Household Tip #2!!

Did you ever watch Friends? I loved the show. To me, Monica (Courtney Cox) was a favorite. I liked others too, but the character Monica more than others for a reason. I can relate to Monica very well. She was a great cook, so am I. She was a clean freak and I was too before having kids. I can't really keep up with the way my house used to be before having kids now. I clean one room and by the time I am done with the next room, the first room will be a mess.

I was not thinking of writing this post till the weekend. But, I got couple of emails requesting something in particular and I am trying to put it together in this post.

I am not claiming that I am an expert at it. I am an engineer by education and a person who writes SQL code for a living. I am not even saying that this method will work for you. It works for me. Use whatever you feel works for you and leave out the rest. I am also not guaranteeing that it will be as fast as I claim it to be. It is for me. But my bathroom and my moving and working speed is entirely different from every other person. So, don't go by the stop clock.
I am also not advertising for any cleaner/brand. Someone asked me to mention what all I use and here is that list.

Today's tip - Cleaning the bathroom in 10 - 15 minutes:
Let's divide it into cleaning the powder room or half bathroom and then move on to the shower or bathtub.

What you need: 
A vacuum cleaner which can be used on the flour
Scrubbing Bubbles or similar spray
Anti bacterial wipes like Lysol
Toilet bowl cleaner like Lysol
Toilet brush
Scrubbing pad
Use and throw mopping clothes. Or a reusable washcloth meant only for this job.
A sprayer filled with either plain water or water + vinegar mixture or glass cleaner to clean the mirror.
Paper towels
A trash can (Of course)

Minute 1 and 2:
Remove all the rugs that are in the bathroom flour. Shake them and move them to some other area. Vacuum the entire floor.
Minute 3:
Spray water or glass cleaner on to the mirror. Aim at the top since it will flow down anyway.
Spray the scrubbing bubble or any foam cleaner on the sink.
Put the cleaner to the toilet bowl.
Minute 4:
Take a dry paper towel and wipe down the mirror. Start at the top and move to the bottom.
Take a scrubbing pad and scrub the sink, faucet and the counter. Rinse with water.
Minute 5:
Take couple more paper towels and wipe down the entire counter and the faucet. This is the time to wipe down the cabinets if they are dirty. If you have many things on the counter, this probably will take more time to wipe the counter and place them back. I have only a soap pump and a dish with potpourri in it in the powder room.
Minute 6:
Take an antibacterial wipe and wipe down the toilet seat, tank, handle and the bottom part of the toilet. Use more wipes if necessary.
Minute 7:
Brush the toilet and clean the brush and keep it back in its holder.
Minute 8, 9, 10:
Wipe the floor down using the wet washcloth or use and throw mop clothes. Put all the garbage in the trash can. Bring back the rugs and keep them in their place.

If you are cleaning the bathroom with a bath tub:

Add this step to step 3 above:
Spray the entire bathtub with the scrubbing bubble or your favorite cleaner.

Add this step between 6 and 7:
Scrub the bathtub, rinse and wipe the outer part of it dry with a paper towel.

If you are cleaning the master bathroom which usually is a huge one compared to other bathrooms, double this time. I need 20 minutes to clean the entire master bathroom and an additional 10 minutes to clean the shower. Showers with the curtain is easier to clean compared to the ones with doors. I have doors on my shower and it is kind of a pain to clean the crevices between the door and the shower floor.

One of my extended family who is the only reader of my blog among my relatives asked me to put couple of pictures of how I store all these cleaners in the bathroom and under the kitchen sink.You will see lot more than the cleaners and what is needed in the kitchen or bathroom. That is to save my crystal vases from my younger one. Plus, I had space in there and I am making use of it. When someone walks in with a bouquet of flowers, I grab a vase from under the kitchen sink, fill it up with water and place the flowers in there. So, it makes sense to me. Also, I store the scented candles that I burn when I have company under each sink.


Here is my under the kitchen sink cabinet:

What all I have here:
Vinegar, a bottle sprayer with vinegar water mixture, fire extinguisher, a container with perforated lid which has baking soda, dish washing detergents, dust tray, bottle brush, clothes to clean, some other common cleaners, a box of kitchen trash bags, a box with extra wiping clothes, scrub pads etc. And of course you see crystal vases.

Now, this is how my under the sink in the bathroom looks like:

Here I have cleaners, toilet brush with its holder (don't be disgusted, it is very clean and is 11 + years old and still going), extra toilet paper rolls, Fabreeze, some room fresheners, brushes, use and throw wash cloths, a paper towel roll, liquid plumber and things like that.

As I said earlier, this works for me. Do not know if it will work for you. If there is something that you do differently, but may benefit others and me, leave a comment. I would really appreciate it.

Enjoy!!