How to Make Cleaning a Bathroom Quick and Easy

Cleaning bathrooms is a chore low on everyone's list of fun things to do. But clean bathroom tile and toilettes don't have to require much extra time in your life. Here are ways to make cleaning the bathrooms in your house so quick and easy that you might wonder if you ever knew how to clean a bathroom before. So gather your cleaning supplies and get ready for the clean bathroom blitz.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   Organize in a Cleaning Tote

   ELIMINATE ALL WALKING FOR CLEANING SUPPLIES.
   
   The greatest time waster in cleaning is walking from one end of the house to the other search of the right bathroom cleaning tools. Bathroom cleaning tools need to be located where they are needed: the bathroom. Every bathroom should have a toilet brush with convenient drip stand. Every bathroom should be equipped with toilette bowl cleaner, windex, and an all purpose cleaner to cover your counters, shower, and toilette surfaces. Every bathroom should have a roll of paper towels under the sink, or a package of disinfectant cleaning wipes. This step alone can cut your bathroom cleaning time in half.

2. 
    

   CLEAN A BATHROOM WHILE YOU ARE GETTING READY.
   
   Two-fers are amazing time savers. Here is an order you can consider. When you get up in the morning pull out your cleaning tote and squirt toilet bowl cleaner under the rim to soak.
   - Turn on the shower to let the water warm up. While it is warming up wipe down the toilet surfaces with a disinfectant or clorox wipe.
   - When you take your shower, clean the shower. You don't have to worry about bleaching clothes or getting wet when you are in the shower for obvious reasons.
   - After your shower scrub the bowl and flush. Spray the mirror with Windex and wash it instead of just drying it off to make-up or shave.
   - As you get ready remove each thing from the counter as you use it.
   - While you are still there wipe down the counter. You are half way done cleaning the bathroom without adding hardly any time to your day.

3. 
    
   Time Yourself for a Challenge

   FIND OTHER TIME SAVERS TO KEEP IT MOVING.
   
   Use wipes or paper towels instead of cloths to save on rinsing and wringing. Use a hand held vacuum on small bathrooms to speed up cleaning the floor. Use a swiffer instead of a mop. Take out the bathroom trash on your way out of the bathroom. Return the wastebasket the next time you need to use the bathroom. Above all, just think 'get it done' not 'get it perfect.' If you clean your bathroom every week imperfectly it will be cleaner than once a month perfectly.

Tips & Warnings

• Cleaning a bathroom doesn't have to be dreadful. Play some music. Put on some coffee. Reward yourself when it is done.
• Time yourself cleaning the bathroom the old way, then compare with the time it ADDS to your bathroom routine to see how much time you save. If you normally take twenty minutes in the bathroom and it takes twenty five to get ready and clean the bathroom, you just cleaned the bathroom in five minutes.
• Never mix bathroom cleaning supplies.
• Make sure the bathroom is well ventilated while cleaning.
• If you use bleach in any cleaners be careful not to get it on towels or clothes.

Resources

• Saturday Morning Post (Dave's Blog)
• More of Dave's Practical Articles
• Make homemade cleaners even safer

[AdirondackTrina]

on 3/16/2009 great time saving ideas...great bathroom cleaning tips! Thanks for sharing the ideas..I especially like the one about using a wipe!

[MarlaineMarie]

on 3/15/2009 I use an old back scrubber to clean the inside of the shower while I let my hair soak up the conditioner.

[Lilfix]

on 3/15/2009 Very nice article on how to make cleaning a bathroom quick and easy...Thanks for sharing! RRCR5*

[surly-mac]

on 3/12/2009 Terrific time-saving and do-able article... this stuff actually works! I know because I tried these tips today. Thanks for a well-written