Spring Cleaning Part 3 - The Bathroom

This is the next part in my Spring Cleaning Series. Click here for the Kitchen Checklist and here for the Living Room Checklist.

We have only one small bathroom in our house for six people. I would love to have another bathroom, but one positive is that I only have one to worry about cleaning. Organization is a necessity with tight spaces. (We are not the most organized people on the planet.) We do try, though.

1) Empty, clean, and reorganize the linen closet. This closet holds towels, sheet sets, trash bags, cleaning supplies, extra shampoo and soap, razors, tooth paste, tooth brushes, etc. At this time, it's a good idea to throw out expired products, things we will never use, and empty packages (it never fails that there will be an empty package for light bulbs in there). After all that stuff is gone, it is easy to reorganize the shelves. They never stay that way for long, but I can only imagine how bad it would get if I never did this. I do the same thing with the under-the-sink cabinet and the over-the-toilet cabinet.

2) Remove items from shelves, clean, and reorganize. It's Kat's job to clean the bathroom every week. She does a really good job, but clutter still manages to accumulate on the shelves of the over-the-toilet cabinet. This is a great time to declutter, clean, and reorganize.

3) Wash the walls and dust anything on them. With a small bathroom, I don't have a great deal of space for items to hang on the walls, but I know that others do. This type of dusting is more in depth than the weekly dusting things get. Things need to be removed and wiped down with a soft cloth before replacing them.

4) Clean mirror. We use Windex and paper towels to clean our mirrors. Others like to use vinegar and newspaper. I've read of some using coffee-filter papers to clean mirrors because it won't leave anything behind. An interesting tip I read in "How Clean is Your House?" by Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie is to rub a little shaving foam all over the mirror and wipe off. Supposedly, the mirror won't steam up next time. I might give this a try!

5) Clean sink and fixtures. Again, these are cleaned every week, but this is a great time to work on built up limescale that has been ignored. You can use lemon juice to remove this from non plated faucets. Just rub on, leave for a few minutes and then remove thoroughly. (This is also from "How Clean is Your House?")

6) Clean toilet inside and out. Work on those hard to reach places that sometimes get overlooked. (Especially by teenage daughters ready to get done.)

7) Remove, wash, and replace shower curtains. Plastic liners can be washed in the washing machine. Just hang them back up in the shower wet. I like to wash and dry my cloth liner with my towels.

8) Clean tub and fixtures. You can use the same method for limescale in the bathroom as you can in the kitchen. I like to use Tilex to help fight the mildew. Ugh!

9) Sweep and mop floors. After everything else has been washed there will be dust and debris that has fallen to the floor. The last thing to do is sweep or vacuum it up and then mop with a good sanitizing mop solution. I really like Mr. Clean Liquid Muscle with Febreeze. It smells wonderful!!!!

I wish you good luck with your Spring Cleaning! I am beginning to think I won't be done with mine until Summer, but better late than never, I guess. Hahaha! To print a PDF checklist for the bathroom, move your mouse over the picture below and then click on the square with the arrow in it.