Corner wire shelving keeps the bathroom counter clear of clutter.

Spring brings to mind new flowers, fresh air and cleaning the house from top to bottom. While it can feel great to empty out the overstuffed closets and wipe down windows, the bathroom can be the hardest and least fun room in the house to deep clean.

It’s also the room that can get dirtiest the quickest and should be frequently tidied up. If you’re unsure where to start your deep cleaning process, here are our top tips for conquering your bathrooms.

Deep Cleaning

The best way to begin your process is by clearing everything out of the way in order to expose all the surfaces you intend to clean. Find a spot in your house for these items in the meantime or leave them right outside the door to put back after you clean. To keep them together and off the floor, place them in a fabric drawer or two.

ClosetMaid Fabric Drawers are available in a variety of colors and patterns providing both function and style.

Once you’ve done all the prep work, it’s time to get to the hard work and actually start deep cleaning. It’s important to realize that each element of the bathroom will require different products and techniques.

For the toilet, some staple deep cleaning essentials include: a toilet bowl brush, oxygen bleach, rubber cleaning gloves, disinfecting wipes/spray and paper towels.

Start with using the disinfecting spray and clean the exterior of the toilet.

Create your own cleaning product by combining baking soda, oxygen bleach and a tad bit of salt. These chemicals together will remove any buildup in the bowl, help whiten the interior and ease the scrubbing process.

Don’t forget to wipe down the disinfectant on and around the exterior of the toilet. The interior of the bowl will need some deep scrubbing too. Once you’re finished, flush, turn your water back on (if you turned it off) and you’re good to go.

Next, for your showers and sinks you will need: shower cleaner, abrasive sponge, a spray bottle of vinegar, a squeegee, dish soap and a cup for rinsing.

Start with doing a first coat of a multi-purpose cleaner to break up any soap scum that has accumulated on those surfaces.

Move on to scrubbing and using heavy-duty shower cleaners like Method daily shower spray to tackle the walls and grout of the shower to remove grime and mold.

To finish off, squeegee all of the water and suds off the walls and use bath towels to keep the walls dry and avoid more dirt buildup.

Devote a shelf in your utility closet or linen closet to your bathroom cleaning supplies. Close Mesh shelving is a great choice for this type of storage.

For the sink, start with pouring Drano down the drain with hot water to clear up the interior of the sink. Likewise, for the faucet and exterior, scrub deeply with a sponge and a disinfecting spray like those of Purell or Clorox and then use disinfectant wipes to finish the job. Since you’re constantly washing your hands, the bathroom sink is one of the germiest places and should be wiped down constantly. While deep cleaning the sink is relatively low maintenance, it’s super important.

Decluttering and Organizing

Compared to other rooms in your home, your bathroom is one of the most likely places to find extra and unnecessary miscellaneous items. Start by deciding on what’s most essential in your bathroom, and what is taking up space. Think about what you use most and what hasn’t been touched in months. Shampoos and soaps are easy to collect and can cause all sorts of clutter in the shower. You should also consider whether it’s time to purchase a new bath mat. Start garbage piles and sort through what you think is worth keeping and what’s not. Limiting yourself to having only products you actually use will keep the space nice and neat.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your organization, try different storage options to organize the items you want to keep.

Storage-friendly shelves, totes and carts are just some of the great ways you can compile all your most important items in one place.

A wire drawer kit offers ventilated bathroom storage that doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Another great idea to keep your bathroom belongings compiled into one space is to create a “skincare box” with all of your daily needs. For women, this can include your cleansers, moisturizers and serums. Men, consider getting yourself an exclusive shaving kit to store all your various grooming tools to help keep your space nice and tidy. There are so many ways to get creative while condensing your clutter.

Advancing on to your cabinet and shelves, take pride in organizing your products by type, size and the amount left in order to make sure you’re most efficiently using and replacing your items. If you’re storing medicine with expiration dates, be sure to move those to the front.

Next, be sure to open the windows in the bathroom for ventilation and to help regulate the indoor air in your bathroom as you spray strong-smelling disinfectants and cleaning solutions. Plus, the fresh breeze will keep you motivated to get the job done more quickly.

Nothing feels better than going into spring with a clean and happy home, and with these tips, you’ll be sure to have a bathroom that’s a true sanctuary.