Who cleans your bathroom?

[viscousmemories]

Before I bought this house we had a cleaning service come by every other week. This was in no small part because left to my own devices my bathroom never gets cleaned. Apparently I have a high tolerance for wallowing in my own filth, and the urge to clean a bathroom has never once come over me. Ergo the only way it happens is if I'm having visitors or I just decide it can't possibly go on any longer and force myself to do it. Having had only one visitor in the months I've been living here you can imagine what it's like.

So, I'm looking for a different approach that doesn't involve paying $160 a month to a cleaning service. What's your routine? Do you have a cleaning service or do you clean your own bathroom? Do you clean it according to a particular schedule? Do you enjoy cleaning or is it just a responsibility you accept? How long does it take you? TELL US EVERYTHING.

[Demimonde]

I hate hate HATE cleaning the bathroom. Yet it is a responsibility that has always fallen on me. I too can let it go, which only makes the situation worse.

I use the Sidetracked Home Executives cardfile system for all that domestic stuff. I breakdown the chores into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly events. I then file them away so I have a short list of things that I address every day and know that I won't forget to say, replace the air filters the third week of the month.

Mr. Monde and I spend an hour every evening tackling the daily stuff, and whatever weekly things I have down for that day. I break up the bathroom stuff so it doesn't bog me down. I clean the sink daily, (we have a pedestal sink, so no counter) as well as rinse out the tub and the toilet bowl. Monday's I clean the whole toilet, because it's Monday, and I get a grim satisfaction out of it. Tuesdays I empty the waste paper baskets as it is trash day the next day, and I organize the shelves getting rid of any clutter noting anything I need to replace when I shop. Wednesdays I clean the tub surround, because that is my Goddess take a bubble bath day, and I get it sparkly before I enjoy a good long soak. Thursdays I clean the windows and mirrors, and Fridays I don't do anything because it is Friday dammit. Saturday I wash all the towels and the bathmat, wash the floor of the bathroom and the kitchen and Sunday I do nothing in the bathroom but what nature dictates. (Except I do the shopping that day, so I do put away the new stuff.)

Once a season, I will wash the walls and the air vents, empty the storage and dust inside, clean all the fixtures and do the nitty gritty toothbrush nook and cranny stuff. IMO that doesn't need to be done but once every three months or so.

Some people who like a totally clean bathroom would hate this system because it is rarely totally "done." It works for me because I don't care about that, I just want to keep the grungies it at bay. If I miss a day in the schedule, I just put it off until Saturday, or even the next week, and don't lose any sleep over it. But that's my style.

Oh and turtle wax is your friend. That once a season cleaning I do includes waxing the sink, toilet, and tub. It makes it much easier to clean the rest of the time with that layer of protection.

[Miisa]

I have a tiny bathroom, so not much problem there. I don't usually clean it on weeks when I have the kids here, as I am a bit of a perfectionist, and when you have grubby irreverent little people messing up your apartment continuously, you can't even try to approach perfection. Not that my bathroom is perfect otherwise, but adequate. I frequently use a cloth to clean the walls of the shower while I am showering, that is basically no extra work whatsoever.

I always keep the toilet bowl clean, and expect also my kids to ensure there is nothing clinging to it when they leave it, and that helps a lot. So it never need scrubbing, just a squirt of Toilet Duck and a swirl with the brush and another squirt of bathroom cleaner and a wipe of the seat and outside porcelain with a damp cloth and it's done.

I wash the bathroom floor occasionally, after washing the kitchen one, with the same bucketful.

One thing that was great (in some ways) for establishing a cleaning routine was the FlyLady system, where each week one focuses on a specific room, and that way one has seven days to do a little every day and get the whole house tidied every month. But I couldn't stand the religious and women-subjugating BS that cult broadcast and got fed up with them quick, but the system is sound, if one can keep it up.
Basically, if one keeps it moderately nice by just touching something in there up whenever going there, it never gets to the point where you put off cleaning it because it is a daunting or disgusting job.

[Dingfod]

I have no aversion to cleaning the bathroom and probably clean the toilet more than anyone else in the house. A few weeks ago I did a complete top to bottom cleaning of the bathroom, apparently a long-neglected chore*. Sometimes I think we need to hire a cleaning service, then I remember, I have a 28 year old daughter living here that isn't doing a damn thing, she could clean it in exchange for being allowed to live here.


*I also cleaned the kitchen, it wasn't pretty, the range top in particular. Yuck.

[LadyShea]

I am cheap and I am lazy, and bathroom cleaning is the easiest thing in the world, vm...it will take you 15 minutes and cost next to nothing of you follow my routine. I do this once a week, and in between pick shit up, or do a quick wipe down if needed.

You'll need
Mr Clean Magic Eraser sponge or generic/dollar store equivalent (Sponge From Hell or SFH)
Bleach (use the Dollar Store kind)
Broom and mop (Swiffer if you want even easier) or wet rag.
1 dry towel (ShamWow or one of those works best)
Toilet scrubber
Windex and newspaper

1. Pick up all crap laying around and put it in its drawer, cabinet, closet, or hamper
2. Pour bleach into toilet (1/2 cup or so)
3. Fill sink with water and a single capful of bleach
4. Wet SFH and scrub shower walls and floor (no cleaner needed)
5. Rinse SFH, dip into bleach water then use it to scrub counter, door handles, light switches, then non-bowl parts of toilet- in that order. Empty sink and scrub out with SFH.
5. Use ShamWow or towel to dry all surfaces
6. Use scrubber to get inside the toilet bowl then flush
7. Spray mirror with Windex and use newspaper to dry it
8. Sweep floor
9. Use Swiffer, mop, rag, or SFH to clean floor on your way out

[Sidesaddle Gal]

I live alone, so if it's gonna get cleaned, it's on me.

I haven't figured out how to get the dogs to do it.

I pick up the house pretty much every evening before bed, and do a thorough cleaning once a week and a full, top to bottom scrub every inch about 3 times a year, or more if needed.

[Demimonde]

Hi Miisa, actually FlyLady uses the S.H.E. system. The originators of the system have an excellent book here. (http://www.amazon.com/Sidetracked-Home-Executives-TM-Paradise/dp/0446677671). No religion or subjugation issues in that, it's more empowering than anything else. The updated version, (I think they started the system back in the late seventies/early eighties) deals with modern women and the evolving family unit.

I believe FlyLady emails you the reminders. In this book they show how to set up your own system. Which I like because it took me awhile to find a schedule that worked for me. I have an old four drawer card catalogue that was my mother's that serves as my domestic brain, but they also show you how to set it up electronically.

[Miisa]

Yeah, I kinda modified my own version to better suit the FlyLady one, as theirs was designed for homemakers, and it was really hard to follow a lot of it as someone who works all day, then has come home to cook dinner and take kids to sports and do the normal housework. It also suggests that if women don't bitch about doing the housework and sharing it, but instead do it all with a spring in their step, then the family will start contributing more, which turned out to be BS. In my case they stopped doing everything they had done up to then, so I ended up with more work.

Thanks for the link to the book, might try that one.

[Demimonde]

Yeah, that is total crap. I don't have kids, I just have Mr. Monde and we both have full time responsibilities. But with the hour every evening divide and conquer method, we get things done really well. Delegating helps a lot. On our biweekly dust busting sessions I realized that at six and a half feet, he needeth no stepladder. So he hits the high areas, crown molding, picture rail, pictures and chandeliers while I hit the low, baseboards up to table top. It's done in no time. Doing it together gets rid of the resentment of "crap do I have to do everything myself" crabbies, and that goes both ways. Racing, chasing, and doing teamwork belly bumps as we finish each task keeps it fun. We both feel appreciated and accomplished by the end. We do have some gendered roles as far as yardwork vs house work. But I feel like having everything written down helps us realize how much the other does. Men like keeping score and having records of what they do and getting recognition for it. I like having something tangible I can see that tells me I've done something and getting the appreciation for it, and even the stuff we do apart is appreciated that way.

Personally, finding the SHE system was a revelation to me. My mother died when I was six, and for years she was deified in my mind as this perfect homemaker I could never live up to. By contrast my dad as a single parent didn't really care if there were tools in the living room, dog hair in every corner, and a mountain of laundry in the foyer so long as we had dinner every night. When it did get done, it was usually me being ordered to do it by him. So I didn't really have proper modeling growing up and without being told to do it, it was hard for me to get started on housework.

I found the SHE system a little over a year ago. It was amazing. It made me revisit my mother's card catalogue which I had just used as recipe file, (which she had set up in one drawer,) coupon file in another drawer, and a file for business cards. Revisiting the fourth drawer I never used I found calendar cards 1-30, and monthly tabs for the year, but they were all empty. Having read the book, I heard a click in my head. I realized that the SHE system was my mother's system. The books came out around the time I was born, and that is how my mother managed the domestic diva thing even while battling cancer and going through chemo. I cried when I figured it out.

Many have updated to the electronic system, and I may eventually do that. But that old card catalogue serves as a connection to my mother and keeps me motivated. Instead of feeling like I could never measure up to her abilities, I feel that I have the tools she left me and am just as capable of using them. So that serves as an extra motivator for me.

[Qingdai]

Both of us clean the bathroom. We go by the "I can't stand it any longer" method. Which means that it gets done around once a week.

I use vinegar and water instead of floor stuff, window stuff and some general cleaner for sink and toilet, Bon Ami for the tub and a scrub brush. I also use about three rags/washclothes and two paper towels to clean.

Spray mirror and wipe with paper towels, Spray cleaner on toilet, sprinkle Bon Ami in sink, toilet and tub. Use sponge to scrub sink and tub, use toilet brush on toilet. Take one damp clean rag wipe down sink, then toilet. Take dry rag to dry (dust sticks to wet surfaces) sink, toilet. Rinse out tub. Empty trash, sweep floor, use damp rag with vinegar and water to mop floor, then dry floor with dry rag.

I think it took longer to write out than actually do.

[livius drusus]

I use a bathroom cleanser (http://www.simplygoodstuff.com/scum_off.html) for the bathtub, shower, skink and toilet tank leaving the bleach for the toilet and floor. It's a nifty little organic, non-toxic gel that sticks to the tiles really well, so I just apply, leave it alone for 10 minutes, then scrub lightly and rinse off. Unless I've been a total shanker, I don't even have to scrub.

I also dilute some of the cleanser in spray bottle full of water and use that to spray the tub and shower every time I use them. No scrubbing or rinsing; just spraying. It keeps things clean and shiny and prevents soap buildup. I love castile soap like Dr. Bronner's, but that shit leaves insane amounts of soap scum. My little spray bottle keeps it at bay.

I do sweep every other day just because of the cat hair and scattered litter, but I only mop once every week if I'm being good. Once a month if I'm horrible (which is sadly often :blush: ).

[Kael]

I am, unfortunately, a horrible, filthy, lazy slob, so cleaning advice from me is about as valuable as a Creationist's scientific insight.

It's not so much that I can't clean well as that I just don't want to, so I let it sit until even I am disgusted, which undoubtedly makes the cleaning much harder than it has to be.

I guess that's my advice, then: Don't be like me. Just clean it, you'll feel a lot better afterward.

[Dingfod]

I use a bathroom cleanser (http://www.simplygoodstuff.com/scum_off.html)...I would be afraid Scum Off would liquify me and down the drain I would go. Goodbye, scum.

[SharonDee]

I use a bathroom cleanser (http://www.simplygoodstuff.com/scum_off.html) for the bathtub, shower, skink and toilet tank leaving the bleach for the toilet and floor. It's a nifty little organic, non-toxic gel that sticks to the tiles really well, so I just apply, leave it alone for 10 minutes, then scrub lightly and rinse off. Unless I've been a total shanker, I don't even have to scrub. So did you actually buy the stuff from that website or did you get it from a brick-n-mortar store?

(Also: skink. I think that's my favorite typo on account it describes my own skeevy sink. :chuckle:)

[roastelk]

Me and my wife split most of the cleaning/baby duties, washroom included. though we do have a maid service come in once a week to give the place a good once over.


I have been trying to get her to dump the maid, I figure that $350 a month can definitely be well used else where. But between the two of us we can more than afford her.

[Ymir's blood]

I usually trick some strong guy into diverting a nearby river through it.

[ITSOZAZ]

mexicans.

[Corona688]

We have smoke-detector inspections in these apartments with fair regularity, though they always have the decency to warn us, which is responsible for bumping up a lot of my housekeeping habits.

[Anastasia Beaverhausen]

My friends Jenn & Aly swear by the ten-minute tidy. At the top of every hour, tidy for ten minutes straight.

[Doctor X]

Try not to miss the bowl, vm.

--J.D.

[slimshady2357]

I do this once a week, and in between pick shit up, or do a quick wipe down if needed.

Phrases like these should never be used so loosely when talking about bathrooms :glare:

[livius drusus]

So did you actually buy the stuff from that website or did you get it from a brick-n-mortar store?
From that website. I ordered a bunch of stuff from it when I first moved in to the new house.

(Also: skink. I think that's my favorite typo on account it describes my own skeevy sink. :chuckle:)
Also a very cute lizardy thing. :aww:

[Shake]

Either myself or the wife clean the bathroom. Depends on what all else is going on at the time.

Wish I had an extra $160/month to blow.

[Gonzo]

Mother cleans it... even though it is a bathroom she does not ever use.


Thank you 1950s, gender roles rule!

[Gonzo]

The Blue Tongue Skink:

http://www.reptilesweb.com/images/stories/datso_pictures/med_BlueTongueSkink.jpg

[Lauri D]

Of all the things I hate to clean, I actually enjoy cleaning the bathroom. Yes, I am a weirdo. However, its result is so immediate as not to be ignored! It's kinda easy as a single person and at the last place there were 3 bathrooms to 2 of us so nothing ever got heavy use, but still, there is something seriously thereapeutic about scrubbing out a toilet bowl.

For regular cleaning I recommend those things that turn your water blue.

[Ensign Steve]

I brush out the toilet when it gets a visible ring, and wipe down the sink of toothpaste and hair pretty much every time after I use it. Sometimes I sweep the floor, but other than that I don't do anything. I never scrub the shower or tub, and I don't mop or otherwise wet-clean the floor. We have someone do the house three or four times a year, and I tell her all I really care about are the bathrooms and kitchen. She vacuums and dusts in the other rooms, but really all I care about are the bathrooms and kitchen cuz I hate cleaning those.

[Ensign Steve]

I use the Sidetracked Home Executives cardfile system for all that domestic stuff.

Omfg. I always thought I was joking, but you really are Heloise! :stunned:

[Demimonde]

:lol:

[LadyShea]

So vm, did you clean your bathroom? What method did you use?

[Angakuk]

Why bother cleaning the bathroom? When it gets to the point that you can't stand to use it anymore just burn down the house and go squat in another vacant foreclosed McMansion.

[viscousmemories]

:shiftier:


:tiptoe:

[Pinecone]

:sadno:

[Plant Woman]

I missed this thread, lots of good ideas. Heloise should be jealous.

I have a hand held shower unit that I rinse down the entire shower when I am done to rinse off soap and conditioner splatters before they dry and stick. Once a week while I shower and clean the entire surround with a mild cleaner. Then once a month I spray the entire thing down with bleach and dishwashing soap mixed in a spray bottle. Keeps the mold out from the corners and keeps the stains at bay. I leave it for hours before I rinse it off.

[Lauri D]

One thing that works really well for showers is this stuff called "Fresh Shower". There's a bunch of different brands but that's the only one I can think of. Anyway, you just keep it in the shower and everytime you're done you just spray it on the walls, shower door or curtain, in the corners etc. and it keeps everything really clean, no mold or mildew etc. Basically cuts the need for scrubbing from weekly to monthly or so, plus it smells really good. Remains to be seen whether or not it will turn out to cause some sort of cancer.