Here's How Often You Need To Clean Your Bathtub

A key way to signal relaxation time is with a soothing, aromatic bath time soak. The cultural memories are there; many remember parents and guardians dropping rubber ducks and other floating toys in the tub to orient kids toward both personal hygiene and relaxing fun. By adulthood, many bathtub enthusiasts choose to read books, play music, or listen to podcasts during their bathtub soak. Each of these rituals make perfect sense since the bathtub preparation process and the soak itself can be mindful experiences. 

Frankly, customizing a bath can be a lot of fun! Choosing the perfect temperature (warm enough to relax muscles and cool enough to prevent skin dryness, the patchy, greyish likes of which many people of color call "ashiness"), sprinkling bath bubbles, bath salts, or bath bombs, and gingerly submerging oneself into the tub signal self-care in practice. Of course, bathtub enthusiasts should remember to clean their bathtubs often, and to clean their bathtubs well because the same soothing hygiene products that make baths enjoyable can also contribute to build-up and germs, per Clean Mama.

Making sure to wipe down your entire bathroom once a week is advisable, according to NBC News. Given that cleaning baseline, though, a more thorough scrub-down of the entire bathroom at least once a week -– with special care and attention paid to the bathtub — is especially helpful. For one, cleaning the bathtub removes soap scum, as noted by Molly Maid. Cleaning the bathtub also protects grout and glass, which can be tricky to keep sparkling clean. Furthermore, cleaning the bathtub means the person who soaks in it can enjoy the visual appeal of clean surfaces. 

While different bathtub cleaning techniques exist, a common practice is this: Pour a disinfectant cleanser in the tub, allow the cleanser to soak for at least 10 minutes, and then scrub visible residue from the tub with a scrubber and warm water. Afterward, rinse the cleaning residue and any dirt down the drain with cool water.