Housekeeping Tip of the Day

If you're like me, you hate cleaning bathrooms. It's funny what I will put up with when I know it's just me that's been using a sink and shower, but yet in the office bathroom (which is cleaned daily), I'm still using paper towels to shield my hands from the frightening door and faucet handles. So at home, to make bathroom cleaning easier, I have several tips to make it quicker and easier. After you've given the mirror and sink a good cleaning, wipe it daily so it doesn't get too icky, alternately using the Clorox wipes and a towel. I don't have any creative toilet techniques, but I like the throwaway brushes. Once upon a time I saw someone use the same sponge on the toilet bowl that they did on the sink and shower and it left me scarred. (Always ask yourself, especially if you have roommates--Where has that double-sided scrub sponge been?)

Use the vacuum (people around here seem to call it a sweeper) to clean the floor and the tops of the baseboards before mopping (do this after you've dusted/cleaned the sink, the top of the toilet tank, and the edge of the tub, so any dust you dislodge from those horizontal surfaces is already on the floor for you to suck up with the Hoover. Swiffer floor cleaners rock and can be used if you don't have time for the Pine-Sol. And my main reason for entering this tip (drumroll) Since most of us don't have an automatic shower cleaner, simply clean it while you're in it. Then you don't have to worry about spraying water all over the bathroom in your attempts to rinse the shower walls from the outside of the tub, standing on the linoleum. By cleaning from within the shower, you can be thorough and you don't have to deal with sock wetness while cleaning, which we all know is one of the worst feelings possible. Also, the shower curtain can be wiped clean, which is difficult to do from the outside of the tub. I recommend that you suds up after you clean the tub, that way you can wash off any cleaner residue so it doesn't eat away at your feet.