This post is about cleaning your bathroom with a quick 15-minute routine.

Yuck! I haaaate cleaning the bathrooms. But I also haaaate dirty, gross bathrooms. So the problem.

Let me tell you a little story. I have grown boys now; fortunately, they have to clean their own bathrooms in their houses. (YAY!) Oh, I digress; back to the story. One day when my youngest son was a teenager, he came to me with complete disgust and said, “Mom, can you please clean the bathroom? It is so gross.”

You know it isn’t good when your teenage son doesn’t want to use it. Well, that sent me on a quest to perfect an easy, quick weekly routine that will always keep the bathrooms clean, sparkling, and guest-ready.

So if you’ve been dreading facing those pesky showers, toilets, and other bathroom minutiae, stick around as I give you a step-by-step guide to help you tackle this dreaded task with ease (and even some fun!).

This post is all about my quick, easy 15-minute routine to clean your bathroom. Let’s dive in.

A Few Things to Remember While Cleaning Your Bathroom

Let’s face it; cleaning bathrooms is among nobody’s favorite chores. But unfortunately, it’s a necessary evil.

Here are a few points about bathroom cleaning:

• It is your home, not a hospital. You don’t have to don a hazmat suit and pour bleach all over to disinfect everything.
• You do not need special cleaners for streak-free mirrors. Also, you are not eating off them, so you don’t need to sanitize them.
• You don’t need a toxic bathroom cleaner or expensive chemical cleaning supplies. (I will discuss using a green alternative later in the post.)
• Cleaning the bathroom every week should take 15 minutes or half an hour at the most.
• Lastly, use a different cleaning cloth for the toilet and the sink because, eww.

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Declutter! – This Must be Done First!

Okay, let’s talk about your bathroom clutter. We all know it’s where you get ready to look your best (or at least presentable enough to leave the house). But here’s the thing – if your bathroom is cluttered and disorganized, it can quickly become a stress-inducing disaster area.

So, before you tackle any bathroom cleaning, trust me, decluttering is an absolute must.

The easiest way to keep your bathroom clean is to ensure it is clutter free first.

Not only will it clear physical space, but it will also give you some much-needed mental clarity.

Plus, you’ll finally be able to find that one hair tie you’ve been searching for since 2017. So come on, let’s do this.

Remember, this easy 15-minute bathroom cleaning routine will only work if you have decluttered first.

The following steps will help you accomplish this critical essential first task quickly:

1. Gather all expired products and toss them in the trash, including makeup, skincare products, and medications.
2. Next, gather all of the products that you no longer use or that are empty and donate them or throw them away.
3. Now it’s time to declutter your medicine cabinet. Toss any old prescription medications and expired over-the-counter medications.
4. Take everything out of your bathroom cabinets and drawers, wipe down the drawers and shelves, and only put back what you use regularly.
5. Donate unused towels, washcloths, and bedding to a local shelter or charity.
6. Get rid of any cleaning products that you no longer use or that are empty.
7. Organize your bathroom shelves and cabinets so that everything has a place and is easy to find. (Use the everything has a place and is easy to find rule – DO NOT stuff everything back in your cabinets. GET RID OF IT IF YOU DON’T USE IT or have room for it! Side note, if it is something that you really like, either get rid of something else to make room or find another place to put it.

Okay, now comes the fun part. To make this chore somewhat palatable, part of my cleaning arsenal is preparing for the task.

If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I like to get up, get out, and enjoy life. Part of this is also making the essential daily tasks fun.
If you try to do everything with a little bit of joy, you will accomplish those dreaded things with ease, and the entire household will be happier.

Cleaning the bathroom or any cleaning or deep cleaning task preparations.

Dive into your cleaning or specific deep clean on the same day and time each week. I like to have fun and do the things that I want to do, so I always do my “cleaning the bathroom” routine on Thursday morning before I have had my breakfast and shower. That way, I get the nastiest chore out of the way first.

I follow this bathroom schedule every week. If I do this task first thing in the morning, every other task to be done that day seems to go better.

Cleaning preparations:

• queue up my favorite audiobook or music on my pocket mobile device
• locate my headphones and put them on
• take off all rings or jewelry
• gather supplies (shampoo or body wash, cleaning cloths, or paper towels)
• get busy listening and cleaning (it’s a magical combination)

Okay, Get Ready! Following is my Step-by-Step Guide for my easy 15-minute bathroom cleaning routine.

Squirt a little body wash, shampoo (or dish soap in a pinch), and let it sit in each toilet bowl.

Oh, I can hear it now. Wait what? Body Wash or Shampoo? Dish soap? They won’t be clean or germ-free. Yes, they will. Remember, we are not eating out of our toilets. (Also, there is research out there that shows that kitchen sinks have more germs than your toilet seat. Double ewww!)

I used to wait until I absolutely had to clean the toilets because I was not too fond of harsh cleaning chemicals’ toxic and unpleasant smells. Not to mention that I also hate to wear rubber gloves, which is necessary if you use such products.

When I started following my favorite cleaning app Flylady.net, I learned that you could swish with whatever you have, shampoo or body wash, and get the job done as effectively. Using body wash or shampoo has also cut down on rings and using a pumice stone.

Since I no longer have to buy harsh chemicals and an endless supply of rubber gloves, this has also saved me money. (I stock up on body wash and shampoo when it is on sale or clearance.)

Pick up any laundry or used towels that are lying on the floors.

Gather dirty towels, clothing, or any other item that needs to be washed and put in the hamper or your washing machine.

Gid Rid of Trash.

Pick up all trash. Begin with all empty containers, used Q-tips or cotton balls, soap fragments, wadded-up dental floss, etc., etc., on the counters. After you have discarded all trash on the counters, pick up any leftover pieces of garbage on the floor. Throw all this in your favorite trash receptacle and take it to your outside bin or dumpster.

Dust off any decorations or knick-knacks with your current bathroom hand towel.

You can dust light fixtures at this time also, but I generally only do this once a month or quarterly, depending on how dirty they appear.

Clean the mirrors.

I always thought that you needed a special all-purpose cleaner for this, but not so.

You can achieve sparkling mirrors in no time by wetting a dry microfiber cloth or towel with warm water and wiping down the fingerprints and splatters.

Then get a clean microfiber cloth or use your current hand towel and wipe the surfaces until they are clean, streak-free, and dry. (You can also keep splatters and fingerprints at bay by wiping your mirror daily with your current hand towel.)

Next, take a toilet brush and clean the toilet or toilets.

Take your toilet wand, toilet brush, or swab (this is the one I use) and swish the shampoo or body wash around until you have swiped all the interior surfaces of the toilet bowl and the water is nice and foamy. (I have three bathrooms and go from room to room and scrub all the toilets in the same motion.)

Then leave the suds in the bowl for a minute or two while you clean the other bathroom surfaces. Rinse off the toilet brush and leave it in an open container beside your toilet for subsequent use. (I use a small garbage can for this purpose.)

Wipe down Bathroom Counters.

Get your favorite disinfectant wipes (I use these) and wipe the counters first, getting all the dirt and grime, including all the dried-up toothpaste and soap scum.

Next, use your favorite sanitizing wipes again, and wipe down the rim and inside of the bathroom sinks. Be sure also to wipe down the faucets and faucet handles.

Clean your bathtub.

Start by sprinkling baking soda all over your tub and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then, channel your inner Hercules and go to town scrubbing that tub until it’s sparkling clean. Rinse off the soda and admire your hard work.

Mop the bathroom floors.

Now it is time to put the finishing touches on your bathroom.

Do the following in order:

1. If you have carpet in your bathroom, give it a good vacuum.
2. Put bath mats in the washer.
3. Mop the floors.
4. Check to see if toilet paper needs replacing. If the roll is almost empty, put the fresh roll in the holder and leave the almost-used roll on top of the new roll.
5. Flush toilets again to make sure all the suds are gone.
6. Fill the soap dispensers.
7. Hang fresh towels.

Shower Time for You and Your Shower

To clean your shower, get undressed. Squirt some shampoo or body wash on a sponge or scrub brush that you keep in the shower and give the shower walls, shower door or curtain, grout lines, and shower head a good scrubbing.

Then rinse everything well with hot water and proceed to take a leisurely shower in your fresh and clean bathroom.

While you are in the shower give yourself a mini spa. Check out this earlier post.

So now you know

Reading it seems like many steps, but it goes really fast once you get the routine down. If you make an appointment with yourself to clean your bathroom this way every week, your bathroom will always stay clean and guest-ready.

Let’s Recap

Declutter first.

Remember that to clean a bathroom; you don’t need special cleaners for equipment. Just use a little baking soda, some shampoo or body wash, paper towels or a damp microfiber cloth, a microfiber towel, and your favorite sanitizing wipes.

Use this quick, easy method to keep your bathrooms sparkling clean.

• Prepare for the cleaning task by queuing up music, removing jewelry, and gathering supplies.
• Squirt some shampoo or body wash into the toilets and let it sit while you clean the other surfaces.
• Gather laundry up off of the floor and throw away the trash.
• Dust decorations and knick-knacks, then clean mirrors.
• Scrub the toilet bowl with a toilet brush and sudsy body wash or shampoo mixture.
• Wipe down counters with disinfectant wipes, dust light fixtures, and replace toilet paper if needed.
• Sprinkle baking soda in the bathtub and scrub it clean; mop floors; vacuum if carpeted bathroom.
• Use a sponge or scrub brush to give the shower walls, shower doors/curtains, shower head, and grout lines a good scrubbing; rinse well with hot water.

Final Thoughts

Who knew it could be this easy to take control of your bathroom cleanliness? With this routine, you can go from grungy to sparkling quickly.

Cut your cleaning time by committing fifteen minutes a week, and you’ll no longer have gross piles of towels and hair everywhere on the floor or soap scum all over your sink. So the next time you’re ready for some bathroom scrubbing bubbles time, make sure you start that 15-minute timer first!

Trust me – it will make a world of difference.

What are you waiting for? Your bathroom is calling… so go get that room spic and span! You will have clean bathrooms in no time.

xooxoo

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