How to Quickly Clean Your Bathrooms

Most people don't like cleaning the bathroom - except me. I have found that when cleaning your house, it's nice to have rooms that actually give you instant gratification. The bathroom is the one room where even a quick clean is obvious. I love the sparkle and the smell of a clean bathroom. But, not everyone likes the work to get to that point as I do. So, if you are one of those who want to get the bathrooms thoroughly clean, as fast as possible, follow these steps.

First, start at the top, and work your way downstairs. This pretty much goes for all cleaning jobs. If you have an upstairs, start in the highest level and work your way downstairs. This is also the premise in the bathroom - start at the levels closest to your ceiling, and finish with the floor.

Keep a bucket of supplies under your bathroom sink. I keep my bucket in the master bathroom, because that's the room I always start with. Inside my bucket, I keep a sponge, a scrub brush, an old toothbrush, a spray bottle of bleach/water mixture, and any cleansers you need, like a window cleaner and a product like Pine Sol. Make sure your sponge is a bathroom dedicated sponge. You don't want to wash surfaces where food can come in contact with. I also tie bathroom sized trash bags to the handle so I can replace the bag in the trashcan.

Start by filling your bucket with hot water and the cleanser, according to the directions on the container. Hang the brush on the outside of the bucket, along with your window cleaner. Drop the sponge and the toothbrush in the soapy bucket. Begin with cleaning the mirrors - use either paper towels or old newspaper. Then, work on the counters. Clear the counter off, putting away everything in your way. Personal items should be kept under the sink, or in easy to remove baskets or containers. Throw away any trash. Use the sponge in the soapy water. Clean the counter tops, the bowls, and the faucets.

Next, move on to the tub and shower. Yes, you can use the same sponge and product. You don't need to have 25 different products to clean one bathroom. Wipe down everything, using the scrub brush on the grout, if necessary. A bleach pen on the grout is nice to remove stains, but not essential.

If you have a window, make sure to wipe down the window sill, and any shelves.

Then move on to the toilet. Flush the toilet, and add cleanser to the clean water. Use a brush to clean the inside. With your sponge, start at the top of the toilet and work your way down. Don't forget the top and underside of each seat and lid. And then wipe the sides and around the floor. Use the toothbrush for any hard to reach areas like the seat hinges. Don't forget to flush the toilet.

Then, remove the trash can, all the towels (so you can replace them with clean ones), and the carpets. Do a quick spray of the counter, tub, shower, and outside of the toilet with the bleach water.

Then, move to the floors. Start at the corner of the floor farthest from the door, and work your way out. On your hands and knees, scrub the floor with the sponge and the scrub brush as necessary. Don't forget to wipe down the baseboards. When the floor is dry, replace the carpets, the trashcan, and the clean towels.

Take your bucket, the bagged trash, and the soiled linens on to the next bathroom, and begin again.

The reason I like to start upstairs and move my way down, is that downstairs I'll now be able to throw my trash in the bin outside, and put the towels in the laundry room. And, my bucket is now downstairs, where I can wash my kitchen and laundry room floor.

Before you're finished, though, you need to sanitize your sponge. You just spent time cleaning all those germs - you don't want to make things worse! Rinse out your sponge to remove most of the soap, but then thoroughly soak it again. Pop it in the microwave for two minutes. Then, let it sit in the microwave for at least 10 minutes. This last step is very important, because the water in the sponge is now boiling, and you don't want to touch it until the water is cool. After 10 minutes you should be ok, but test it carefully. Wring out the sponge, and let it air dry.

During this time, you can use your kitchen floor sponge (differentiate them by always buying a different color - my bathroom sponges are blue, my kitchen floor sponges are yellow, and my kitchen counter sponges are pink) to scrub the kitchen floor. When the kitchen floor is done, the sponge should be done, and all your tools can go back in the bucket and back upstairs under the bathroom sink. And then, off to the next task.