I used to absolutely loath cleaning my bathrooms. It was so much work (or so I thought) that I would procrastinate until my husband would threaten to call the health department. One day a friend of mine (a real friend who would actually venture into my formerly filthy house) helped get me into this routine that has helped me maintain my sanity by getting this dirty job done quickly.
She introduced me to the 15 Minute Bathroom Cleaning Routine and my life has never been the same. I was finally free from the drudgery of mildew and soap scum buildup. No more tooth paste petrified on my faucets. Gone was the black ring around the tub that looked like a well placed pinstripe. I was finally free to let the door stay open when company came over. My family didn’t even recognize the room. They were stunned. I can honestly say that my bathroom is now my pride and joy. My friends now marvel at my cleaning prowess.
Initially my bathroom took some extra effort to clean because it was so bad. However from then on it was a breeze to maintain. You too can overcome the bathroom blues by following these simple and effective twelve steps every time you clean.
The 12 Step Bathroom Cleaning Routine
1. Remove the knickknacks, soap, shampoo and conditioners and place them in the hallway. 2. Remove the throw rugs and shake them out. Put them in the washer to be cleaned if needed. 3. Sweep or vacuum the floor. 4. Spray the counter top and let your cleaner do the work (use the homemade cleaner recipe from our web site. It really works well and is nontoxic.) Remove the toothbrushes and spray the container. Do the same with the soap dish. 5. Spray the mirror and wipe it down. 6. Spray the bathtub/shower stall with cleaner and let it sit (you may not need to do this every week if your bath tub doesn’t get that dirty). 7. Go back to the counter top. Scrub and wipe it down. Do the same with the toothbrush holder and soap dish. Dry the faucet with a cloth so that no hard water spots form. 8. Spray the toilet with cleaner inside and out. Let the cleaner sit. 9. Go back to the tub/shower. Scrub and rinse it down. Dry the faucet with a cloth.
Hint: if you want to clean the shower curtain you can wash it in the washing machine. Add a couple of bath towels to help scrub the curtain clean. Set the water temperature to cold and use the delicate cycle. Remove it promptly and hang it back up to drip dry. Never put it in the dryer.
10. Move on to the toilet. Scrub the inside of the toilet with a brush. Flush the toilet to rinse the bowl. Wipe down the outside. Don’t forget the place behind the seat and the outside of the toilet bowl and base. 11. If you have linoleum or tile, mop the floor. If the room is small, you can spray your cleaner directly onto the floor and wipe it up with a cleaning cloth. Let dry for ten to fifteen minutes. 12. Put back the rugs and knickknacks. Check your toilet paper, soap and shampoo supply and restock if needed. Put out fresh towels.
The whole process should take fifteen minutes, not counting the time to let the floor dry. It will take even less time if you don’t have to clean the tub/shower stall. I only clean ours once a month because it doesn’t get that dirty. I spray the shower down daily with a spray made by Method that keeps the soap scum from building up. It is a nontoxic product that is sold in most Target stores.
Three Keys to Success
1) Let the cleaner sit long enough to loosen up the dirt and disinfect the surface. 2) Clean the bathroom every week. Pick a day that is your bathroom cleaning day and just do it. When you keep up on your cleaning it doesn’t become such an insurmountable project. 3) Use a separate cleaning cloth for each fixture; one for the counters, one for the bathtub and shower stall and one for the toilet. This keeps the germs you clean off of one surface from being transferred to another.
Cleaning Supplies
1) Utility caddy to carry your supplies. The dollar stores usually have these. 2) Rubber or Latex cleaning gloves. 3) Cleaning clothes. I keep 10 on hand. 4) Window cleaner (or use the homemade version from our web site). 5) All-purpose cleaner (or use the homemade version from our web site). 6) Baking Soda for heavy duty scrubbing. 7) An old toothbrush to get at those hard to reach areas. 
One roll of paper towels. 9) Pumice stone for hard water build up in the toilet bowl. (optional) 10) Toilet brush (unless you keep one in each bathroom like I do).
