I’ve been thinking a lot about this one. I know what it needs to be, but I don’t want to do it. I’m being a bit of a brat about it.
For each of the last several weeks I’ve added one new non-negotiable task. They have all worked so much better than I expected. They have all been easier than I expected, mostly because doing them everyday keeps them from taking very long at all.
This one seems hard. It’s hard to imagine that it won’t overwhelm me to do this everyday.
I’m going to wipe down the bathroom counters and toilet everyday. Bathrooms kind of gross me out, so I often ignore them. But then they get bad. I think my reason for dreading this one is because I know how it will go. I’ve cleaned bathrooms before only to walk in 5 minutes later to find a big mess of mud and grass on the counter where someone cleaned their feet. I’ve scrubbed every possible inch of the toilet only to find within the hour that someone has completely missed the bowl. (Do they just close their eyes?)
With the clutter cleanup, I have really only had to remove clutter from the bathroom floors and counters a few times. Mostly it has been just a check.
This won’t be a check. I’ll have to reach down behind the potty every single day and wipe up that yellow stuff. If you have boys, you know the place I’m talking about.
I’m not really sure exactly how I’m going to do this. I figure if I’m in this for the rest of my life, I have time to come up with a good way. As of this moment, I’m planning to use baby wipes. One thing that I learned from Flylady is that we shouldn’t be tripped up by not having the right materials to clean. It’s easy to put off cleaning something when we think that we need to run to the store to get just the right cleaner. She says “Soap is soap.”
I’d love to have a year’s supply of Clorox wipes, but I can’t afford that. On the other hand, I’ve been getting great deals on baby wipes lately with coupons, so I’m going to use those. Better than nothing, right?
I’ll share through the week how it goes.
This post makes me glad I have little girls!
You may already be doing something else but since it's going to take me a while to go though all the posts I'll offer this now.
First, I started following the Flylady's daily swish and swipe and found that everyday was unnecessary. I swish and swipe Tuesdays, Thursdays, and someone in the family should do it either Saturday or Sunday (that part we haven't been doing very long and hasn't gone very well so far.) My bathrooms never get gross like they did in the past.
Second, I bought a multipack of microfiber cloths at Sam's and use one of those each time I swish and swipe. I fold it in half and half again. I start in the hall bathroom and spray the sink and toilet. I wipe the sink and go to the master bathroom. I spray the master sink and toilet, wipe the sink using the other side of the cloth. I fold the cloth so the part that was inside is on the outside now and wipe the toilet. I swish with a toilet brush. I go back to the hall bath and use the opposite side of the cloth to wipe that toilet. Swish the toilet with the brush. I used to be so embarrassed by my bathrooms and now I'm not.
Thank you G.E. Mommy, as you read on, you'll see how often I find a reason to not do this "non-negotiable" task. I like your encouragement to set specific days for it. Thanks for commenting!
I use baby wipes! and my secret some good smelling soap in sink and wipe everything done for a quick fix 🙂 then it should smell and get the job done 🙂
Me again! You can make baby wipes into anything you want! I just pour Mr. Clean or Lysol right in the bag or plastic bin and you have a disinfecting wipe, shhhh don’t tell Clorox or they can’t charge ridiculous amounts for their wipes. For my little daughters to help clean I put essential oils in the wipes or Mrs. Meyers cleaner. This is a great way to have the fancy cleaner smell (like Mrs. Meyers that I love!) go a long way- just a few capfuls of concentrate makes a whole pack of wipes smell great!!
i am loving this blog!
You can also cut a roll of strong paper towels in half, take the cardboard piece out of the middle, put it into one of those plastic wipes containers, pour your cleaner into it, and pull the wipes up from the middle.
LOVE this blog!
This is where the flylady and I parted ways – it’s too much. Sorry to bury you in comments – new reader, obsessed, etc. If I find out later you don’t feel this task is necessary every day, I’ll be pleased.
I love comments, so no apologies please! Hmmm. I hate this task too and so honestly, it’s the one I skip most. Not that that means it isn’t necessary . . .
I recently found you blog with someone’s recco to read from the beginning. Your thoughts and the e-books are helpful. I am 3 days in to my 28 Days to Hope. 🙂
I, too used to live in Thailand, so that was fun to read. Also, I tried to do FlyLady when I lived there and I used baby wipes for my bathroom wipes then. Go baby wipes!
Thanks so much, Dana.
Welcome! And good luck with your 28 Days!
It’s just my opinion, but I really wish toilet manufacturers would design toilets like an oblong box. So that the entire back of it fits flush against the wall…with NO floor space behind it. They could make the sides detachable for repairs. But that’s just an opinion from someone who is completely grossed out from having to get so up close and personal with the ‘throne’ to clean the whole thing. 🙂
I’ve been reading your blog from the beginning–I found it while searching madly for help in preparing our lived-in condo for showing after 10 years and 3 more (!!!) kids. (I have 8). (And very little attention to cleaning).
I just did 2 of my bathrooms using your checklist–who knew??!! I can actually clean without stress or shame. Thank you for the self-forgiveness that brought. My 10-y.o. son helped and it was a great experience. I never would have thought I could.
I like the many above suggestions on using baby wipes–I too get completely hung up and immobilized and can’t do it without the “right” cleaning stuff. (I asked my 22 y.o. daughter to buy those clorox wipes). Now I know I can modify wipes or paper towels and get those on sale at Costco. (I didn’t have a hand-held vacuum, so I improvised there and used a dust brush and pan). Worked!
Thank you for your honesty and humor and for letting me know I can get past this–even at 50.
🙂
I love this comment!! And welcome!
This!!!!! is what I need to do. We installed bright white LED light bulbs in our bathroom this weekend. our fixture holds six bulbs – three had been burned out up till now (figured we’d save money and electricity by not replacing them, until we found the LEDs at Costco and decided to go for it). Anyway, now our bathroom is bright as an operating room and it just highlights how truly bad it has gotten. In my head I know it just takes a few minutes each day to prevent it from being a gross mess but knowing and doing, well I just need to get off my rear end and do it!
I spray with disinfectant and wipe after with toilet paper…I find it easy and cheap, and flush down the toilet the to (making sure not to do too much as it might clog the toilet)…I’m a little embarrassed confessing this way, perhaps it sounds gross, but it’s quick and cheap.
I had meant to say “flush the toilet paper down the toilet”
I think using the tp is a great idea!
I use this method too.
I too, use toilet paper when I clean my bathroom. I spray the cleaner, wipe with TP, then flush the TP. I used to feel guilty about “wasting” toilet paper, but really? And I don’t have to wash a totally gross object or washcloth to use later. I flush and get new. 🙂
Nony,
Hi, love your blog! Been reading bits and pieces when I can, and am working on catching up completely. The best part of this is being able to call my husband over and say “Look Honey, I’m not the only one!” I just wanted to jump in here and say, Pee Puddles are not exclusive to boys. I have 3 girls, 5, 8, and 13 (and a 1/2 mom! 13&1/2!)….. I’m not sure what they’re doing in there or what part of the potty training process I forgot to teach them, but I am forever battling what I call ‘The Yellow Haze” around the toilets in my bathrooms (we have 4…… why do I, who can’t keep one bathroom clean, live in a house with 4??) I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’m starting to understand why some mothers eat their young at birth. Thanks for everything, your honesty and humor give me a little hope. I’ll keep reading, you keep blogging.
Oh, this is so funny!!
I totally get the cleaning the potty and taking a shower thing. And I can also attest that girls spray, too. (I have 2 girls and 3 boys) 🙂 I always taught my boys to sit down on the toilet, just like on the training potty. There is no tag attached to males at birth that says, “Stand to urinate”. Just because a person is capable of something doesn’t make it a right. Anyway, when they’re in a public restroom at a urinal, they are free to do what they need to there. But it sure helps in the Splash & Odor Dept. at home!
OMG! I really thought my girls were the only ones! Are they “hovering” like in a public restroom? Why? I just don’t get it. I also get the need to schedule bathroom cleaning around my shower. My suggestion is surgical gloves. I only use them for deep cleaning or when it gets particularly gross but it definitely helps the gross out factor. I learned the trick working at doctor’s offices, when we did the weekly deep clean of exam rooms. We would rub a little packet of antibiotic ointment on our hands then put on gloves (no latex please) and go to work. The added benefit of the ointment was your hands are super soft and moisturized by the time you’re done. At home, I use Vaseline.
I’m reading from the beginning as suggested, and wow! My 10 year old daughter gets pee on the seat and my hubby always manages to get that last drop on the floor or as a single dri line down the front of the toilet. I know it’s him (even though he blames our daughter) because she does not use the master bathroom. I totally use TP to wipe down counters and toilets… and the floor in front of the toilet, because ewww, I don’t think I can handle the thought of pee getting on my mop. When it’s time to clean the showers/tub, I am nude. I hate to admit that, but I don’t want cleaner to get on my clothes and I rinse the shower last while I’m waiting for the water to warm up for my shower. I know. It’s weird, but I think you will appreciate the genius here since I feel exactly the same as you about germs.
This is such a late comment, BUT, part of our potty training included the fact that the littles HAD to clean up their own pee when they missed. We had a spray bottle of vinegar water and some paper towels. Funny how very very little children miss when THEY have to touch their own pee!!!!
When I taught kindergarten, I told those boys the same thing….NO ONE wants to clean up pee everywhere, and it was THEIR JOB to make the toilet OR THEY got to clean up the pee. No 5 yr old left pee on the floor that yr!
Teach your littles early. And vinegar water is safe for the wee ones to spray, and it disinfects!
Vinegar/water spray and toilet paper. It works if you do it often enough. I used to use wipes until I realised they were made of plastic. Thanks so much for your podcast Dana, I’m learning to add a good habit every week too. I love how your advice isn’t a prescription that I feel I’ve failed if I don’t keep it up. Flylady did help but it was just too much.