Tips For Speed Cleaning Your Bathroom

Here are tips for speed cleaning your bathroom, so that it looks great for you, your family, and guests, without taking up too much of your time and energy.

The bathroom is a room everyone, for obvious reasons, uses. And it never fails that guests see it as well.

After all, you can't really close the bathroom door and tell guests it's not available for use, now can you?

Point being, this is one room that has to get cleaned, and sometimes in a hurry.

Fortunately it doesn't have to take you all day to clean the bathroom.

In fact, using the tips I've shared below you should be able to cut down on the time you currently spend cleaning your bathroom significantly by working smarter, not harder.

Speed Cleaning Works Best When Done Consistently

There is a caveat to this entire article though, that is quite important, so here it is. There is no way to speed clean an incredibly filthy bathroom.

Speed cleaning as a concept works because during the process you are cleaning the easier to remove dirt that has accumulated over a short period of time, such as over the course of the week.

When a bathroom hasn't been cleaned in a long time then it is harder (and takes longer) to clean because time makes dirt more stubborn, and there is also more of it to remove.

When, instead, you clean quickly but consistently it really does take less time, total, to clean it.

I guarantee you, if you add up your total time spent speed cleaning a bathroom that is cleaned consistently, even though it will be cleaned more times, the total cleaning time will be shorter than the marathon cleaning sessions, where you've got to use lots of elbow grease, that you've got to do when it is neglected for long periods of time.

Plus, when you clean consistently your bathroom stay cleaner most of the time, meaning you can enjoy using it a lot more of the time as well.

Get Your Tools & Cleaners Ready

Before you begin cleaning your bathroom gather all of your cleaning tools and supplies together so you have everything ready to use.

For the bathroom you'll at a minimum need microfiber cloths (a different one for each surface to avoid cross-contamination), toilet brush, broom and dustpan, glass cleaner, toilet cleaner, and a disinfecting all purpose cleaner.

You may also find an old toothbrush, squeegee, cleaning gloves, a bucket, and a vacuum helpful.

In addition, I suggest a cleaning caddy to hold items that don't have a permanent home in your bathroom so it is easy to carry cleaning supplies around your home, especially if you have more than one bathroom to clean.

Cleaning Caddies {Referral Links}

While you're gathering all of your equipment and supplies together also get yourself in the mind set to actually clean, and get focused for the task at hand.

Focusing on the task will speed the process along significantly.

Clear Bathroom Surfaces To Get Ready To Clean

It is impossible to clean a surface until it is clear of clutter.

Therefore, before you begin cleaning prepare your bathroom by doing things like removing old bath towels and hand towels for the laundry, putting stuff away on the counters, and moving the rug off the bathroom floor.

Be sure to lay the bathroom rug out nicely right outside the bathroom for a quick vacuum later when you get to that step (see below).

Start Cleaning Processes With Wait Times First

Once you've got clear surfaces ready for cleaning, next focus on the steps of the cleaning process where there are wait times involved.

Some cleaners do better if applied and given time to work, so make sure to get those types of cleaners started so they can be working while you're working on other stuff.

In the bathroom a prime example of this is toilet cleaner -- it often needs to sit in the toilet bowl for a while to work at its best.

So squirt some toilet cleaner into the toilet bowl so that it can begin to work while you clean other things.

Turn on the bathroom fan and make sure the room is well ventilated to make sure none of the cleaning products you are using (homemade or commercial) bother you as you work.

Other cleaning products may work in a similar manner, so you can spray those surfaces as well. This is especially true of tub and tile type cleaners for the shower or other bathroom cleaners.

Always use caution though not to mix cleaning products, even on accident, since this can cause toxic fumes to form, and your safety is much more important than getting the job done quickly!

Choose A Starting Point And Then Clean Clockwise

Now you're ready to begin cleaning.

The key is to choose a starting point, I suggest the shower/bathtub, place your cleaning caddy which contains all your cleaning tools and products right beside it, and then work clockwise from that starting point.

As you clean don't skip around. Instead, always go ahead and clean the next thing you encounter, understanding that the last thing you'll clean is the floor.

If you have all your cleaning products and tools close at hand it is easy to move quickly from one job to the next.

Your order will vary, depending on the layout of your bathroom, but it might go something like this: shower/bathtub, bathroom sink and counter, mirror, toilet bowl and then exterior of the toilet, and then the bathroom floor.

As you spray cleaner, wipe down, and rinse your bathroom surfaces you'll go through quite a few microfiber cleaning cloths, so I also suggest you keep a bucket next to your cleaning caddy to place these soiled cloths in as you go through them.

That way when you're done with your cleaning you can take all the dirty cloths to the laundry room to wash for reuse the next time.

Most of the cleaning tasks in the bathroom are "wet" tasks, meaning you use liquid cleaners and water to help clean them.

The floor can also be a wet cleaning task, but I do suggest after you're done cleaning everything but the floor that you do a quick sweep with a broom and dust pan before wiping down the floor.

Sweeping first picks up big debris and hair/dust which makes a quick mop easier to do.

(Also note that if your bathroom is really small, without much area, it may actually be easier to use a damp microfiber cloth for a quick floor wipe down instead of hauling out the mop!)

Further, do a quick run over the bathmat with the vacuum, or at a minimum shake it out thoroughly, before replacing it on the now clean floor.

(During speed cleaning the goal is a good quick cleaning of all surfaces, but here are more tips for a more thorough cleaning or washing of bath mats, which you'd do a bit less frequently than the quick vacuum suggested below.)

Tidy Up And Get Your Bathroom Ready For Use Again

Finally, once you've got everything cleaned it's time for the last finishing touches to the space.

Put out new hand towels and bath towels, make sure that there is an adequate stock of toilet paper, and empty your bathroom trashcan.

Always empty the trashcan last because it is amazing how much trash accumulates and is found during the cleaning process.

In addition, put away all cleaning supplies and products, and get all of these supplies ready for the next cleaning session.

That includes washing your microfiber cloths you used for cleaning, as well as washing the dirty bath towels and hand towels that you collected at the beginning of the clean up.

Also make sure to rinse and put away cleaning tools and refill any cleaning product bottles that are getting low so the next time it's time to speed clean your bathroom you're ready.

So do you speed clean your bathroom? If so, tell me your own tips below in the comments.

If you enjoy speed cleaning, also make sure to check out these tips for speed cleaning your kitchen.

In addition, get more tips for how to clean just about anything here, in the site's room by room guide.

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.