The Bathroom: Kickstart Your Cleaning

Welcome to your bathroom cleaning video. Feel free to play this and listen to my voice while you clean, listen and pause as you work through your tasks, or watch this video through and then clean. Whatever suits you best!

Now I know, the bathroom is probably one of the least exiting places for you to clean, and I have to agree with you. It’s not the best. But, the great news is, I’ve got such a solid plan for bathroom cleaning that once you know how it’s done, you can breeze through it. There may be some extra grime or scrubbing involved, but nothing outside of what you can handle. The typical bathroom challenges usually involve lots of stray hairs, toothpaste splatters, gunky buildup in the sink and tub and mildew or moisture issues. While it will require some extra elbow grease, with the right plans, products and tools in place, you can tackle this space efficiently and expect amazing results. There are a few more things to do throughout the year and you can easily schedule those in, too. There’s nothing like stepping into a clean and serene bathroom and better yet, walking out of one after getting ready for the day – I feel like a million bucks!

In my bathroom, the challenges I face are the organization of products, hair – hello – I’ve got a lot, and toothpaste splatters. Also, keeping my toilet and tub looking and feeling clean and welcoming, if you can say welcoming and toilet in the same sentence. These are what I’d call my MIAs for the bathroom. Because it is a smaller space, it needs to be kept in great shape or else, a mess begets a mess and it starts to fall messy pretty quickly.

Head over to your bathroom now. Have a look around and think about your MIAs or most important areas in here. What makes you grossed out, annoyed, frustrated, or stressed out when you think about the state of your bathroom? This is the first step of the Maker Method and if you’ve got the book, I recommend that if you haven’t done so already, you fill out that MIA quiz on page 7 help you understand and organize your thoughts. Take a minute to do this – it’s important to know where you need to focus. Great. Now that you’ve done it, consider your bathroom cleaning plan of action: What are you going to focus on? What are the products, tools, and techniques you need to use in this space? What are you going to schedule for another time? I’m glad you’re doing this – this thought process will save you a ton of time once you get started. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Take a moment now to set your intention for the cleaning by visualizing what you want. This really helps you get in the zone and mentally prepare for the best possible outcome. So go stand in the middle of your bathroom and close your eyes just for a moment, and imagine what your space would look like ideally, if it were cleaned to your liking. Imagine the bathroom – in your mind’s eye – very clearly – exactly how you want it to look. Having a clear picture of what your space looks like – only as clean as you want it to be – is half the work. What does the tub and tiles look like? What about your shower curtain, tub liner and bathroom mats. Your mirror, vanity and bathroom sink? How about that toothbrush holder and soap dish – have they seen better days? And of course, your toilet. How would you like it to look? In your mind’s eye, look up, around the ceiling and corners, vent, light fixture, across the vanity and sink, mirror, towel bar, shower and tub area all the way down to the floors and baseboards. Envision your bathroom exactly as you would like to see it. Remember, it doesn’t need to be perfect. Great. You’ve set your goal, and that’s what you’re going to work toward. Even if it seems overwhelming, I can assure you, this is doable and you’re going to get the bathroom to a level of clean that makes you feel happy.

Now we’ll move onto the second step of the Maker Method, PTTs, or products, tools and techniques. The bathroom is one of the most important spaces to think about using the right PTTs. If you don’t, it’ll cause you to spend way more time and effort accomplishing tasks which would take you significantly less time and work. I want you to have the easiest possible time with this work, so please, think ahead here. What needs laundering? Want to know my ultimate bathroom tub and tile cleaner which puts soap scum to shame? Turn to page 22 of the book. What about your toilet? If you are looking at making your own toilet bowl cleaner, I’ve got a dynamite recipe for you on page 22 as well. Are your shower tiles looking grotty? Do they require a mold and mildew treatment? I explain how to do this on page 144. Look at your counter. What needs wiping down, sanitizing, cleaning and changing out? Think all of this through before you get stated so that you can stock your cleaning kit with the right stuff and replenish any products, like hand soap and toilet paper while doing the clean. Planning these PTTS in advance is a massive time saver and proven strategy to save you time. All of this time, you’ve been considering what you want to tick off your cleaning list while doing the work and planning that out in advance. And if you plan ahead of time, you are going to be more efficient, effective and get better results in less time. Before you get cracking, if you have the book, I recommend skimming the bathroom section to get a good idea of how this cleaning is going to flow and what exact moves and techniques you should employ and what products you can use. You can find it starting on page 137.

To get yourself in the mood, consider playing music or a podcast and lighting a candle or diffusing essential oils. Open a window if the weather permits. Especially in a small space like a bathroom, this can really make a difference in your mood. Make sure you’re dressed comfortably, have used the washroom – I mean, you know, to do business in, have a drink prepared and have everything distracting turned off. Right before you begin, look at your bathroom and just remind yourself that in about 30 minutes, this small space is going to look significantly better and feel cleaner and more relaxing to be in. It feels wonderful to spend time in a clean bathroom, talk about self-care, and you’re on your way!

So as we always do, head over to your starting point and begin your cleaning. I have a very particular timeline for pre-treating and cleaning items in the bathroom that you can read about on page 140. I developed this to minimize time spent cleaning the bathroom – one space I knew would be a time suck for me and my employees – and it has always amazed me how much time we saved by cleaning this way. Once you try it, you’ll know what I mean. Keep an eye out for those grimy areas, like points of contact, dusty towel bars and toilet paper holders, grime rings around the sink and hard water build up on faucets. Is there anything that needs to be pre-treated? Have a look at your ceiling vent, baseboards, cupboard doors – do they need some extra attention today? Or is that something you’ll do during a more thorough cleaning. Your call! How about your shower caddy? I explain how to clean it on page 144. Remember that when you are cleaning a tub and tiles, using the right product to get rid of soap scum on tiles, or hard water on glass, will save you a significant amount of time. Have vinegar handy to really polish up your faucets and mirrors – I find a wipe with a vinegar-soaked cloth gets faucets shinier than anything, and vinegar is a great mirror cleaner. While cleaning, take a moment to evaluate the products and objects you have in your bathroom – do you still use them and like them? Is anything expired or no longer useable? Being mindful of this will help you part ways with anything that’s cluttering up your space unnecessarily, and the bathroom is certainly a place you need to be very business about keeping clutter to a minimum.

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As you’re working, pause for a moment, and just remind yourself how proud you are for dedicating this time to cleaning your bathroom, probably one of the most disliked and challenging spaces to clean – and you’re doing it! Getting ready in the bathroom – whether it is for your day or for the evening, feels so much better in a clean space. This time you are spending is an investment in your wellbeing. Take my word – you’re doing great!

As you wind down cleaning the bathroom, clear away the items you’ve used to clean, replace any items you’ve removed and put the final finishes on your space; fresh towels and all. The floors are the last to be done, and you’ll want to make sure they are hair-free – which you can do by using a slightly dampened cloth to do a final wipe of the floors. Alright! Now, stand back and observe what you’ve done. Smile, ear-to-ear, pat yourself on the back, let out a little spirited cheer, or do a quick dance. Whatever you need to do, you deserve to congratulate yourself and ride the feel-good vibes of your efforts. Your bathroom looks noticeably better now, and all because of you!

The bathroom definitely requires ongoing maintenance or else toothpaste splatters, hair and product clutter can take the tiny space over lightning fast. I highly recommend creating a daily bathroom clean up routine – it doesn’t need to take more than a minute or two – but you will accomplish so much and keep the space tidy between bigger cleans, making it more enjoyable to be in each day but also much easier to clean when you decide to do your larger cleaning. I’ve got the perfect solution to keeping your shower clean daily, including a DIY daily shower spray on page 142 of the book. There will be those one-off jobs in the bathroom which you should schedule in throughout the year, like cleaning the vents, washing shower curtains, bathroom rugs and shower mats, toothbrush holders and soap pumps and cleaning inside your cupboards. Take some time to do this; set it on autopilot and don’t think about it again! Look at your MIAs and also at your scheduling charge on page 274 and see what you want to include in your monthly, quarterly and annual cleaning schedule. Scheduling and routines is the third step of the Maker Method – what gets scheduled gets done.

You’ve done it! I am so proud of you that you got through the den and made it look relax-ready. Great work, next up, we’re going to the bedroom!

If you’re looking for more tips and tricks to keep in mind when cleaning around the house check out our E-Book Bundle! It gives you access to our E-Books My 3-Wave Cleaning System, 50 DIY Cleaning Recipes, and The Complete Guide to Essential Oils!

Please share your journey with me by using #KickstartCMS and tagging me on Instagram and Twitter using @CleanMySpace and @MelissaMaker, share your photos on Facebook, or send me an email to info {@} cleanmyspace.com. I’d love to know how this is helping you!