Fly Lady column by Marla Cilley
As part of my morning routine, I clean my bathroom. Now, this is not the crisis cleaning, because company is coming, and you have not touched the bathroom in months. This is a daily maintenance that keeps it company-ready all the time! I know many of you don’t think that this needs to be done, but I assure you that you deserve to clean and fresh-smelling bathroom all the time, too.
It doesn’t take much time to do this, either. This is why I called it a swish and a swipe. Doesn’t that sound like a lick and a promise! Quick and easy! Here is how it works, and once you establish this habit, your bathroom will never look and smell dirty again.
To accomplish this, you need a couple of things to keep in your bathroom. I have my favorite window cleaner in each bathroom just for this purpose, along with a roll of paper towels or old wash cloths. You can use whatever you like, just so you don’t have to leave the room to swish and swipe. You will have no excuse to get sidetracked if you will do this.
Here is the swipe part. I take the window cleaner and a rag and wipe off the mirror and then the counter, faucets and sink. Bam, it is just that fast. Now, I do this as I am getting dressed and I put my things away. Do you hear me! Put your stuff away as you use them; this keeps your counter clear and easy to wipe down. Then I take that same paper towel or rag and head toward the toilet. I keep a toilet-bowl brush beside each toilet in our home. They are kept in a crock (one like you put kitchen utensils in or an old vase).
I use old shampoo that I don’t like (not bathroom caustic cleaner). Soap is soap as far as I am concerned. They are even making some great new toilet-bowl brushes that are kept in cylinders that have lids. Now, don’t do this if you have little children or pets that will get into this. Each time take the brush and let the excess cleaner drip off; if it is thick, you may have to water down the solution a bit so it will drain well. Then take the toilet bowl brush and swish it around in the toilet. Even if you don’t use any soap; you will keep stuff from growing in there. Then wipe off the back of the toilet with the used paper towel or rag, then the seat, the rim and lastly the sides and floor. If you have little boys you know how they miss. Then toss the rag in the laundry or the paper towel in the trash. When you do this once a day you will find that your toilet is always fresh as a daisy.
There you have it, swish and swipe! This takes all of about one minute from start to finish, but you have to have everything in the bathroom, so you have no excuses to not do this. If you have more than one bathroom, then make sure you are drinking your water and use a different bathroom each time during the day so you can swish and swipe on the go. You deserve to have a pleasant bathroom.
For more help getting rid of your CHAOS, check out Marla Cilley’s website and join her free mentoring group at www.FlyLady.net, listen to her www.blogtalkradio.com/flylady show, or read her books, Sink Reflections, published by Bantam, and her New York Times bestselling book, Body Clutter, published by Fireside. Copyright 2008 Marla Cilley. Used by permission in this publication.
Share
Contributors
