How to Clean Bathroom Faucet Handles and Faucets Effectively

How to Clean Bathroom Faucet Handles and Faucets
"This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links."

Nothing can make your bathroom look cleaner than a shiny faucet, but unfortunately, the sink and faucets usually get pretty dirty over time.

While the sink is relatively easier to clean, the faucet handles can be tricky since just wiping with a wet cloth may not be enough if they are old.

That is why you need to learn how to clean bathroom faucet handles expertly.

Why Should You Clean a Faucet and Its Handle?

Regardless of how often you clean your bathroom, there is a good chance the faucet will have grime and gunk after some time. They are vulnerable to these things due to everyday use. By keeping them clean, you can not only keep your faucet presentable but also add life to it.

Dirty faucets and handles need replacement sooner than what you expect from them. You don’t want that, do you? Quality faucets by well-known brands are expensive, so you cannot go around buying a new faucet every time.

Not just grime, the faucet, and the handles are also prone to microbial growth. This can be an even bigger problem as it can slowly damage the faucet and may even give out a bad odor.

Cleaning your bathroom faucet and handle is not too difficult if you do it regularly, and do not let it get too dirty or smelly. How you go about cleaning it and what materials you use depends on the finish of the faucet.

How to Clean Bathroom Faucet Handles and Faucets?

There are different ways to clean a faucet handle, and the method mostly depends on the kind of faucet you have. So, the first thing to do is to know the finishing of your faucet and its handle.

For all finishes, it is recommended not to use anything abrasive. You can confirm that with the manufacturer or find out about it on the packaging if you are still holding on to it.

A. Metal

Cleaning metallic finishes is relatively easy as you do not necessarily have to open them to deep clean. Here is how you can clean faucet handles with finishes such as brushed nickel, chrome, brass, and copper.

A.1. Dish Soap

  1. First, use dish soap with warm water to clean the faucet and its handles.
  2. Simply apply some dish soap on the faucet and then use a clean piece of cloth damped with warm water.
  3. Rub it gently everywhere on the faucet and around the handles.
  4. Now, use a dry cloth to clean off the soap.

If your faucet handles were not that dirty, to begin with, this should be enough to get them sparkling again.

A.2. White Vinegar

When it comes to fighting grime, white vinegar is your best friend. It is an age-old cleaning agent that is known for cleaning almost any type of stain.

  1. Gently mix a 50:50 ratio or half a cup each of white vinegar water.
  2. Take a clean piece of cloth and dip it into the mixture.
  3. Apply it first to a small area of the handle to check it does not damage the faucet.
  4. If your grime problem is very nasty, you should wrap the cloth around the faucet handle for 10-15 minutes.
  5. Remove it and clean it with a wet cloth. You might have to rub it a bit.
  6. Finish the job with a dry cloth, and your faucet and its handle will be squeaky clean.

A.3. Baking Soda and Toothbrush

Another way of getting rid of grime is to use baking soda with a toothbrush. Baking soda is another great ingredient found in many cleaning agents.

  1. Just rub some baking soda on an old toothbrush and damp it a bit.
  2. Clean the handle and faucet with the brush thoroughly.
  3. If you want to do some deep cleaning, you can even open the faucet handle and clean it from inside.

B. Plastic

If your bathroom faucet has a plastic faucet handle, which is common with most old faucets, you can easily deep clean it. These handles get even dirtier than those that have a metallic finish, so cleaning them may require a little more effort.

Materials Needed:

  • A screwdriver
  • Hot water
  • An old toothbrush
  • A washcloth
  • Some Q-tips

The Steps:

1. Removing and Soaking the Cover and Handle

First, you need to pry the cap off the handle. Yes, these faucet handles usually have a cap that you can remove easily with something sharp or a screwdriver.

Once removed, use the screwdriver to unscrew the handle, and then lift the handle from the stem of the faucet. Drop the cover and the handle in hot water.

2. Cleaning the Stem and Handle

Use the toothbrush to clean the stem. If it is not too dirty, hot water should be enough; otherwise, you can use the good old baking soda or white vinegar. Rub it gently everywhere and for those difficult to reach crannies, use the Q-tips.

Remove the handle and cap from the hot water and rub it with the toothbrush. Make sure to rub the edges and the inside. Wash it with warm water and set aside to dry. Use the washcloth to clean up the stem and faucet you just cleaned with the toothbrush.

3. Screwing Things Back

Once the handle has dried completely, screw it back on the stem tightly. Put the cap back on and give the entire faucet one last rub with a dry cloth. Your faucet and its handle will be shiny and new.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your faucet and its handles can ensure that no microbial growth exists. If anyone uses your bathroom, the dirty faucet can leave a negative impression. Just spending about ten minutes cleaning it with the solutions described above, you can make it look as good as new.

Again, how to clean bathroom faucet handles depends on their type and finish as well. If you are confused about what finish your faucet is, you can ask your local store or contact the manufacturer directly; in fact, some manufacturers may even provide you with directions to clean it. Just keep in mind that cleaning a faucet in the wrong way can ruin its finish instead of cleaning it.

Newer faucets are coming with an anti-microbial layer that protects the handles from such growth. These are great, especially for public bathrooms, as these places are the breeding areas for germs and bacteria. You can even install such faucets in your home to avoid microbial growth on your bathroom faucets.

Nevertheless, cleaning them is the easiest way to make sure it looks good, and you do not get any germs.

Also read: How To Properly Clean A Kitchen Sink

Modern Chrome Bathroom Faucet

28 thoughts on “How to Clean Bathroom Faucet Handles and Faucets Effectively”

  1. What a well-written article and you provide so many useful tips on how to clean bathroom faucet hands and faucets effectively. I think this is a problem that everybody has and you really do provide some solid solutions. I personally have used the baking soda method every time. Thanks Again

  2. The bathroom is like your CV, from my point of view. When you have guests, the bathroom is the most visited room of the house and of course, you want to keep it spotless. To clean the bathroom faucets I use vinegar, it’s the best solution. Not only that the bad odor is removed but they shine.

    For the plastic ones, indeed, I remove all the pieces, wash and fix them back. It’s an activity which requires time, but, it’s for a good cause.

    I have to admit that I haven’t used baking soda.

    Thank you for an informative article.

  3. Bathrooms are where we head to clean ourselves. So it’s only paramount that we keep our bathrooms clean and neat. I have enjoyed your article as you have kindly shared key information on how I can clean my bathroom faucet and sink. My faucet is of metal make and I must say your advice on how to get rid of grime with the use of white vinegar or baking soda + toothbrush will come in handy for me.Best regards

  4. Faucets in a bathroom are inevitably necessary because it only means there is water available for necessity. It is nice to see shiny clean faucets for you are confident to hold it without being contaminated with germs and microbes.

    Cleaning faucets and tabs regularly ensure a healthy home.

    Thanks for the instructions and guide on how to clean the bathroom faucet.

  5. Hello,

    Thanks for spreading the word about how to properly clean your bathroom faucet.  I am deathly allergic to mold and have had to move from house to house as a renter because of mold growing in bathrooms.  It is imperative for our health that we are thoroughly cleaning our bathrooms, guys.   Your tips are great and I would just add one more step and that’s to make sure the parts are 100% dry before putting them back together.  How often would you suggest this thorough of a cleaning?

  6. Hi, thank you for the great advice of cleaning with Baking Soda and Toothbrush, as a housewife I love to see my bathrooms clean and shiny, and, of course, free of germs.  I use the formula to clean my bathroom and it works perfectly, it helps me a lot to make it brighter!!! I wonder if I could use the same formula for my pots and pans?

  7. Good day,

    thanks for sharing great tips for cleaning the bathroom faucet effectively with us, I must say that the bathroom is a place that must always be in an hygiene condition every time. I have always had problem with cleaning to a sparking and shining manner but I’ll try out your tips, especially the one on vinegar and warm water. Thanks for sharing this with us

  8. This post is like an angel walking through my front door. My faucets are a mess. I’m literally disgusted by them due to poor handling by everyone in the house. So officially you’ve helped me declare tomorrow a cleaning day. Looking forward to trying the vinegar solution as age long as you say it is, a cave man like myself has not heard about it. Thanks a bunch

  9. Oooh, I love websites that show how to do chores easier and more efficiently.  Sometimes, simple things like using dish soap are things we never think about.  We think we have to use these high-powered cleaners that are just, honestly, horrible for our health.  My sink is so covered with grime, and it seems no matter what I do it just doesn’t look good.  I’m looking at the BWE Chrome Waterfall Bathroom Faucet on your site, and it’s so pretty and only like $35!  That’s such a good price, and it’s really cool looking.

    Thanks for all the good info!

  10. Hi! I have moved into a different house recently and have had to do the cleaning. I like everything to be really clean but when it comes to bathrooms’ faucets, handles and faucets I seem to not be doing things right. But I’m glad I found your post. 

    I have metallic finishes and have taken note of your advice. I didn’t know White Vinegar, Baking Soda and Toothbrush could help me with this task. Thank you very much!

  11. I wish I had these tips when I was an apartment manager!

    This was a 40 year old apartment complex and when people would move out, there would be mold and soap scum inside their plastic bath and sink handles. I bought sever small brushes. Those and some bleachy water would clean some things, but most of the time, I would simply throw them out and buy new handles.

    Like you wrote, that’s not really feasible for a homeowner. Besides, if you have older fixtures, you are probably proud of what the original handles add to the look of your home. Replacement handles are not only of lower quality, they don’t look as nice. They are designed to look decent with many faucets and don’t do much to compliment an old faucet.

    Thank you for providing these tips! They are very helpful!

  12. These are all great tips, some of them I have used myself from time to time when cleaning my faucets. I do not want my guests going into a dirty bathroom. It is not a good idea to let the dirt and grime build up as that makes it much more difficult to clean and will need to be soaked or scrubbed before it will come off and get clean. The toothbrush and baking soda is a great way to deal with dirt and grime, just abrasive enough without scratching your faucet.

  13. Advance My House

    Thanks for a very good suggestion Kris.

    Monthly would be ideal to give your bathroom faucet handles this thorough clean.

    Thanks for your comment.

  14. Advance My House

    Hi Laura,

    The cleaning methods discussed here are specifically for a bathroom faucet and handles.

    Not sure if they will work for pots and pans, so we suggest you do some research on Google and see what you come up with.

  15. Advance My House

    Happy to know you found these tips useful John.

    Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment.

  16. Advance My House

    You are welcome Henry.  We are delighted to know that you learned something new and helpful from this article.

    Thanks for stopping by.

  17. That’s a good idea to use some vinegar to clean your faucets. Hopefully, that would get rid of the watermarks on it. I’ll have to try that out sometime.

  18. This is an excellent article. I am very pleased to read your article, It gives me some great information that I’m looking for. I was searching for the bathroom faucets, and this is a fantastic blog about bathroom faucets. I hope you have a good knowledge of It. Thanks and keep sharing 🙂

  19. It is a really important task to clean your faucets regularly. To date, I have only used my dishwashing liquid to clean my faucets but they weren’t very effective. Next time I will try using white vinegar and baking soda. I think that should really get my faucets to shine again. I will definitely try it out and tell you the results. Thank you for sharing such an informative article with us. I gained a lot of knowledge from your article.

Leave a Reply to Louis