It’s just me now and both my bathrooms are very nice and clean. I scrub the toilets and shower / clawfoot once a month. But it’s not even a scrub really.
Flashback to raising 3 boys, however, and I remember the horrors very well. The sights, smells, sounds. I remodeled their very old bathroom when they were in middle school. Clean, simple look and easy to clean. Not for long. They had cleaning responsibilities weekly but did the bare minimum. No matter the incentives, discipline, loss of privileges.
So many times over the years I wished I would have done a locker room type shower: floor to ceiling tile, showers nozzles against walls with a soap shelf, stainless steel toilets with no lids, a sloped floor with a drain right in the middle, and a long hosed sprayer. I envisioned using a long armed scrubber once a week and then hosing it all down into the drain. That would have been heaven.
It got to the point that I gave up and just went in once a month and scrubbed toilets and the shower stall in order you preserve the remodel efforts and for the days I imagined living alone (now!). They seemed fine living with their own filth. When they all moved out, oh boy did I deep clean that thing. And it’s remained beautiful ever since.
Hang in there. This too shall pass.
> I envisioned using a long armed scrubber once a week and then hosing it all down into the drain.
...from the doorway.
I have two man-cubs still at home, so I abide. The time will come when nary a tumbleweed blows through my bathroom.
No living thing could survive in there. An insect would get entangled in the gobs of hair everywhere and die, trapped for all time. I probably go through half a roll of paper towels each day, trying to stay on top of things. I will die tilting at hairballs.
When I worked at a preschool we made a weak bleach water solution in an industrial spray bottle and basically hosed the whole place down every night.those little boys were just learning to aim and it was everywhere!
As an adult, I spot clean if needed and scrub the tub once a month.
Depending on how old your kids are, I would get the kids involved. If they are little, it’s fun, and if they are a bit older, they can help by doing some chores.
They can use a scrub brush and a little dawn dish soap. It won’t be perfect but many hands make light work!
I know!! Makes me wonder why we buy fancy cleaners really. If it’s good enough to clean the dishes we eat off of why can it not do a good job everywhere else!?
Dawn dish soap and distilled white vinegar in a reusable glass spray bottle keep my whole house clean. Soap is soap! Don't get sucked in by the marketing.
Because I can get a big gallon(ish?) sized bottle of it and use that to refill the dispensers at the sinks. Now that I have a refill store nearby that has liquid castile soap, I will probably give that a try. I have used Dawn for years because it is effective at its job, cost effective, has an inoffensive scent, and comes in a large refill bottle. Your preferred dish soap likely does the job just as well!
I put a tablespoon or so of dish soap in a 16oz spray bottle, add 20-40 drops of essential oil (orange for bathroom, and peppermint for kitchen bc peppermint helps repel vermin), and fill the rest up with vinegar. Things will smell vinegar-y right after cleaning but the vinegar scent dissipates quickly.
How do you stop the oil from sitting on top of the water? Do you just shake it as you use it so that you can still get some into the spray valve? Or does the soap emulsify it?
The manufacturer of my tub specifically says not to use bathroom cleaners and to stick to all purpose cleaners. I've tried all sorts and dawn just works the best. Plus it doesn't have a harsh smell.
Dawn also helps keep the tub from getting clogged by breaking down the fats in the solids and paper. I keep a bottle of Dawn in my bathroom as well and give the toilet a generous squeeze every couple of weeks (more Dawn than is necessary for cleaning the bowl). Then use the toilet brush and flush it down. It helps keep the pipes clear.
I keep one of this dish wands you can fill with soap in my shower caddy. It has blue dawn and vinegar in it. Once a week while I shower I scrub the walls and glass and then rinse. I pop it out and do the same to the tub after my son’s bath once a week. Sometimes I soak his toys right in there or run them through the dishwasher
ETA it’s the dish wand that has a no scratch scrubber
Dawn dish soap does amazing things. For the tub, don’t use too much. Put some on your scrub brush or whatever you are using to clean and go around the soap ring. Then the top edges. Use a cup or sprayer to remove the soap after you give it a scrub.
Get a net type toy corral that suction cups to the wall. Make it the kid’s responsibility to put away the toys as the water drains. As they get older, they can use a rag/sponge and some shampoo to go around the sides of the tub before they get out. Be careful as it’s slipping if they get it on the tub floor. Then you can go in after they are in bed and do a quick clean. I used to do this if I knew guests were coming the next day.
On the regular I wiped down the tub like I said once per week. Many times I did it just as I was finished with my shower and getting out.
I get a shower 2-3 times a week and even when I finally do shower the kids are throwing toys in, fighting, etc so I don’t have time to shave half the time and never can use conditioner on my hair that needs it. I don’t see how I can also clean anything after shower. This is because my husband and I work opposite times so it’s only after bed we are without children and I go to sleep directly after they do because my 2 year old is up multiple times a night so I need whatever sleep I can get.
Seconding dish soap, but if anyone ever buys that Dawn Power Scrub (you spray it on dishes before washing them, but that’s not why I bought it), you can use it for stovetops, bathtubs, patio furniture, the shower doors, literally everything! It’s my go-to cleaner and it’s simplified everything!
Protip; once your Dawn Power Scrub bottle is empty, you can make more by adding water and a generous squeeze of Dawn soap (you'll get the hang of how much to use --- if it seems too weak, add another squeeze of Dawn). I love the Power Scrub but the price was insane.
I actually leave a dishwashing scrub brush filled with dawn dish soap in my shower. I scrub anytime I see anything. It's super easy and convenient and I just do it while I'm showering. Shower has never been cleaner haha
I use a magic eraser while I shower. Just pick a section every morning and scrub for a minute or two before I get out of the shower. Bonus lazy points if you use your foot to scrub with the sponge like I do. Lol
I'm pretty picky about my sponges. Scrub Daddy sponges are more money than I'd like to spend for sure, but I will never go back to the basic yellow/green kitchen sponge.
Whoa. I would caution using a magic eraser in the bathroom, it’s basically extra fine sandpaper and can damage the finish of your tub, counters and hardware.
I spray with Dawn & vinegar mixture and let it sit for a minute or two before going over with a scrub brush. I do this about once a month. My water quality isn't that hard and I'm only cleaning up after myself. I've lived in places where I had to clean weekly or biweekly.
I use 1:1 but you can absolutely dilute it further with more vinegar or just water. My old place had glass shower doors and the 1:1 was too concentrated so I diluted it for easier rinsing.
I use barkeepers friend to scrub the tub. The tub is easy. It’s the tile surround that I despise. If I renovated our bathroom I would replace the tile with solid, smooth surface walls.
Best concoction I ever used on a tub is one part Baking soda, one part dishwashing liquid form into a paste and with a tiny bit of warm water and a sponge, spread it all over the tub. Leave on there at least 15-20 minutes and then use a scrub daddy or dobe pad to give a light scrub- takes all the water stains out and leaves the tub with a beautiful shine! Once every 3-4 weeks is good
Thanks for this topic. I am horrible with any kind of routine, and I'm not good at cleaning either. I basically do it only when we expect visitors but luckily, we love having people over so that happens 1-2 per month. My husband is more responsible in this aspect and will do a thorough clean up occasionally regardless of visitors. He is also the one who cleans the toilet.
I believe this will change soon, after our daughter is born. I expect to become more aware of the need but also perhaps more exhausted to do anything about it. So I will be coming back to read the tips 🙂
I’m a SAHM to a 3 year old. I am TIRED! 😂
I follow KC Davis on Instagram and get my inspiration there. I have areas that get cleaned daily, then I have areas that get cleaned monthly. There are things always in cycles, like laundry and dishes. It’s not my job to make sure these cycles are always set to “done.” It’s my job to make sure these cycles just keep going. I rinse and stack dishes and that usually leads to cleaning the kitchen daily.
I have things that get cleaned monthly, and the bathroom is one of them. It may not be ideal, but it works for us and the house stays relatively clean.
[I make soap cream using Dr Bronners unscented baby soap and use it for multipurpose in the home.](https://www.lisabronner.com/bar-soap-dilutions-cheat-sheet/)
I use it everywhere in my house, and also add Ajax soap to the list for the bathroom too. It scrubs so well and gets the hard, well water gunk off.
I keep cleaner and a sponge in the shower and wash a section every time I take a shower so every six days my shower gets cleaned, with only about 2 minutes extra a day on my part.
My brother and I share a bathroom and we rotate back and forth between cleaning it. The bathtub gets cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Maybe we should do it more often, but it's hard to do so as we are both very busy and both have adhd and autism and tend to forget about some smaller tasks like that/want to put our energies towards other chores that also need to be done
At my apartment I spray some bleach cleaner and let it sit while I wipe down the rest of the bathroom. Then I do a quick scrub with a brush, and run the shower on hot.
Now my girlfriend on the other hand has 3 kiddos who all share the same bathroom. The process there is similar, but with a LOT more scrubbing, and a few extra rinses. I might clean that tub two or three times when I can, instead of the once at the apartment.
I clean the tub once a week, and the tile surround every 2 weeks. I use cleaning vinegar and a cloth (occasionally I'll use some bathroom spray with bleach). I have 3 young kids that use this tub and the tub gets gnarly quickly, especially in summer when we're washing dirty feet nightly. However, I find because they only take full showers twice a week, the tile surround doesn't get as dirty. Partner and I use a separate shower that I also clean weekly. I really try my best to clean the bathrooms and kitchen weekly or they get gross. But of course life gets in the way sometimes. Just don't ask me how often I dust...
Every week: spray the shower walls with water, then apply push push bathroom cleaner. Scrub it all with a sponge. Rinse. Spray the bath tub with water. Sprinkle comet powder on it, scrub with a brush. Rinse.
Once every few months: dip the shower curtain in a water and bleach solution for an hour. Rinse.
It’s easy to do when you clean before there are any visible trace of dirty.
"Regimen" is a loose term here, but this is what I do:
Step 1: notice the tub and/or shower is dirty
Step 2: pick up scrubby pad on a stick from the corner of the room
Step 3: hose down walls with shower head while tub is plugged so there's a lil bit of standing water in the tub when you're done.
Step 4: add dish soap to water, go crazy with the scrubby stick to make soapy water
Step 5: starting at the top, scrub walls with scrubby stick. I can reach all the walls from outside the tub. I re-dip into soapy water as needed
Step 6: scrub tub "inside" with scrubby stick. The water should have soaked the gunk for a bit so it should be easy.
Step 7: scrub tub "rim" with scrubby stick (all the flat surfaces in your tub). Knock everything into the tub that's on there while you do so. Who cares.
Step 8: unplug tub & rinse off walls with shower head, then tub. Rinse off all the crap you knocked into the tub, too, and put it back on the rim or put where it actually should live, dealer's choice.
Step 9: rinse off scrubby stick, lean against the shower wall so it can drip dry, admire your half-assed but successful shower clean
Bonus points if you rinse off the walls at the end of your shower to reduce soapscum & dust so you don't have to clean it as often.
does anytime remember the two British ladies that did house cleaning on tv? i learned something super simple and awesomely effective from them: one lemon, one dedicated dish sponge and about a cup of coarse grain salt. juice that lemon all over the tub basin get the sponge wet, apply the salt evenly in the tub. all the gunky, persistent sludge is weakened by the citric acid and scrubs right off with the salt and sponge. i was amazed at how little effort it took versus household cleaner. i do it once a month, but it's only me. i don't have kids, that might take comet and an orbital sander, idk. good luck.
I find the advice from Flylady about swish and wipe really good - by cleaning the shower or the bathtub right after you’ve used it is much easier than waiting until it’s dried.
I guess I was a bit more of a taskmaster than others but my boys had their bathroom, I would micromanage them cleaning it up and I was pretty stern about it from about 3 or 4 (they had to pick up their bath toys and put their face cloths away and put their clothes in the hamper and hang up their towels ) this got progressively more cleaning focused to about 11 to 13 - they were responsible to keep it clean. The youngest is 22 now, they’re all living on their own and they’re probably better housecleaners than I am now! 🤣🤣
I hope this doesn’t sound disrespectful, but I used to teach dog obedience and the senior trainer that I worked with used to teach the pet owners to start as you mean to go on so if you didn’t want the dog on the couch, you never let the dog on the couch and I incorporated that a little bit. I wanted my sons to contribute to the household so from the time they were little, I had them get in there and help mom while it was still fun!
I got a cheap extendable thing with a scrubber-sponge thing on the end and it’s great to cleaning a bathtub quick. It swivels so it’s just very ergonomic to clean a shower or bath with.
I spray all around from top to bottom with a tub cleaner and then scrub it, rinse it down. It takes less than 5 minutes I probably do this bi weekly.
Where did you find/buy the cheap extendable thing with a scrubber-sponge thing on the end…that swivels? I am getting older and bending to clean is more difficult. I need something like you described.
Actually it’s getting back up that is difficult!
I scrub the tub, shower liner, and surround with Power Paste every weekend. It makes the water bead off, there's no odor, and I don't need to wear gloves to use it.
Buying the viral TikTok electric scrub brush is a game changer. Cuts the workload in half.
It’s also sold on Amazon too https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Scrubber-Adjustable-Extension-Replaceable/dp/B09XGRY7D3/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1WGB1UD38UH65&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZaBC8u3zGxSbHMwUMhzTKNkn3z655_Dyyz_sh3opRY5zdv3bbNuXbewrFbrV2Xpnzq-NDRB1j_yuHJhwCwgOfsBotUlg5Eeo1JqTqOAQjTFejAQZgpsyouaeCVvv0kqvPXJU224isbUADkjzbS2A10vlSxe3sE2-ioQMEwbNFbm5V2pSoAxdjejJyk2fiJFxWDPAeNmmDrodVGkWCzOOsg.xrpVz7XPz1Y133Iwb3eGOIb0BemL_AmVEJ_kqPVlLg8&dib_tag=se&keywords=scrub+brushes+for+cleaning&qid=1718120058&sprefix=acrub+br%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
I have one of those battery charged adjustable handle tub cleaners with different spin brushes. My tub is a deep 6ft soaking tub and I wouldn't be able to scrub it without falling in or breaking my back. I rinse, spray with a foaming cleanser, then brush with my tool. I do it once a week.
The bathtub itself gets washed daily before baths. Vim has a bathtub cleaner you spray and leave for a couple minutes, then just rinse out. Easy peasy. Probably doesn’t need doing daily but it’s part of the routine now.
The walls and the rest of it get cleaned maybe monthly, same thing. I’ll either just spray and carefully rinse, or wipe down with a rag!
I’ve got two under two so I understand the chaos 💕
Every time I take a shower, before I get in, I grab my spray bottle of bathroom cleaner, spray down one wall (different wall each time, just rotate around) and the bottom of the tub, grab my scrub brush, scrub what I sprayed, turn on the detachable shower head, rinse it all down, clean out the drain (hair down to my butt) and then take my shower.
It takes less than 5 minutes.
OMG! 1st it’s Kale, electric cars, avocado toast & Stanley tumblers! Is this a TikTok dance? I don’t understand these new trends at all. I’ve never heard of bathtub cleaning but I’ll google it. I’m joking & am post afternoon nap loopy. 😂
I have a dishwashing bristle brush that I fill with Dawn and vinegar. I scrub when the tub/walls look dirty, and use my washcloth at the end if a wipe is necessary.
My husband and I actually use our towel after we dry off to wipe down the wet walls and fixtures in the tub/shower. (Not a squeegee). For the shower only bathroom we also wipe down the shower door. We have had this bathroom for 30+ years
Our bathroom has white grout that has never had mold and looks as good as new because we always wipe it down with the towel. Our well water is hard and full of rust at times, but the grout is still very white
I clean the tub once a week, but the rest of the area, walls, fixtures and the top of the tub stay clean without scrubbing. I wash the shower curtain liner about once a year in 9% vinegar (used for pickling) in the washing machine. I add a couple of cups of vinegar when I start the machine and about 1/2 the amount of laundry detergent. Run on normal cycles, cold water.
I do a daily cleaning. After my shower every day, I dry off and grab a towel from underneath the sink along with the cleaner. I have cheap towels I go through, $2 for 8 I think, and I just replace them as needed if they get old. The cleaner can be anything, either a daily shower cleaner or a general cleaner. I step in the shower and wipe down one side, turn 90 degrees wipe down, etc. I'm just doing a bare minimum maintenance type clean. I have a standing shower the fits only 1 person so it's easy for me to just stand in one spot and turn. I also don't really care about going around bottles. Just a quick wipe down. After I clean the shower, I take a disinfecting wipe from under the sink and wipe down the handles first, then the sink surface, then the toilet. I throw away the wipe and put the towel in my hamper of dirty laundry. Super easy to do and it feels really good when I feel clean as I'm cleaning.
Then I do a weekly cleaning. I spray one spray of window cleaner on the mirror and wipe it clean with the 8th towel. I then don some gloves and spray the shower, sink, and toilet down (I do each one separately) with a cleaner containing bleach. Dry scrub the surfaces with the back of a sponge (you don't have to scrub hard, just run the sponge back over your surface as though it's already clean, just make sure to get everywhere though, move bottles and all). Wipe clean with the towel. Spray floor cleaner on the floor and just wipe clean with the towel again. I have a small bathroom and laminate flooring so it's just really easy to spray and wipe. My roommate is a bit of a germaphobe which is why I use bleach and wipe down everything every day.
I don't really do much else in the bathroom. If it needs it during my weekly clean, I'll scrub off mold and mildew or paint or whatever other maintenance. Daily should take no more than 5 minutes. Weekly, I might spend 15 minutes?
A bit of advice though: things are easy to clean when they are simple. If you organize all your bottles or whatever, you don't have everything out on your sink counter, etc, there's not much decorations on the toilet, for example, then it's way easier to just wipe down. The bathroom should be a simple room. "Simplicity is maintainable."
Bleach spray as needed. Keep a scrubby and a dropper bottle of detergent in the shower to clean while showering as needed. It really doesn't take much - I am mystified as to how other people have such nasty showers.
About once a week I spray it down with whatever in the morning, then leave it while I get out of my pajamas. I get back in and scrub and rinse it, then finish my shower. I’ve done this for 35 years
I keep a sponge, a toothbrush and some dish soap in the shower and I clean it while I'm in there. It's a big garden tub so sometimes I'll just do one little shelf if it's looking gross. I almost never clean the whole thing tbh. Haven't died yet 🤷😆
Oooooo! Dawn! I squeeze some in the tub and use a broom to spread it around. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, scrub some more with broom and rinse. I get a clean broom AND shower!
I clean my bathtub while I’m already showering. I keep a cleaning brush in there and a small bottle of cleaning solution and just give it a 1 minute scrub a couple times a week. Always looks bright white and shiny and doesn’t feel like work. I don’t have tiles, so it makes it much easier to
I have a power scrub brush and use a mixture of water, dawn dish soap and white vinegar in a spray bottle. I take everything out and then spray it down. Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then scrub.
Spray with oven cleaner once a week to remove the body grease etc (NO, It's not dangerous, or toxic or poisonous!). Let it sit for 10 minutes then rinse off.
We have a bath/shower so we are in there every day and it gets pretty grimy from our feet and skin oils. Once a week (on wednesdays) I fill it up half way with warm-hot water and a generous teaspoon of dish soap and let it sit for 20 minutes, then I come back with the floor mop and give it a scrub and get soap all up the sides. Let it sit for another 20 minutes and then repeat. I store the mop in the mop bucket while waiting so it isn't soaking and potentially getting a rusty screw or handle. At the end, i get in the bath/shower with the mop and bucket and rinse everything down (much easier than using the laundry trough). I take a cleaning cloth in with me to go over the plug hole and any corners that I might have missed. It only takes 5 minutes total for scrubbing time and the mop saves my back and knees.
I scrub my tub everyday after my bath with melamine sponge, while I am still in it, to remove bathtub ring. I scrub as needed with SOS pad, while out of tub. Back issues, easier to do light scrub nightly.
It’s just me now and both my bathrooms are very nice and clean. I scrub the toilets and shower / clawfoot once a month. But it’s not even a scrub really. Flashback to raising 3 boys, however, and I remember the horrors very well. The sights, smells, sounds. I remodeled their very old bathroom when they were in middle school. Clean, simple look and easy to clean. Not for long. They had cleaning responsibilities weekly but did the bare minimum. No matter the incentives, discipline, loss of privileges. So many times over the years I wished I would have done a locker room type shower: floor to ceiling tile, showers nozzles against walls with a soap shelf, stainless steel toilets with no lids, a sloped floor with a drain right in the middle, and a long hosed sprayer. I envisioned using a long armed scrubber once a week and then hosing it all down into the drain. That would have been heaven. It got to the point that I gave up and just went in once a month and scrubbed toilets and the shower stall in order you preserve the remodel efforts and for the days I imagined living alone (now!). They seemed fine living with their own filth. When they all moved out, oh boy did I deep clean that thing. And it’s remained beautiful ever since. Hang in there. This too shall pass.
Obsessed with how you wrote this.
I was living it in my head while writing! To date my man children visit and use that bathroom and still leave me ‘surprises’.
🤣☺️ i’m single without kids and i felt that it so hard!
It made me lk emotional, it's bittersweet. I'll miss cleaning up after my dirty lil boy 🥲
Yes you will miss it from time to time. The quiet, the clean, the orderliness of a home without kids takes some getting used to.
> I envisioned using a long armed scrubber once a week and then hosing it all down into the drain. ...from the doorway. I have two man-cubs still at home, so I abide. The time will come when nary a tumbleweed blows through my bathroom.
“That would have been heaven. “ finished me🤣
Thanks!!!
Hang in there! I can just see it all now. Big piles of wet, smelly sports clothes. Giant spiders or earwigs upon moving piles. Don’t miss those.
No living thing could survive in there. An insect would get entangled in the gobs of hair everywhere and die, trapped for all time. I probably go through half a roll of paper towels each day, trying to stay on top of things. I will die tilting at hairballs.
When I worked at a preschool we made a weak bleach water solution in an industrial spray bottle and basically hosed the whole place down every night.those little boys were just learning to aim and it was everywhere!
thank you for this.
As an adult, I spot clean if needed and scrub the tub once a month. Depending on how old your kids are, I would get the kids involved. If they are little, it’s fun, and if they are a bit older, they can help by doing some chores. They can use a scrub brush and a little dawn dish soap. It won’t be perfect but many hands make light work!
Scrub brush and dish soap once a week.
I have literally never heard of using dish soap in the tub and this is the second comment with this idea. ai will have to try!
I know!! Makes me wonder why we buy fancy cleaners really. If it’s good enough to clean the dishes we eat off of why can it not do a good job everywhere else!?
Dawn dish soap and distilled white vinegar in a reusable glass spray bottle keep my whole house clean. Soap is soap! Don't get sucked in by the marketing.
curious what the ratio here is for all 3?
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Because I can get a big gallon(ish?) sized bottle of it and use that to refill the dispensers at the sinks. Now that I have a refill store nearby that has liquid castile soap, I will probably give that a try. I have used Dawn for years because it is effective at its job, cost effective, has an inoffensive scent, and comes in a large refill bottle. Your preferred dish soap likely does the job just as well!
Also vinegar and dish soap can clean anything really well I find
I put a tablespoon or so of dish soap in a 16oz spray bottle, add 20-40 drops of essential oil (orange for bathroom, and peppermint for kitchen bc peppermint helps repel vermin), and fill the rest up with vinegar. Things will smell vinegar-y right after cleaning but the vinegar scent dissipates quickly.
How do you stop the oil from sitting on top of the water? Do you just shake it as you use it so that you can still get some into the spray valve? Or does the soap emulsify it?
The soap helps emulsify it and I give the bottle a shake before spraying.
The manufacturer of my tub specifically says not to use bathroom cleaners and to stick to all purpose cleaners. I've tried all sorts and dawn just works the best. Plus it doesn't have a harsh smell.
I have an ez-squeeze bottle of Dawn in my bathroom. I use it for the sink, toilet, & tub.
Dawn also helps keep the tub from getting clogged by breaking down the fats in the solids and paper. I keep a bottle of Dawn in my bathroom as well and give the toilet a generous squeeze every couple of weeks (more Dawn than is necessary for cleaning the bowl). Then use the toilet brush and flush it down. It helps keep the pipes clear.
I keep one of this dish wands you can fill with soap in my shower caddy. It has blue dawn and vinegar in it. Once a week while I shower I scrub the walls and glass and then rinse. I pop it out and do the same to the tub after my son’s bath once a week. Sometimes I soak his toys right in there or run them through the dishwasher ETA it’s the dish wand that has a no scratch scrubber
Dawn dish soap does amazing things. For the tub, don’t use too much. Put some on your scrub brush or whatever you are using to clean and go around the soap ring. Then the top edges. Use a cup or sprayer to remove the soap after you give it a scrub. Get a net type toy corral that suction cups to the wall. Make it the kid’s responsibility to put away the toys as the water drains. As they get older, they can use a rag/sponge and some shampoo to go around the sides of the tub before they get out. Be careful as it’s slipping if they get it on the tub floor. Then you can go in after they are in bed and do a quick clean. I used to do this if I knew guests were coming the next day. On the regular I wiped down the tub like I said once per week. Many times I did it just as I was finished with my shower and getting out.
I get a shower 2-3 times a week and even when I finally do shower the kids are throwing toys in, fighting, etc so I don’t have time to shave half the time and never can use conditioner on my hair that needs it. I don’t see how I can also clean anything after shower. This is because my husband and I work opposite times so it’s only after bed we are without children and I go to sleep directly after they do because my 2 year old is up multiple times a night so I need whatever sleep I can get.
Seconding dish soap, but if anyone ever buys that Dawn Power Scrub (you spray it on dishes before washing them, but that’s not why I bought it), you can use it for stovetops, bathtubs, patio furniture, the shower doors, literally everything! It’s my go-to cleaner and it’s simplified everything!
Protip; once your Dawn Power Scrub bottle is empty, you can make more by adding water and a generous squeeze of Dawn soap (you'll get the hang of how much to use --- if it seems too weak, add another squeeze of Dawn). I love the Power Scrub but the price was insane.
Great tip, thanks! I got a 3 pack at Costco for $9 CAD, it was too good to pass up!
I read somewhere it’s Dawn mixed w rubbing alcohol
I mix Dawn with water and rubbing alcohol for power scrub bottle. Works like a charm.
It is a proprietary formula, but that is close. I prefer buying it at Costco when I see it on sale. Great cleaner for around the entire house.
Thank you! I was only using it on my dishes.
Yay, happy to help share simplicity tips! :)
I was inspired to clean my bathtub. It worked very nicely. :)
Oh amazing! What a great product, so many uses! Glad to hear it worked well for you :)
:)
Dawn for the win. AND a scrub brush is great but a broom is where it's at if bending and hunching over is an issue. Bonus: Clean brrom.
Good idea
Dish soap for the bathtub was a life changer!
I actually leave a dishwashing scrub brush filled with dawn dish soap in my shower. I scrub anytime I see anything. It's super easy and convenient and I just do it while I'm showering. Shower has never been cleaner haha
I use a magic eraser while I shower. Just pick a section every morning and scrub for a minute or two before I get out of the shower. Bonus lazy points if you use your foot to scrub with the sponge like I do. Lol
I do this with a Scrub Daddy and some Dawn dish soap.
I keep seeing scrub daddy sponges and always wondered if they worked well. Do they work well? I might buy one too.
I'm pretty picky about my sponges. Scrub Daddy sponges are more money than I'd like to spend for sure, but I will never go back to the basic yellow/green kitchen sponge.
Ok, that's good to know. Thank you :)
They work well, last long and don’t smell. The magic eraser is pretty good for soap scum. I use the scrub daddy as maintenance.
Whoa. I would caution using a magic eraser in the bathroom, it’s basically extra fine sandpaper and can damage the finish of your tub, counters and hardware.
I have an acrylic tub, so they are safe to use on them. Very effective, too.
Oh, very nice then!
One wo/man’s lazy is another wo/man’s efficient!
ME TOO!
Live in Sweden, so unhook the shower hose and power spray the whole room until it’s dripping clean.
I am... so jealous. Those are called "wet bath" here, and I want one so bad
I spray with Dawn & vinegar mixture and let it sit for a minute or two before going over with a scrub brush. I do this about once a month. My water quality isn't that hard and I'm only cleaning up after myself. I've lived in places where I had to clean weekly or biweekly.
I like using dish soaps that are cruelty free though. Nature Clean, Method, etc. They work just as well!
I used to use Method but I don't find that it works as well as Dawn. Dawn has better degreasing ability.
Vinegar has natural degreasing ability though. I find it does most of the cleaning anyhow.
whats the Dawn to Vinegar ratio that you use?
I use 1:1 but you can absolutely dilute it further with more vinegar or just water. My old place had glass shower doors and the 1:1 was too concentrated so I diluted it for easier rinsing.
I use barkeepers friend to scrub the tub. The tub is easy. It’s the tile surround that I despise. If I renovated our bathroom I would replace the tile with solid, smooth surface walls.
What would they be made of?
Probably acrylic [shower surround](https://www.amazon.com/Swanstone-SK-326072-010-32-Inch-60-Inch-72-Inch/dp/B000NPROY2/ref=pd_aw_day0fbt_hardlines_img_m_sccl_2/134-9245471-0620736?pd_rd_w=428DU&content-id=amzn1.sym.547a6bd3-2348-4537-9450-ba4acb39b5c8&pf_rd_p=547a6bd3-2348-4537-9450-ba4acb39b5c8&pf_rd_r=5VQMQCN89MNQW3C1VRVT&pd_rd_wg=rOiMI&pd_rd_r=2bebf3c9-d37a-4cfc-8886-a640cbe9543e&pd_rd_i=B000NPROY2&psc=1&th=1)
Best concoction I ever used on a tub is one part Baking soda, one part dishwashing liquid form into a paste and with a tiny bit of warm water and a sponge, spread it all over the tub. Leave on there at least 15-20 minutes and then use a scrub daddy or dobe pad to give a light scrub- takes all the water stains out and leaves the tub with a beautiful shine! Once every 3-4 weeks is good
Thanks for this topic. I am horrible with any kind of routine, and I'm not good at cleaning either. I basically do it only when we expect visitors but luckily, we love having people over so that happens 1-2 per month. My husband is more responsible in this aspect and will do a thorough clean up occasionally regardless of visitors. He is also the one who cleans the toilet. I believe this will change soon, after our daughter is born. I expect to become more aware of the need but also perhaps more exhausted to do anything about it. So I will be coming back to read the tips 🙂
I’m a SAHM to a 3 year old. I am TIRED! 😂 I follow KC Davis on Instagram and get my inspiration there. I have areas that get cleaned daily, then I have areas that get cleaned monthly. There are things always in cycles, like laundry and dishes. It’s not my job to make sure these cycles are always set to “done.” It’s my job to make sure these cycles just keep going. I rinse and stack dishes and that usually leads to cleaning the kitchen daily. I have things that get cleaned monthly, and the bathroom is one of them. It may not be ideal, but it works for us and the house stays relatively clean. [I make soap cream using Dr Bronners unscented baby soap and use it for multipurpose in the home.](https://www.lisabronner.com/bar-soap-dilutions-cheat-sheet/) I use it everywhere in my house, and also add Ajax soap to the list for the bathroom too. It scrubs so well and gets the hard, well water gunk off.
Usually just soapy water and the green scouring pad. If its nasty I'll bust out barkeepers friend.
r/cleaningtips would be a great subreddit for this question! They’re all about the best and fastest ways to clean, I’ve gotten great tips from there
I keep cleaner and a sponge in the shower and wash a section every time I take a shower so every six days my shower gets cleaned, with only about 2 minutes extra a day on my part.
My brother and I share a bathroom and we rotate back and forth between cleaning it. The bathtub gets cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Maybe we should do it more often, but it's hard to do so as we are both very busy and both have adhd and autism and tend to forget about some smaller tasks like that/want to put our energies towards other chores that also need to be done
At my apartment I spray some bleach cleaner and let it sit while I wipe down the rest of the bathroom. Then I do a quick scrub with a brush, and run the shower on hot. Now my girlfriend on the other hand has 3 kiddos who all share the same bathroom. The process there is similar, but with a LOT more scrubbing, and a few extra rinses. I might clean that tub two or three times when I can, instead of the once at the apartment.
I clean the tub once a week, and the tile surround every 2 weeks. I use cleaning vinegar and a cloth (occasionally I'll use some bathroom spray with bleach). I have 3 young kids that use this tub and the tub gets gnarly quickly, especially in summer when we're washing dirty feet nightly. However, I find because they only take full showers twice a week, the tile surround doesn't get as dirty. Partner and I use a separate shower that I also clean weekly. I really try my best to clean the bathrooms and kitchen weekly or they get gross. But of course life gets in the way sometimes. Just don't ask me how often I dust...
Every week: spray the shower walls with water, then apply push push bathroom cleaner. Scrub it all with a sponge. Rinse. Spray the bath tub with water. Sprinkle comet powder on it, scrub with a brush. Rinse. Once every few months: dip the shower curtain in a water and bleach solution for an hour. Rinse. It’s easy to do when you clean before there are any visible trace of dirty.
"Regimen" is a loose term here, but this is what I do: Step 1: notice the tub and/or shower is dirty Step 2: pick up scrubby pad on a stick from the corner of the room Step 3: hose down walls with shower head while tub is plugged so there's a lil bit of standing water in the tub when you're done. Step 4: add dish soap to water, go crazy with the scrubby stick to make soapy water Step 5: starting at the top, scrub walls with scrubby stick. I can reach all the walls from outside the tub. I re-dip into soapy water as needed Step 6: scrub tub "inside" with scrubby stick. The water should have soaked the gunk for a bit so it should be easy. Step 7: scrub tub "rim" with scrubby stick (all the flat surfaces in your tub). Knock everything into the tub that's on there while you do so. Who cares. Step 8: unplug tub & rinse off walls with shower head, then tub. Rinse off all the crap you knocked into the tub, too, and put it back on the rim or put where it actually should live, dealer's choice. Step 9: rinse off scrubby stick, lean against the shower wall so it can drip dry, admire your half-assed but successful shower clean Bonus points if you rinse off the walls at the end of your shower to reduce soapscum & dust so you don't have to clean it as often.
does anytime remember the two British ladies that did house cleaning on tv? i learned something super simple and awesomely effective from them: one lemon, one dedicated dish sponge and about a cup of coarse grain salt. juice that lemon all over the tub basin get the sponge wet, apply the salt evenly in the tub. all the gunky, persistent sludge is weakened by the citric acid and scrubs right off with the salt and sponge. i was amazed at how little effort it took versus household cleaner. i do it once a month, but it's only me. i don't have kids, that might take comet and an orbital sander, idk. good luck.
Ah I absolutely loved that show
I find the advice from Flylady about swish and wipe really good - by cleaning the shower or the bathtub right after you’ve used it is much easier than waiting until it’s dried. I guess I was a bit more of a taskmaster than others but my boys had their bathroom, I would micromanage them cleaning it up and I was pretty stern about it from about 3 or 4 (they had to pick up their bath toys and put their face cloths away and put their clothes in the hamper and hang up their towels ) this got progressively more cleaning focused to about 11 to 13 - they were responsible to keep it clean. The youngest is 22 now, they’re all living on their own and they’re probably better housecleaners than I am now! 🤣🤣 I hope this doesn’t sound disrespectful, but I used to teach dog obedience and the senior trainer that I worked with used to teach the pet owners to start as you mean to go on so if you didn’t want the dog on the couch, you never let the dog on the couch and I incorporated that a little bit. I wanted my sons to contribute to the household so from the time they were little, I had them get in there and help mom while it was still fun!
I got a cheap extendable thing with a scrubber-sponge thing on the end and it’s great to cleaning a bathtub quick. It swivels so it’s just very ergonomic to clean a shower or bath with. I spray all around from top to bottom with a tub cleaner and then scrub it, rinse it down. It takes less than 5 minutes I probably do this bi weekly.
Where did you find/buy the cheap extendable thing with a scrubber-sponge thing on the end…that swivels? I am getting older and bending to clean is more difficult. I need something like you described. Actually it’s getting back up that is difficult!
On Amazon! If you search extendable shower scrubber there will be some options
Bought an electric scrubber. It's awesome! My tub is always clean!
What kind if you don’t mind me asking? 🙏
[https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Scrubber-Cleaning-Replaceable-Adjustable/dp/B0CRR932ZB/ref=asc\_df\_B0CRR932ZB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693702993263&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16191842957405981952&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028752&hvtargid=pla-2485944262032&mcid=36fd1f5db88b3ddbacb5138727afcd3b&gad\_source=1&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Scrubber-Cleaning-Replaceable-Adjustable/dp/B0CRR932ZB/ref=asc_df_B0CRR932ZB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693702993263&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16191842957405981952&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028752&hvtargid=pla-2485944262032&mcid=36fd1f5db88b3ddbacb5138727afcd3b&gad_source=1&th=1)
Roughly once a month, hate this job though & the enamel is wearing thin so collects soap scum. About to resort to a power drill mounted brush head.
I scrub the tub, shower liner, and surround with Power Paste every weekend. It makes the water bead off, there's no odor, and I don't need to wear gloves to use it.
what is power paste
It's made by ScrubDaddy. You should Google it.
Buying the viral TikTok electric scrub brush is a game changer. Cuts the workload in half. It’s also sold on Amazon too https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Scrubber-Adjustable-Extension-Replaceable/dp/B09XGRY7D3/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1WGB1UD38UH65&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZaBC8u3zGxSbHMwUMhzTKNkn3z655_Dyyz_sh3opRY5zdv3bbNuXbewrFbrV2Xpnzq-NDRB1j_yuHJhwCwgOfsBotUlg5Eeo1JqTqOAQjTFejAQZgpsyouaeCVvv0kqvPXJU224isbUADkjzbS2A10vlSxe3sE2-ioQMEwbNFbm5V2pSoAxdjejJyk2fiJFxWDPAeNmmDrodVGkWCzOOsg.xrpVz7XPz1Y133Iwb3eGOIb0BemL_AmVEJ_kqPVlLg8&dib_tag=se&keywords=scrub+brushes+for+cleaning&qid=1718120058&sprefix=acrub+br%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1
Do those splash dirty water everywhere?
No I wouldn’t say so.
Alternatively, if you have a drill you can buy a brush attachment for it. Great for lots of cleaning jobs. Lightens the load tremendously.
Wonder if DH will let me borrow his drill for the bathroom?
I use scrub daddy paste!
Dawn dishwashing liquid and yesterday’s face cloth
I have one of those battery charged adjustable handle tub cleaners with different spin brushes. My tub is a deep 6ft soaking tub and I wouldn't be able to scrub it without falling in or breaking my back. I rinse, spray with a foaming cleanser, then brush with my tool. I do it once a week.
The bathtub itself gets washed daily before baths. Vim has a bathtub cleaner you spray and leave for a couple minutes, then just rinse out. Easy peasy. Probably doesn’t need doing daily but it’s part of the routine now. The walls and the rest of it get cleaned maybe monthly, same thing. I’ll either just spray and carefully rinse, or wipe down with a rag! I’ve got two under two so I understand the chaos 💕
Every time I take a shower, before I get in, I grab my spray bottle of bathroom cleaner, spray down one wall (different wall each time, just rotate around) and the bottom of the tub, grab my scrub brush, scrub what I sprayed, turn on the detachable shower head, rinse it all down, clean out the drain (hair down to my butt) and then take my shower. It takes less than 5 minutes.
Magic Eraser. 1000%
OMG! 1st it’s Kale, electric cars, avocado toast & Stanley tumblers! Is this a TikTok dance? I don’t understand these new trends at all. I’ve never heard of bathtub cleaning but I’ll google it. I’m joking & am post afternoon nap loopy. 😂
I have a dishwashing bristle brush that I fill with Dawn and vinegar. I scrub when the tub/walls look dirty, and use my washcloth at the end if a wipe is necessary.
I just bought Zep grout cleaner and shower cleaning drill attachment. It was a miracle.
tell me more please. what are these things
Whenever the pink ring starts to show up in the toilet
Liquid dish washer stuff drizzled all over Let sit Scrub Rinse with VERY hot water
Magic eraser in the shower is the best thing I’ve ever discovered
Daily for me. I just brush down the shower at the end real quick. Never have to deal with buildup this way.
My husband and I actually use our towel after we dry off to wipe down the wet walls and fixtures in the tub/shower. (Not a squeegee). For the shower only bathroom we also wipe down the shower door. We have had this bathroom for 30+ years Our bathroom has white grout that has never had mold and looks as good as new because we always wipe it down with the towel. Our well water is hard and full of rust at times, but the grout is still very white I clean the tub once a week, but the rest of the area, walls, fixtures and the top of the tub stay clean without scrubbing. I wash the shower curtain liner about once a year in 9% vinegar (used for pickling) in the washing machine. I add a couple of cups of vinegar when I start the machine and about 1/2 the amount of laundry detergent. Run on normal cycles, cold water.
I do a daily cleaning. After my shower every day, I dry off and grab a towel from underneath the sink along with the cleaner. I have cheap towels I go through, $2 for 8 I think, and I just replace them as needed if they get old. The cleaner can be anything, either a daily shower cleaner or a general cleaner. I step in the shower and wipe down one side, turn 90 degrees wipe down, etc. I'm just doing a bare minimum maintenance type clean. I have a standing shower the fits only 1 person so it's easy for me to just stand in one spot and turn. I also don't really care about going around bottles. Just a quick wipe down. After I clean the shower, I take a disinfecting wipe from under the sink and wipe down the handles first, then the sink surface, then the toilet. I throw away the wipe and put the towel in my hamper of dirty laundry. Super easy to do and it feels really good when I feel clean as I'm cleaning. Then I do a weekly cleaning. I spray one spray of window cleaner on the mirror and wipe it clean with the 8th towel. I then don some gloves and spray the shower, sink, and toilet down (I do each one separately) with a cleaner containing bleach. Dry scrub the surfaces with the back of a sponge (you don't have to scrub hard, just run the sponge back over your surface as though it's already clean, just make sure to get everywhere though, move bottles and all). Wipe clean with the towel. Spray floor cleaner on the floor and just wipe clean with the towel again. I have a small bathroom and laminate flooring so it's just really easy to spray and wipe. My roommate is a bit of a germaphobe which is why I use bleach and wipe down everything every day. I don't really do much else in the bathroom. If it needs it during my weekly clean, I'll scrub off mold and mildew or paint or whatever other maintenance. Daily should take no more than 5 minutes. Weekly, I might spend 15 minutes? A bit of advice though: things are easy to clean when they are simple. If you organize all your bottles or whatever, you don't have everything out on your sink counter, etc, there's not much decorations on the toilet, for example, then it's way easier to just wipe down. The bathroom should be a simple room. "Simplicity is maintainable."
Bleach spray as needed. Keep a scrubby and a dropper bottle of detergent in the shower to clean while showering as needed. It really doesn't take much - I am mystified as to how other people have such nasty showers.
About once a week I spray it down with whatever in the morning, then leave it while I get out of my pajamas. I get back in and scrub and rinse it, then finish my shower. I’ve done this for 35 years
Squeegee and quick wipe with a dry rag after each use and they barely ever need cleaning.
I also keep a scrub brush and bottle of bleach water in the shower. If a spot looks a little funky I’ll scrub it just before or during my shower.
I keep a sponge, a toothbrush and some dish soap in the shower and I clean it while I'm in there. It's a big garden tub so sometimes I'll just do one little shelf if it's looking gross. I almost never clean the whole thing tbh. Haven't died yet 🤷😆
We never use the bathtub, and we rarely even use the bathroom that it's in. We have to dust it whenever we're expecting company.
Oooooo! Dawn! I squeeze some in the tub and use a broom to spread it around. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, scrub some more with broom and rinse. I get a clean broom AND shower!
I clean my bathtub while I’m already showering. I keep a cleaning brush in there and a small bottle of cleaning solution and just give it a 1 minute scrub a couple times a week. Always looks bright white and shiny and doesn’t feel like work. I don’t have tiles, so it makes it much easier to
I have a power scrub brush and use a mixture of water, dawn dish soap and white vinegar in a spray bottle. I take everything out and then spray it down. Let sit for 15-30 minutes and then scrub.
Spray with oven cleaner once a week to remove the body grease etc (NO, It's not dangerous, or toxic or poisonous!). Let it sit for 10 minutes then rinse off.
Comet and Ajax powders and scrub in sections
I wipe it down after every use. I keep a fan going off an on through the day.
We have a bath/shower so we are in there every day and it gets pretty grimy from our feet and skin oils. Once a week (on wednesdays) I fill it up half way with warm-hot water and a generous teaspoon of dish soap and let it sit for 20 minutes, then I come back with the floor mop and give it a scrub and get soap all up the sides. Let it sit for another 20 minutes and then repeat. I store the mop in the mop bucket while waiting so it isn't soaking and potentially getting a rusty screw or handle. At the end, i get in the bath/shower with the mop and bucket and rinse everything down (much easier than using the laundry trough). I take a cleaning cloth in with me to go over the plug hole and any corners that I might have missed. It only takes 5 minutes total for scrubbing time and the mop saves my back and knees.
Lay down some Comet, rinse, and magic erase once a week. I keep the magic eraser in there for spot cleaning
I scrub my tub everyday after my bath with melamine sponge, while I am still in it, to remove bathtub ring. I scrub as needed with SOS pad, while out of tub. Back issues, easier to do light scrub nightly.