The vent fan isn't optional. It's the first step.
Turn the Fan On Before You Spray
How to clean a shower and tub the safe way, and why the fan comes first.
The shower sees more water than anything else in the house, which means it also collects more soap film, more hard water spots, and the first signs of mildew in the grout.
None of that calls for a heavy scrub. It calls for air moving before anything else happens.
Turn the fan on first
Turn on the bathroom fan, or open a window, before you spray anything on mold or mildew.
Mold and mildew cleaners work by releasing fumes that lift the growth. In a small room those fumes build up fast, and moving air keeps them from concentrating around your face.
Spray and let it sit
Spray a bathroom or tile cleaner over the walls, the tub, and the grout lines. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Like a toilet bowl, dwell time softens soap scum and mildew so you scrub less.
Scrub the grout with a brush
Use a stiff grout brush or an old toothbrush on the grout lines, working in small circles.
Grout is porous and holds onto grime that a flat cloth glides right over. A brush gets into the lines where mildew actually starts.
Rinse from the top down
Rinse the walls starting at the top and working down, then rinse the tub floor last.
Rinsing top to bottom carries the loosened soap and cleaner down and out, instead of across a spot you already rinsed.
Squeegee the glass and walls
After you rinse, pull a squeegee down the glass and tile walls once. It only takes about 30 seconds.
Water spots and soap film come from water drying on the surface. A quick squeegee is the single habit that prevents most of this job from building up again.
Wipe the tub floor and drain last
Finish with the tub floor and the drain cover, since they're the last things you touch and the most slippery while wet.
Handling the slipperiest surface last means you're not kneeling or reaching over a wet, soapy floor while you're still working on everything above it.
If today's a low-energy day
Just turn on the fan and squeegee the walls after your next shower. That's enough for now.
The habit that does the real work
A shower rewards a small daily habit more than any monthly deep clean. Thirty seconds with a squeegee, most days, keeps the buildup from ever really starting.
A daily habit beats a monthly deep clean every time.