Have you ever used the bathroom of one of your favorite restaurants only to find it filthy? That happened to me once. I loved their food, but I couldn’t get over the condition of the bathroom. I figured if a public space like that is in such a state, what did their kitchen look like?? Ick. Anyway, the day I used the bathroom was the last day I set foot in that particular restaurant. That’s the thing about bathrooms: they leave a lasting impression. If they’re clean, then the rest of house often times gets a pass on the cleanliness scale. Which is why it’s great to have a few tricks to help you keep bathrooms presentable. Today, I’m giving my top 5 favorite tips to a tidy bathroom.
#1. Mickey’s hidden towel tip. Mickey used to be a neighbor of mine and she was the best, most meticulous housekeeper I have ever met (and not in an annoying way either!). Her tip was to keep an old hand towel in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. She simply wiped down the sink after every time she used it. Yes, EVERY, time. Like I said, she was meticulous. Close friends and family knew she kept the towel there too, so they wiped up after themselves as well. (!)
#2. The handy wipes tip. Mickey’s towel trick works great for water puddles, but for nastier drips, Clorox-type wipes is the way to go. Also, it’s good to get into the habit of noting the condition toilet bowl rim and wiping it down if necessary between bathroom cleanings with such a wipe. (Click here to see how to make your own perpetual disinfecting wipes.)
#3. The dusting tip. I used to work with a woman who once mentioned that she bought a pretty hand towel to put over the top of her toilet tank to hide the dust that accumulated there. I was like, “Why not, you know, just dust it?” She looked at me like she’d never considered that before. I think people that forget to dust their bathrooms do so because it probably lacks “real” furniture. When I’m in one of those never-been-dusted bathrooms, I wonder what ecosystem is living in that grey blanket. Ick. Ultimately, it’s best to get into the habit of adding dusting to the regular bathroom cleaning routine.
#4. The vertical storage tip. Bathrooms that lack storage can get messy. Thinking outside the box–or in this case, outside the bathroom–can be your best bet. Consider using items usually found in kitchens to add vertical storage to your bathroom. I love the idea of hanging a wire fruit basket near or over the tub to catch all those bath time supplies. And to get all that stuff off the vanity top, a few IKEA BEKVÄM spice racks are just the ticket:
#5. The ‘if it smells clean’ tip. This tip came from my sister Barbara. If she’s expecting last minute company, and she doesn’t have time to do an all out bathroom scrub-down, she pours a little highly scented all-purpose cleaner in her bathrooms’ toilet bowls. Inevitably, company thinks she’s just cleaned house because the bathrooms smell clean.
Those are my top five faves to keeping my bathrooms presentable. If you have any tricks to keeping your bathroom in tip top shape 24/7, we’d love to hear them!
