How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes

The bathroom is one of the busiest rooms in a house. Not only does your family use it on a daily basis, but any guests you invite over will inevitably ask to use it. Keeping it clean is a top priority to maintain a healthy and sanitary home. A bathroom left alone for too long can spiral out of control in a flash. Keeping a tidy bathroom doesn’t have to take a lot of time; if cleaned regularly, it can be a quick and easy job. Keep these few things in mind, and you can even cut it down to an easy, 15-minute job.

1. Prepare yourself. Make sure you have everything you need—a scrub brush or abrasive pads, paper towels or a sponge, and cleaning products. Have bleach and all-purpose bathroom cleaner at hand, or if you want to keep it green, you can make your own cleaner by mixing equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Be sure to have a trash bag handy to throw away all the trash you collect and create while cleaning.

2. Start with your bathtub and shower area. Spray it down with an all-purpose bathroom cleaner, and let the product sit for a while to really work into the dirt as you focus on other parts of the bathroom. Glass and ceramic tiles will be easier to clean than natural stone; if your tub surround is made of natural stone, you will need cleaners specifically designed for those materials or a simple, homemade mixture of soap and water.

3. Move to the toilet. Pour some bleach or white vinegar into the water in the toilet bowl, and use a scrub brush to clean the inside of the bowl. With all-purpose cleaner or your vinegar mix, spray and wipe down the seat and dry surfaces of the toilet. Flush the mixture in the bowl, and your toilet is clean!

4. Go back to your bathtub and shower area, and rinse off the product you used earlier, scrubbing at any dirt that remains to get it all up. Abrasive pads will help tackle dirt (like a ring around the tub). Once you’ve done that, clear your drain by pouring in half a cup of baking soda followed with half a cup of white vinegar and allowing it to sit before rinsing it down with hot water. Preventative measures like occasional drain clearing will keep buildup from causing a slow drain problem.

5. Your bathroom sink and surrounding area should be a breeze to clean. Put your everyday products back in the drawers and on the shelves where they belong. Use your vinegar mixture or all-purpose cleaner to wipe down the sink and countertop. If your sink surround is made of custom materials, be sure that your cleaning product is safe to use.

6. Wipe down the mirror with either a glass cleaning spray or your vinegar mixture.

7. Now, clean up the floors to get rid of dust and hair. Your method will change depending on your flooring material. If you have ceramic or glass tile flooring, your all-purpose cleaner or vinegar mixture will do just fine. Stone flooring will need to be cleaned with specialty products or a mixture of soap and water, not vinegar or acidic cleansers. Carpet, should you have it in your bathroom, will need a vacuuming and possibly spot treatment or even steam cleaning, depending on the severity of any stains you may have.

8. Lastly, clear away all the trash you have collected and created in the process of cleaning your bathroom. You’re finished!

Done on a regular basis, this should be a quick and easy process. With minimal effort, you can keep your bathroom fresh and sparkling clean.