I second all of that ^
I myself am very new to ball pythons, and even though I have another snake, I am new there as well. However, I would suggest against having live plants in with your snake - not only because, depending on the species of plant, they can be toxic to snakes, but because ball pythons may climb and will ultimately destroy live plants (or so I've heard)!
Like all snakes, ball pythons shed their skin, and there really is no reason to give them a bath... but, since you are using soil at the moment, I would assume your snake could become filthy. I would just rinse him/her under tepid water, or let him/her slither through a damp paper towel in your hands.
There are many care sheets on this website that will give you all the information you need to know. People use many different kinds of substrates, from aspen or different kinds of mulch, to something as simple as newspaper.
Please take some time to read over those sheetsBest of luck!
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