There may be some shortcuts involved, but at least the cleaning bathroom chore gets done!
I don’t have cleaning help, I work and I have three little kids. And keeping a clean house does not come naturally to me. House work is not my thing. My goal is to make the cleaning work as easy and streamlined as possible for me.
First up is timing. I like to clean my bathrooms every Sunday afternoon while my baby naps. I don’t work that day and I know if I don’t do it on Sunday it won’t happen until the next Sunday. So that’s a motivation for me to get it done without procrastinating.
I always start with the mirror. I keep Windex in each bathroom, shpritz and just wipe up.
Next up is the vanity. I like to use Clorox wipes for the whole bathroom besides for the mirror and toilet bowl. I keep a container in each bathroom and I find that it goes faster than spritzing and wiping down. Wipes are also easy to hand to my kids when they’re around and want to be involved. Target’s Up and Up wipes are good too. The Lysol ones are not. I used to clear the whole vanity, wipe it down and put everything back. Recently I realized that it goes much faster if I just push everything (hand soap, washing cup, etc) to one side, wipe that side, move it all back and wipe the other side.
The outside of the toilet and the bathtub gets cleaned the same way, with Clorox wipes. For the bathtub I like to keep all the stuff that my husband and I use (face wash, shampoo, etc) in a Command Caddy on the shower wall. That way we don’t have to bend down for the products while we’re showering and I don’t have to move them out of the way to clean the bathtub.
For the toilet bowl, I use two products. First up are these amazing Clorox tablets. They go in the tank in the back of the toilet and release some bleach every time the toilet is flushed. They do a great job keeping that toilet bowl fresh and clean and each tablet lasts for a few months.
If there’s anything the Clorox tablets don’t get, I use these flushable toilet brush heads from the Scrubbing Bubbles. The starter kit with the wand is here. They get rid of whatever dirt is left in the toilet bowl beautifully and I love that I can just release the head and flush it down the toilet when I’m done.
Last up is the floor! I do not care to shlep a broom and mop for one small bathroom, I’d rather get down on my hands and knees and wipe up that floor with the same Clorox wipes I used for the rest of the bathroom. And voila! I have a clean, beautiful bathroom with minimal fuss and set up time.
Thanks for the great advice, as always! I’ll have to find something to use instead of the bleach tablets, we were told never to use bleach products with out septic system.
Also, the bleach tablets have a strong smell. And if it turns the water blue could be problematic on shabbos. Ask your LOR
Yeah you need to use the ones without the blue for Shabbos purposes. To me it’s a nice, clean bathroom smell but everyone has different sensitivities
Oh I just ordered it. Yikes
Ugh I’m sorry!
Great post,
Made for me, the lady who’s cleaning lady never shows up!
Please, why are you reusing the wipes for the floor ?
Hm? Not reusing. Fresh wipes to clean the floor!
Love this post. Tova can we have more please. Love the authenticity
Why thank you!
Great post! I put the white tablets In my cart! Another thing I learned was not to use bar soap, rather liquid soap – much easier to clean up. Also having a set of cleaning supplies & garbage bag liners in each bathroom
Yes omg. I like to keep garbage bags in each garbage can for refills that are right there when you need them.
Just wondering, what's wrong with Lysol wipes? Do you find they just don't work as well, or are they worse at disinfecting and sanitizing?
I do find that they don’t clean as well as the Clorox ones. I still have some that I bought when clorox wipes were all sold out during COVID and I can’t wait to use them up and be done with them!
How can u only clean a bathroom once a week?
Hm? You can if that’s what you do! It’s all about everyone’s priorities and resources right?
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If you look around on amazon they have a type that’s white.
I find if you keep maintaining a bathroom it doesn’t get so overwhelming. I have cleaning help but kih have a family- I find myself wiping with a Clorox wipe all the time…
Great post. Thank you Tova!! Please write more like these. It was super helpful and good chizuk for me!
That’s so great to hear! It was actually an empowering experience for me to write this all out. It helped me reframe from, “woe is to me, I don’t have cleaning help” to, “I have a great system in place and I can make this work without cleaning help.”
Very interesting! I can feel the speed in the article! Can’t wait to try it !
Is it ok to use the tablets on shabbos?
My husband looked into it and said it was fine as long as they weren’t the ones with with blue
Thanks for the product recommendations- I would like to try them. Does clorox wipes leave streaks on the handles of the faucets. Also doesn’t the tub need a better scrub to remove scum?
doesn’t th
I find it does fine on bathtub scrum and that it doesn’t leave streaks
Tovah, have you been looking over my shoulder? I’ve been doing this for months on a (gasp) weekly basis, but felt so guilty….You just validated my need for speed! I do bleach my tub/shower every now and then to prevent mold/mildew.
Any ideas on how to get my glass shower doors clean? and veering off to the kitchen – my s.s.fridge?!
A cleaning lady once taught this to me – steel wool and dish soap work great for glass shower door residue.
Help! I loved the idea of the tablets in the toilet but the smell is a little too strong for me! Any tips on what to do to cover the smell?
What about bath tub marks, like rust, any idea how to get that out?
soft scrub or clorox and you have to wipe with a wash cloth
Please ask again about using even the white tablets in the toilet bowl. I was told not to use on Shabbos.
Thanks for this great practical article
Would love to hear to hear how everyone deals with sharing a bathroom with little boys that are always in a hurry. I find myself cleaning the the toilet three times a week or more and we’re not even a big family!
When my boys were little I definitely cleaned the toilet multiple times a day. Just whenever I was in there. Now I use a wipe around the floor of the toilet (almost) every morning. And I use the toilet brush whenever it needs it. At least once a week. We’re not a big family but I do think toilets just get gross and need to be cleaned more frequently than the rest of the bathroom. Ditto for all the toothpaste and stuff in the sink.
Sprayway glass cleaner is amazing for shower doors. And it’s streak free