Ivy says:

Getting your house back in shape absolutely requires that you clean the bathroom. Let me tell you, you could have mounds of laundry piled everywhere and a spotless bathroom and I totally wouldn’t think you’re gross. But make me use a dirty bathroom and I’ll take pictures and post them here on Home Ec 101 with the Home Ec 101 Seal of Disapproval. Just kidding.

Mostly.

But seriously, cleaning your bathroom is a must. Where to get started with this disaster area?

First, remove all clothes, towels, and washcloths that are strewn about. Perhaps you’re the sort of person who never, ever lets dirty clothes go anywhere but the hamper. Or perhaps you’re like all my family members who like to drop their clothing right next to the hamper. Either way, if there is clothing in your bathroom, remove it.

Next, discard all trash in the bathroom. I normally empty the bathroom trash every week come trash day, but somehow little bits of trash tend to end up in odd places, like underneath cabinets and behind the toilet. I don’t always get those on trash day, so I gather up all that flotsam plus all the trash in the trashcan, and take it out.

Now, clear off your sink area. Yes, even the stuff that normally goes there. Just set it in the cabinet for now.

Then vacuum or sweep the floor and the bottom of your tub/shower. And dust anything that needs dusting. This concludes the “dry” portion of your bathroom cleaning experience. Let’s move on to the “wet” part.

Put your toilet bowl cleaner stuff around the rim of your toilet bowl and close up the toilet to let it soak in. I particularly like the extra caustic, super-chemical kinds of toilet cleaners. Your mileage may vary, depending on how green you are. I’m pretty green, but when it comes to toilet cleaning, gimme chemicals.

Then do your shower. For this, I like a vinegar and water 50/50 mix. Nothing removes soap scum quite as well as plain ol’ white vinegar and water. Just spray and wipe. Don’t forget your shower curtain, spray and wipe that bad boy, too.

Next, move on to your sink, mirror, and other things that need to be sprayed and wiped. Not your toilet, not yet. That comes last. I have a flat plastic scraper (like the ones Pampered Chef gives you to clean off your stoneware) that I use to scrape off toothpaste yuck. Don’t forget to clean behind and under your faucet!

On to the toilet! A little scrubbing here, a little scrubbing there, and voila! Clean toilet.

Finally, mop. And then you’re done with the bathroom and can move on to more fun tasks, like laundry.

And that concludes the bathroom cleaning. Whew! Wasn’t that fun?!