Common Sense Cleaning: Bathrooms

Am I right when I say no one wants to talk about cleaning bathrooms? 

Probably. I've already talked about my weekly cleaning schedule and my monthly deep cleaning schedule, so you know my baseboards, trim, doors and cabinets get dusted once a month. My tubs and toilets are scrubbed weekly and the counter tops are wiped down daily. 

Deep cleaning my bathroom happens on those wonderful deep cleaning Saturdays- those two weekends a month when my husband is on call. I love the tasks I'm going to talk about today, because I can do them while I am doing other deep cleaning tasks. 

I am a germophobe (who teaches school as has a small child, which doesn't make much sense), so I often worry about what nasty little creatures may lurk within my bath linens. 

I take down the shower curtains once a month and wash them. I just wash them both together in my washing machine on cold water (to prevent fading) permanent press cycle, with the reduced ironing option turned on. I've found that as long as I remove the shower curtains as soon as the wash cycle finishes, there will be no wrinkles. You can dry them in the dryer as well (I always do). 

Because we have hard water, we usually end up changing our plastic shower curtain liners every other month. Since we shower more in the summer, I have found that we end up changing the liners monthly during the hot months. 

I also wash the decorative hand towels and the towels we use at the same time. I don't wash them in the same cycle as the shower curtains, because it causes them to collect lint. I dry them as well. I engage the steam option on the dryer- if I don't, I always end up having to iron my towels. 

I have a child, who has bath toys. I can't stomach the thought of her bath toys growing mold and mildew, so I utilized an idea I found on Pinterest. I really can't remember where I saw this. 

Grab a few suction cubs and some mesh laundry bags (like the ones you use to wash lingerie). Hanging up the toys allows the water to drain out of them and they won't grow mildew.

Even though I hang them up, I still wash her bath toys monthly. I just load them into my dishwasher and wash them in a hot white vinegar cycle. Because I had room left over, I loaded my metal shower rack in there, too. 

How cute do all those colorful bath toys look in my dishwasher? 

Of course, while your shower curtains/towels are washing in the washer, and your bath toys (if you have kids) are washing in the dishwasher, you are free to do other deep cleaning tasks...or to put your feet up and rest. It's really up to you.