Friday, February 01, 2008

How To Clean A Bathroom in 15 Minutes

Thanks to the Flylady, my bathroom is cleaned regularly. I do it quickly, and some may say well, it's not perfect, you missed that bit of grout there! But do you know what I say? Ha! That's what I say. (I also add...well, sure I missed a few spots, I did it in 15 minutes. But can you really say that it looks 8 times better when it takes you two hours? No? I didn't think so!).

Here's how I do it. You need some tools. I use: Swiffer dry mop with a fresh cloth on it, Windex, two paper towels, one baby wipe, a HandiVac, and the toilet brush.

To prepare, I grab the old rug, bathmat and hand towel and put them in the laundry basket. Then I move the plunger, toilet brush in its stand, bath toy bin, and kid potty into the tub so they're out of the way. I give the toilet a quick scrub with the toilet brush. If it's extra icky, I'll spray some Windex in there and let it soak while I do the next step. I spray the mirrors and the bathroom sink top with Windex. I let it soak in for a moment, then wipe it off, doing the mirrors first and then the sink faucet, then finally the sink itself. We have a wall-mounted sink with old-fashioned chrome legs, so I run the towel over the legs too for extra shine.

I use that same paper towel to clean the tub faucets and spout, adding a little more Windex as necessary. Then, I swipe the rim of the tub, the top of the toilet tank and that spot behind the seat that accumulates dust, and the window sill. Toss that towel now, it's done!

Time to Swiffer. I swiffer the floor, and then use the HandiVac to vacuum up the dust. Empty the vac into the garbage. Time to use the baby wipe to scrub up any dirty spots on the floor or the base of the toilet. OK, done with that. Now, I put back the items that were in the tub, put out a fresh rug, clean bathmat and hand towel, and dump the garbage. Done, in fifteen minutes!

You'll notice I say little about the tub. Well, I don't like to use harsh chemicals in the tub since our cats often hop in there and lick up the water at the drain. So, while I'm in the shower, I'll take a minute and use the scrubbie I keep on the tub rim to give the tub a quick scrub.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good tips! I do pretty much the same routine, but I don't have a Swiffer--I don't want to get caught up in the whole cycle of disposable cleaning tools that have been coming out the last 10 years or so.

--James

The Chatty Housewife said...

I use clorox wipes for the outside of my toilet when it is bad, and almost always for the seat, under the seat and the edge of the rim. I can't use them for the floor because it is vinyl and the wipes leave a sticky residue. Do baby wipes leave a sticky residue? Thanks! I will check back here for the answer. :)

Clean ClutterFree Simple said...

You know, I hesitated on the Swiffer. But they were the big thing on my expecting message board back in 1999, and, well, pregnant ladies are not so good with the impulse control! I do love it. You can use regular washable dusting clothes with the handle & holder.

Baby wipes leave no residue and clean really well! I use the Huggies Natural Care no scent. I feel guilty because I do just toss them, but frankly, if I didn't use them, I wouldn't clean as much so it's worth it.

Anonymous said...

I hate to clean my bathroom and glad to find such useful tips of yours. I'll try them and if they really work as you say, I will be happy