How To: Clean A Room in Record Time

 

The Room: Bathroom
The Time Frame: 10-25 minutes, depending on the size of your bathroom.
The tools: Dollar store rags, The Works tub and tile cleaner, Clorox disinfecting wipes, Lysol Deep Clean toilet bowl cleaner, toilet brush, Lysol multi-purpose disinfecting cleaner, Febreeze fabric refresher in antimicrobial, Febreeze Air Effects in Rocky Spring and Cool (or your favorite scent), a mop.


Things to keep in mind: You must make sure your bathroom is well ventilated. This means opening the door, opening a window if possible, turning on the fan, setting a fan up to blow air out of the room, etc. All steps that require one cleaner then another should included a through rinse down with clear water. NEVER MIX CLEANERS. If you even feel over-whelmed by fumes or experience strange skin issues, rinse off affected skin, if applicable, and get to fresh air and help. If you have medical conditions, make sure you check with your doctor before exposure to any new chemicals.
How to:
Start by lifting the lids to the toilet and saturating, as directed, with the toilet bowl cleaner. I recommend this brand, because it clings especially well and goes deep into the s-bend of your toilet. Because it clings so incredibly well, you do a lot less work. Lower the lids and move on.
Next fill the tub with an inch or two of hot water and put in a good splash of the Lysol all-purpose antibacterial cleanser. Let both sit. Pull up the rug/bath mat and move out of the way.
Take your Clorox wipes, which clause less streaking and leases a great shine on fixtures and mirrors now, and wipe down all counters, the inside and outside of the sink, the mirrors, the light switches, the towel bars, the knobs (both cabinets and doors), the walls around the counter top. Make sure if your sink is raised you take a nail and get right in there, get the towel bars good because they hold wet towels up all the time, get the under edges of your counters, Next take them and move to your toilet. Without getting in the toilet bowl cleaner, wipe down the pull handle, the tops, the edges, the underside of the bowl, the edge behind where the seat meets the toilet and always collects fuzzy stuff, the bottom where the toilet is bolted to the floor. During this stage don’t be afraid to keep pulling new cloths out. To disinfect many brands say the area must stay damp for so many seconds. Read your label to be sure. (Also if you would rather, Scrubbing Bubbles makes a bathroom wipe that I also rate high on my list of favorite cleaners. I just like the Clorox wipes because of the high shine and their true multi-purpose uses. If you go the Scrubbing Bubbles route, I recommend a separate window cleaner for your bathroom fixtures and mirrors to get a high shine.)
Next, scrub that toilet! Use the brush and make sure it gets everywhere. Dip the brush in one last time and hold above the bowl. Flush. Dip the brush back in the bowl after it’s filling up to leave a good sudsy layer that will continue to freshen the bowl. Put your brush away.
Get out your mop and use the water in the tub to mop the floor. Get in all the corners and then wring the mop out good into the tub. Put the mop away. Empty trash and rinse in the tub water. Put a new bag in.
Grab a rag and get all the dirt and surface yuck off your tub and tiles. RINSE WELL. Get out your bottle of The Works and spray down surfaces throughly. Let sit a minute. Rub around with your cloth gently. This product is extremely good at removing stains, films and soap scum. (I have hard well water full of sulfur and we get terrible mineral and rust stains in our almond colored tub. I also have a toddler who insists on bath tints in the same water and tub. This gets rid of the stains and soap scum without any effort at all. For tougher stains you may need to let it set an extra minute or so. ) Rinse well again.
Lay any rugs or mats out again. Spray curtains, rugs, etc. with fabric refresher. The anti-microbial type here is good, because it helps to keep your fabrics “healthy” for your family. Lastly, spray with some air freshener to give the lasting impression of freshness. (Sometimes this step alone can give a nice impression of clean.)
Wash your hands off, apply a good layer of lotion for softness and have a good cup of tea. You did good and won the battle against germs, grime, your back, your knees and your precious time. Now if you could only get your kids to do their own laundry. No matter!!! Onward ho!
Next time: Tackling that living room and surviving the Dust Bunny Mafia!
© 2008 by Jennifer Altherr, Butyoudontlooksick.com

  • Renee

    I love your tips! They motivate me to cut to the chase & get it done. Great advice for making it quick!
    MORE ADVICE”: I too have days where I can’t complete this entire series of tasks…so I wait & do it on one of my good days. If I can’t complete the whole series, then I break it down to one a day.
    As for fumes, yes I am allergic. I ventilate the area & I wear a heavy duty mask & gloves & step out for fresh air often. Otherwise, I am starting to find natural cleaners…so no fumes!
    Regardless, I loved the advice (going to print it) & I am looking forward to more advice. (I need it!)

  • Artist298

    Alternative to those susceptible to cleaning fumes, using plain baking soda does wonders and puts a shine on everything. To get a good cleaner, mix some white vinegar and baking soda and add water…good for all around cleaning.

  • Gwendolyn Weidman

    Great tips!! Thank you!!

  • Honey, if I even tried to do all this, I’d be in bed for a month!! I can manage to do the toilet with the Lysol Deep Clean stuff, but I can’t do much else until the next day.
    The next day I can wipe out the sink.
    The next day I can manage the mirror.
    The day following that I can wipe down the counter.
    The day following that, I call my grandson to come over to empty and refill the cat box and sweep the floor (forget mopping – I can’t and at 10 he doesn’t understand mopping). The tub I ask my son to come over and do for me about once a month. About 20 minutes before he comes, I spray it down with Scrubbing Bubbles.
    More than that – I cannot do!
    Elizabeth

  • Suzanne

    The heavy use of scented products is not healthy for people.

  • Lilli

    I fully agree with everything you say here, EXCEPT that the toilet cleaner instructions say to leave the toilet lids UP … the fumes can be more noxious and more dangerous if you leave the toilet seat down.

  • lokywoky

    Your technique is great – your use of all those chemicals is not however. People who have serious, chronic illnesses should be really careful of using all that stuff because no matter how well ventilated – you are still getting inundated with fumes. There have been multitudes of articles recently in the news regarding the hazards of household cleaners for living things (small children, pets, and the adults who care for them) and these are people who DON’T have chronic illnesses.
    May I suggest the line of household cleaners by Shaklee. They are all organic, mostly non-fuming, and won’t cause nearly the problems most of your ‘favorite’ cleaners do. The Shaklee Basic-G is an all-purpose germicide (use in the toilet – for cleaning/disinfecting areas you want to do that with, and has a very mild, pine scent. For everything else, Basic H or Basic H2. Mix Basic H with water according to the directions and use it to clean the glass, fixtures, floor, all surfaces, and wash your rags in the washer when you are done. You can use the left-over glass mixture to water your plants and it will help them also. If your shower has soap scum, Basic H2 or At-Ease soft-scrub is nice – and again, not harsh on you or the environment. The company also offers pre-moistened wipes with Basic H for glass, and Basic G for quickie clean-ups. You can purchase these products from a Shaklee distributor in your town, or go to shaklee.com on the internet to find one.
    I just cringe when I see people using clorox (bleach) in the same area as lysol, and then spraying febreeze around. Who knows what the mixture (in the air) turns into before you breathe it in.

  • Nancy

    I’ve found since injuring my back (low back and neck) that the new Mr. Cleam system with a mop with 2 different pre-soaked pads and adjustable handle work great for me. You can take the handle off to do the sink and toilet but also extend the handle to really wipe down the walls, tile, shower doors and ceiling when it gets all sweaty or dirty.
    This way I’m not bending and flaring up my back.
    I also use the Lysol toilet cleaner with the handle and disposable pads that flush. Again no bending.
    While the pads can get expensive, I wait for a sale and a good coupon in the paper to buy them!