The cleaning hack hotels use to keep bathrooms spotless

Hotel bathroom secret: “Dry, don’t rinse”—the pro method that keeps showers and mirrors spotless

If your bathroom never looks quite as crisp as a hotel’s, you’re not imagining it. Between cloudy shower doors, tap spots and streaky mirrors, the shine fades fast at home, even with the right sprays on the shelf.

The fix most people miss is deceptively simple. Hotel housekeepers work to a rule that sounds counterintuitive: dry, don’t rinse. Turn that into a habit, and you’ll see glass, chrome and tile snap back to a spotless finish with less elbow grease.

Why hotels swear by “clean is dry”

In bathrooms, water is the problem as often as it’s the solution. Tap water leaves minerals behind. Many cleaners leave surfactants. Rinse either one, and what’s left dries into a haze. Housekeepers cut through that cycle by removing the soil, then removing the moisture. Dry surfaces don’t spot, don’t streak and don’t feed mildew.

There’s a hygiene bonus. Mould and bacteria love damp grout lines, silicone edges and around fixtures. By ending every clean with a thorough dry-down, you deprive those microbes of what they need to bloom. That’s why a hotel shower can look freshly done days after turnover, even under harsh bathroom lighting.

The method, step by step

You don’t need industrial supplies. The trick is in the order: loosen, lift, then dry. Put the mop bucket away. Bring a squeegee and two cloths.

What you need on hand

A squeegee with a firm blade is essential for glass. Pair it with two microfibre cloths—one slightly damp for cleaning, one bone dry for the final polish. For product, use a light, residue-free cleaner. A small amount of dish soap in warm water works on most surfaces. For glass and mirrors, mix equal parts distilled water and isopropyl alcohol with a tiny drop of dish soap. For limescale, use an acid-based bathroom cleaner or white vinegar diluted 1:1 with water. Avoid acids on natural stone like marble, limestone or travertine.

Start dry to remove dust and hair

Many people wet the room first. Professionals don’t. Use a dry microfibre to sweep hair, dust and lint from shelves, skirting, the tops of tiles and around the toilet base. Hair turns into slippery sludge when it gets wet. Remove it dry and you’ve just saved yourself two minutes of chasing clumps.

Let your cleaner sit before you scrub

Spray your chosen cleaner onto the shower walls, door, tub, sink and chrome. Don’t flood. A light, even mist is enough. Then step away for three to five minutes. This dwell time does the heavy lifting, softening soap film and breaking down body oils. While you wait, clean the mirror with the glass mix. Wipe once with your damp cloth, then immediately buff it dry with your second cloth until it squeaks.

Agitate the grime, then squeegee

Return to the shower and tub. Use a non-scratch sponge or microfibre to agitate the surfaces. Work from top to bottom. For the glass, a magic eraser lightly dampened can lift stubborn soap scum, but test a corner and avoid any protective coatings. Once the soil has lifted, go straight to the squeegee. Pull firm, overlapping strokes from top to bottom, clearing the water and loosened residue as you go. Wipe the blade with your damp cloth between passes to avoid drips.

Do a minimal rinse where needed

Many modern bathroom cleaners are “no-rinse”, but if your product label calls for rinsing, keep it controlled. Use a handheld shower to quickly sheet water over the area, or a damp cloth to wipe away residue. The goal is to avoid leaving water sitting on surfaces. Think damp wipe, not soak.

Finish with a full dry-down polish

Now the part that makes the hotel difference. Take your dry microfibre and systematically dry every surface that shows water—glass, tile edges, taps, shower heads, the rim of the tub, the counter, even the top of the toilet tank. Flip the cloth frequently so you’re always using a dry side. On chrome, a few extra seconds of buffing is what gives you that crisp, streak-free gleam. This final pass removes the last traces of cleaner and the minerals from your water, which is why the shine lasts.

Surface-by-surface tweaks

Glass shower doors like a little more attention. If you live with hard water, a monthly reset helps. After cleaning, treat glass with a water-repellent designed for showers. It makes each squeegee pass more effective and slows future build-up. Avoid household oils; they attract dust and smears.

Chrome and stainless fixtures respond best to minimal product. Any foam or excess spray just creates more to wipe. A damp cloth with a drop of dish soap cuts skin oils on handles and knobs. The dry cloth does the rest. If you see spotting right after turning off the faucet, it’s a hint your routine is missing that end-of-clean polish.

Porcelain sinks and tubs tolerate a slightly more abrasive cleaner, but you rarely need it. A paste of baking soda and a splash of dish soap clears tea or makeup stains without dulling the glaze. Rinse the paste away with a damp cloth and dry immediately to avoid chalky residue.

Natural stone demands caution. Skip vinegar, lemon and acid-based bathroom cleaners on marble, limestone and travertine. Use a pH-neutral stone-safe cleaner, wipe, and then dry as above. Sealing stone annually reduces absorption and makes the dry-down faster.

Targeting common trouble spots

Limescale around taps and at the base of the shower head can be stubborn. For chrome, soak a microfibre in a 1:1 vinegar solution, wrap it around the area and leave it for 10 minutes, then scrub gently with a soft brush. Rinse with a damp cloth and dry. If your fixture is labelled “do not use acids”, choose a limescale remover that’s safe for plated finishes. On natural stone, stick to stone-safe scale removers only.

Soap scum on textured tiles needs agitation. A nylon brush and a small amount of dish soap in warm water cuts the film. Work in circles, then squeegee walls where possible and towel-dry the rest. If you’ve been rinsing and walking away, the scum will keep reappearing. The drying step prevents that dulling veil.

Grout that looks grey rather than white often holds embedded soil. Mix baking soda with a little water into a paste, add a splash of 3% hydrogen peroxide and apply with a soft brush. Let it fizz for five minutes, then scrub lightly, wipe with a damp cloth and dry the joints. For mildew stains on silicone, use a bathroom mould spray according to directions, ventilate well, and always finish by drying those edges. If mildew returns quickly, improve airflow and consider resealing.

Hygiene, speed and when to make exceptions

There are moments to prioritise disinfection over polish, such as after illness. Use a disinfectant approved for bathrooms, follow its contact time precisely and then dry the surfaces. The “dry, don’t rinse” rule doesn’t mean you never rinse; it means you never leave a wet finish. If a product explicitly requires rinsing, do it, just don’t stop there.

Time-wise, a small bathroom can be done in about 12 minutes once you have the sequence down. Two minutes dry-dusting, five minutes of dwell while you clean the mirror and toilet exterior, three minutes to agitate and squeegee, two minutes to dry and polish. The result looks like it took twice as long because the light catches on dry glass and metal, not streaks.

Keeping it spotless between cleans

The daily habit hotels rely on is fast. After your shower, run the squeegee over the glass and the largest tiles. Drag it once along the counter if there are splashes. Keep a small microfibre on a hook to give the taps a two-second buff. Crack the door or run the fan for 20 minutes to clear moisture. These tiny touches keep minerals from settling and turn the weekly clean into a quick refresh.

Why this works at home as well as it does in hotels

Housekeeping training is built around efficiency. The dry-down looks like an extra step, but it saves time by removing the causes of streaks and spots before they can dry. It also reduces the amount of product you need, because the shine comes from what you remove, not what you add. It’s the reason glass can look newly installed and chrome can hold a mirror finish for days, even with hard water.

Many people don’t realise how much of their bathroom’s “dirty look” is simply dried water. That’s good news. With a squeegee, two cloths and the habit of finishing dry, you can achieve the crisp, spotless look you associate with a freshly made hotel room—no special lighting required.