Clean Bathroom Effortlessly in less than 10 minutes

What is a bathroom? Well, " It is a room for personal hygiene." Of course!! But, personalize that question a little more and you would have some interesting answers.. :) For almost everyone, it is more of a private space and they would have a personal reason why.. :)

I know so many who say, "I do my best thinking in the bathroom!" For some it is the place to relax, for some it is the place of retreat from the stresses of life or a place of rejuvenation after a day of hard work and toil or the place where they choose to peacefully reflect.. For yet others, it is a home spa. There are some for whom it is a safe hide-out, where they'd run to, to be with themselves.. to either sob, let out that inner frustration and anger, or excitement and thrill which they hesitate to express elsewhere.. :) For some, standing under the shower helps them wash down their tears, wash down their stresses and yet others imagine themselves  standing under the rain and dance in bliss.. :) For some - the so called bathroom-singers, :) who are usually shy, nervous or trembling in front of others,  the bathroom is their perfect acoustic studio; the shower their mic and they gleefully sing to their heart's desire.. Must say, there are some who turn out to be an utter nuisance to their housemates or neighbours too.. :) Some practice public speaking, some enjoy reading, for some it's a hideout for smoking. Some even shove down the seat of the toilet, sit on it and set off to sleep.. :) etc.. etc.. etc.. :)

Well, point is.. Besides all these, if the primary purpose of the bathroom is for personal hygiene, where one goes in to come out fresh and hygienic, then shouldn't it be the most sterile and cleanest room in the house, or for that matter anywhere??? Did you know, the bathroom harbours some of the filthiest illness-causing bacteria, lurking everywhere from the sink faucet to toilets to even the cleaning materials used to clean.  All it takes, is changing a few habits, doing some regular cleaning and practicing some basic hygiene. Training little children with such habits is equally significant. Hygiene starts at home, but our responsibilities do not end there!! It is the duty of every individual to ensure that hygiene is given the deserved significance, be it at work places, schools, colleges, restaurants, hospitals, public places etc. It is every person's right! Above all, it's high time we stop complaining or making excuses, take responsibility and make an initiative to incorporate the changes we desire. 

While the whole world goes viral over the ice-bucket challenge, I'd suggest a "CLEAN A BATHROOM CHALLENGE!" :) Trust me, it's not all that easy, but, if you are a woman  or you travel a lot, you may be able to relate to such a need! :) Well, some remote places require a toilet in the first place!! :D So, maybe it's also good to initiate a "Build a toilet challenge" too.. :) Well, my husband, and I are into the groundwork of building a toilet in one such rural area. That reminds me of a very inspiring challenge initiated by our Padma Shri Dr.Mammootty, renowned photographer Imthias Kadeer and Abdul Manaf, CEO of Easysoft Technologies who founded the "My Tree Challenge", which is indeed appreciable! The cause encourages everyone around the globe to participate by planting a sapling and challenge others (rather encourage others) to do so too.. :) LESSON : If you will, even a small initiative you take could make a big difference! :) Let's all make this world a better place.. Starting from our own homes! :)

"Bathroom cleaning!! Ughhh!! The most dreadful household cleaning chore! From soap scum and mildew to dirt and hair!! Eww!! cleaning is no easy task!!" Is that by any chance your voice?? Are you someone who spends a lot on keeping cleaners to clean your place? In that case, come join me and see how easy it is to have a Spotlessly Clean Bathroom, effortlessly, in less than 10 minutes, every single day!! :) Your outlook about bathroom cleaning will change forever! Follow me.. :)

You will need :

1.      Bathroom cleaner : Environment friendly cleaning products are available in any supermarkets today. White vinegar is a good alternative. Laundry detergents are also a good cleaner, for cleaning the bathtub, bath walls or the bowl of the toilet.

2.      Glass cleaner is Optional. Plain water and a clean towel is more than enough for a not too dirty mirror or glass. You could also use Paper towels.

3.      Towels : Keep couple of clean towels handy for cleaning. Choose two different colours, so that you know which is for the mirrors or glass and which for other cleaning.

4.      Brush or sponge : Either of the two. If you use a brush, make sure you use a soft bristled but firm brush. Hard abrasion will damage your fixtures! So, be cautious.

5.      Toilet Brush : Preferably the simple hangable and not too hard bristled one!

6.      Mop : If your bathroom floor has spaced tiles, mop wouldn't be suitable. In that case either use a towel if it doesn't get too dirty or scrub with a brush and rinse down with water.

7.      Gloves : Optional. If you have sensitive skin or you are using a sponge for the cleaning.

Before you follow this cleaning regimen, make sure you do a thorough Deep-Cleansing first. Click below to follow how..

Step 1 :

Spray glass cleaner onto the mirror, and wipe off with a clean towel. If your mirrors do not get too dirty, you just need to sprinkle some water and wipe clean. But, to get those toothpaste spittle off and odor caused by it, spray some glass cleaner. CLEAN TOWEL is a must for mirrors, glass and windows. Paper towels are also a good option.

Step 2 :

Spray the wash basin, faucet, counter tops and surrounding walls with a disinfectant bathroom cleaner. Vinegar is also a good cleanser. But, personally, I do not like the smell of vinegar. :)

Scrub the inside of the basin with a sponge or a brush including the drain top.

Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

  

Wash and wring the sponge thoroughly and leave to air-dry. If you are using a brush, wash the bristles thoroughly, shake off excess water and leave to air-dry. If you are proceeding over to cleaning the bath area, you can rinse off after that use.

Step 3 :

Wipe off the sprayed bathroom cleaner and any excess water with a clean towel. Do not miss out on any area. If you give your towel couple of folds, you could turn each side over for a fresh side to wipe a new area.

Step 4 :

Glass cleaner is the best cleaner for sparkling and shining faucets that look new forever. :)

Step 5 :

Wipe down the counter-tops and cabinets. Do not forget the interiors of the cabinets too. You do not have to do this every day though.

  

Step 6 :

An area often forgotten is the surrounding walls. Since they aren't areas that get dirty very often, you can get away with cleaning this area once or twice a week. 

  

Trust me, your wash area will look stunning in no more than 2-3 minutes, that you will love doing this and will have a sparkling and specklessly clean wash area 24/7. :)

Step 7 :

Next is the Toilets. A sanitary ware that can get the nastiest if not cleaned properly. Trust me, it's no big deal if you take a minute or two every day, or at least every alternate day. All you need to do is, spray some disinfectant cleaner all over and into the bowl. Scrub the inside of the bowl and under the brim with a toilet brush. You can save money from buying harsh toilet cleaners if you do this regularly. The disinfectant cleaner will not only clean the bowl but will also clean the brush. Make sure you rinse the brush thoroughly, shake off excess water and leave to air-dry. You can buy toilet brushes that come on a hanging box, which is the best. The brush will not touch any surface and will dry out completely. Do not conceal it away in a casing. You are trapping along moisture, facilitating the growth of germs and bad odor by doing so. Once you are done, flush down.

Wipe the surface thoroughly. The surface, the seat, the cover and the flush tank. Do not  ignore or forget the area under the bowl and base as it can get very dirty. Remember, kids touch those areas with their bare hands to climb on and often walk out without washing their hands and could end up eating with those same hands.

Again.. another 2 minutes or less, is all it takes for a clean and sparkling toilet. :)

Step 8 :

Different bathrooms have different bath fixtures. Some are plain and absolutely simple, some have glass partitioning or doors, some have tubs, so on and so forth. If you have a plain bath area, very well! It's the easiest to clean!  :) All you need is a shower curtain and you are good to go. Bath areas with glass doors are definitely elegant, but, if not cleaned appropriately, it could turn out to be a total disaster with mold and mildew in the corners and the glass always dirty with soap scum and water marks. But, It's not a problem if you maintain it well. The same goes for bathtubs.

The best time to clean a bath area is while having shower! Therefore while you prepare yourself for a shower, make sure you have spayed across some bathroom cleaner or vinegar in all the dirty nooks and corners. You could spray some glass cleaner on the glass as well. As far as I have tried, the best cleaning agent for a bath area is laundry detergent. Spray some water across and with a bathroom brush and little detergent give a real quick brushing. If you do this every alternate day in the shower, the grime and scum will clean off quickly and you wouldn't have to do that dreadful and laborious scrubbing. You can brush the taps, handles, tiles, soap dish and absolutely any surface. Once done, rinse the brush, shake off the water and leave to air-dry in a clean and dry place. Then run the shower over to wash down all the lather and continue with your shower. After the shower, you could give one quick rinse down the whole area. keep a clean dry towel handy and wipe down the glasses, taps and then the surfaces and you'll have a sparkling and shining bath area! :)

If you use a shower curtain, also read Shower Curtain - Care & Maintenance.

Step 9 :

Finally mop your floor. If you have an open bathroom, and if your floor has spaced tiles, moping wouldn't clean off well. In that case, scrub with a brush and rinse down with water. If you bathroom floor doesn't have a separate drain, do not wash! Only mop!

The ceiling is not a place that gets dirty often. Therefore, you will only have to wipe it with a towel once in 6 months or even a year or maybe never! Depends on your climate and ventilation.

Step 10 :

Last but not least, the finishing touches. Keep accessories simple and modest. 

Bathroom is not a place for unnecessary decorating and cluttering! Some towels, a hand wash, a plant, maybe a picture (moisture proof) a set of hand and face towels is the maximum you will need. If you have bathroom readers in the house, at the most, a shelf or rack for hoarding the magazines or newspapers.

Do not forget the 'Keeping the bathroom smelling fresh' part. :) A good deodorizer or scented candles etc. can do the trick. But, make sure you keep them out of reach of children!

There we are.. :) This is my secret to a Clean Bathroom, Effortlessly and Happily.. :) My guests wow when they enter my bathroom, some even ask me if we use it! I have even got compliments like "can we have a bed so that we can sleep in here.." My dad frowns at me thinking I am scrubbing and polishing it all day long! :) But, trust me, all it takes is no more than 6 - 10 minutes of maintenance! :)

Hope this post helps you, or was something you were searching for to share with a near and dear. Please do feel free to share this post and help someone who is struggling with proper bathroom cleaning or maintenance. :) Looking forward to your valuable feedback for more of such posts on this blog. :)