that will make it all the way around the rim. It’ll sit there until they clean the toilet all the way.

This is how I taught my kids the rest of the steps –

SINK AREA:

Sink, counter & faucet. Use a Clorox wipe to get this area really good. Make sure to get around and behind the handles on the faucet.

Mirror. (I can’t say enough about these cloths. I LOVE them!) Use the wet cloth to wipe the mirror all the way. Use the dry cloth to make the mirror polished and streak-free.

TOILET AREA:

The steps for this section are listed by cleaning supply.

Paper towel. Use a paper towel to dust the outside (especially down by the bottom). Toilets get dusty and if the dust gets wet it’ll clump and get everwhere.

Clorox wipe #1. Use a Clorox wipe to wipe down the outside of the toilet, including the handle and lid. Don’t forget to clean behind the lid where it attaches to the toilet. That part gets gross!

Clorox wipe #2. Grab a new wipe and clean toilet seat area. This includes the top, underneath and around the rim.

Clorox wipe #3. Grab one more wipe and clean the floor around the toilet. Don’t forget behind the toilet!

Toilet scrubber. Now it’s time to scrub the inside of the toilet. Make sure to get underneath the rim. After flushing and rinsing the brush, close the toilet seat on the scrubber so it can drip dry horizontally.

Click here to get your free Bathroom Cleaning Checklist.

WET CLOTH:

Any cloth or rag will do, but we really like our microfiber cloths.

Walls. Wipe the walls around the sink and toilet.

Baseboards. Wipe down the baseboards.

Floor edges. It’s hard to get the corners when mopping, especially around the sink and tub. But they can get gross. So use the rag to wipe down the edges and corners of the floor.

FLOOR:

Shake out the mats. Then put them and the trash can up out of the way.

Sweep. (This one takes extra practice!)

Mop. Using this mop makes mopping easy. All it takes is water!

FINISHING TOUCHES:

Replace the trash bag. Tip: We save our grocery bags and use them for trash liners.

Put supplies away. Put the mats and trash can back where they belong. Hang the wet cloths on the sides of laundry bins so they don’t get stinky. Put gloves, cleaners and the dry mirror cloth back in their baskets. And don’t forget to put the toilet scrubber away!

Wash your hands. And you’re done!

EXTRAS

You might notice a few things missing from this checklist. That’s on purpose. Kids do well with simplicity, so I try to keep this to as few steps as possible.

Things like changing out towels and toilet paper happen on an as-needs basis.

And I don’t usually have them clean the shower as a part of our Saturday cleaning.

CLEANING THE SHOWER

To keep the showers and tubs clean, we use a homemade spray.

This recipe from Two Twenty-One is awesome. It makes 1 gallon. I put it in cheap squirt bottles and we spray down our showers and tubs after each use. No rinsing required!

Of course, this method works best if the shower/tub is already pretty clean. So when it’s time for a deeper clean, I usually just use Scrubbing Bubbles and get to work.

I’ll teach my kids that later. As for now, I’m just grateful for all that they’re able to do already!

BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST

Get your copy of the Bathroom Cleaning Checklist here. You can use it as a reference or laminate and hang it in the bathroom.

This chart has helped my kids learn to clean the bathroom so quickly. And it’s saved me from having to repeat myself more than necessary (which is a big win in my book!).

Your kids are going to be great at this. Even if they haven’t been regular with chores up to this point.

And you’re going to love having more helpers around the house!

If you find this checklist helpful, be sure to check out these other posts!

• Winning The Battle: How To Get Kids To Clean Their Rooms
• How To Simplify The Before And After School Routines

Do you have any bathroom cleaning tricks? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

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