I’ve noticed that “Bathroom Cleaning Tips” seems to be a popular topic this week–so I figured I’d throw in my two cents worth.

First of all, understand that I’m probably a lot like you–I HATE cleaning the bathroom, and I want to spend as little time as possible doing it. At the same time, you have “a thing” about germs, and want the bathroom to be as clean and germ-free as possible. So what’s the solution? What’s the fastest, easiest way to keep the bathroom really clean? Here’s my best advice:

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

1. Clean Regularly

Waiting until you actually SEE dirt, stains, etc. makes it that much harder to get rid of them. By cleaning regularly, you can help eliminate stains before they happen. Don’t forget–bacteria can be present on a tub, sinks, toilets, and floors even when they look spotless.

2. Clean without Chemical

I don’t know about you, but I hate the idea of using a bunch of chemicals–which have all kinds of warnings posted on them about being dangerous or deadly to humans and pets. But there is another way: steam!

I’ve found a great multi-purpose Wagner steamer on Amazon that cleans and sanitizes like crazy, without using any chemicals at all! So there’s no chemical residue to harm you, your kids, or your pets. The Wagner steamer comes with a floor-steaming attachment to help you easily sanitize your bathroom floors, or even the walls of your shower/tub area, as well as a generic steaming attachment to clean around faucets, the base of the toilet, and other oddly-shaped areas.

3. Save Money by Using Simple Cleaning Products

It’s not necessary to use expensive, brand-name cleansers. Beyond steam cleaning, lemon juice, baking soda, or other natural oils and extracts, as well as bleach or ammonia, can be extremely effective cleansers, and are often the main active ingredients in many higher priced brand-name cleaners you see in the stores. (Always remember to use caution when using caustic substances.) There is also a growing selection of  all-natural cleaners appearing on the market today: just be sure to read the warnings, because some of these can be quite powerful–even harmful–if not used according to the directions.

4. Eliminate Nooks and Crannies

Do you have missing spots in the grout around your tub, floor, or sink? These areas can be prime breeding grounds for bacteria. Eliminating them gives bacteria fewer places to grow, which means less for you to clean

5. Repaint the bathroom with Mold-Proof Paint

If your bathroom is painted with the wrong kind of paint, mold or mildew can grow. You can help eliminate this problem–and the extra cleaning time that goes along with it–by repainting your bathroom with a mildew/mold proof paint.

Before repainting, remember to clean the walls, first, with the appropriate mold-removing cleanser. Note: some products are for REMOVING mold and mildew, while other products remove mold and mildew STAINS; you may need both. Just be sure to read the product description so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. Typically, a prime ingredient in both these products is bleach or a bleach derivative, so you may find that using bleach (mixed with the appropriate amount of water) may be a cheaper way to get the same job done.