Looking for cleaning advice

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mommamaree

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Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but I couldn’t find a better fit for this topic…🤷

I am wondering how often to clean bathrooms for a growing family. We have two full baths, and one is for the kids (2, with one on the way) and the other is part of the master suite. Since the time before we had children, I have always cleaned the bathrooms once a week, but recently, I have noticed the bathrooms getting messier faster. So for a growing family, how often should one clean a bathroom? Should I stick to one deep cleaning every week, and maybe just wipe the sink and scrub the toilet out midweek? Or is that not really often enough to keep the germs down? Any advice would be appreciated, because I want to keep my family healthy.
 
I always have those disposable lysol wipes on the bathroom counter… maybe 2-3 times per week I’ll wipe down the countertop, sink & faucet, toilet seat, etc… not a deep clean, but definitely helps!

We have just *one *full bathroom (for all 5 of us)… our master bath has been gutted for almost 10 years - haven’t been able to afford a remodel yet… :rolleyes: It had rotted-out walls due to leaks - none of which were caught on our home-inspection at purchase 11 years ago. 😦
(sorry for the side story - a little rant helps once in a while :o)
 
It’s only the two of us, but in one very tiny 1950’s bathroom, and a very furry husband. 😊

I have had a habit for as long as I can remember of using a tissue to wipe my mouth after I brush my teeth, then folding it over and wiping down the whole area around the sink and faucet (don’t worry, I’m not wiping spit all over the place). So this happens multiple times every day. It is amazing what a difference it makes, and is well worth the tissue used!

I also keep the Clorox wipes around and wipe down as needed, and then do the big cleaning (scrubbing the bowl, etc.) on the weekend. The floor gets done once every couple weeks with wipe ups around the bowl and corners as needed with the wipes.

It’s not really much of an answer - I guess you just clean them as often as you can according to your own tolerance level. 🤷 If you can’t wait till the weekend and it doesn’t drive you crazy, then just wait. Everyone has a different bathroom cleanliness limit. 😉

~Liza
 
I like the FlyLady’s “Swish and Swipe”, where she makes it a point to use every bathroom every day, and to wipe down the surfaces and run a toilet brush around the inside of the bowl every day. It does work.

Looking down the road, though, I would suggest this: teach your kids that for a polite person, looking at the state in which they are leaving the bathroom before actually leaving it is part of using it. Make these questions about being thoughtful to the next person part of toilet training: Is the seat down? Is there toilet paper for the next person and an extra roll out? Is the sink presentable, or are there globs of toothpaste left on it? Did I slop up the faucet? Did I leave the medicine cabinet open, the box of bandaids out, and the wrapper to my new bandaid on the counter? Is the towel OK, or does it need changing? Is there at least one extra bathtowel and one extra handtowel in the cupboard? Is the water off all of the way? In other words, without worrying about whether I’m cleaning up my own mess or someone else’s, will the person using this room after me know I was thinking of them? Not in a nagging way, but in a positive “welcome all as Christ” kind of way. If a job needs chemicals or some other attention that only you can give, the kids can just give you or their dad a heads-up. If you walk by and it is a mess, just grab the first kid you see and say, “Sally, the bathroom needs seeing to. Do your best, and we’ll look over how you did in about ten or fifteen minutes.” (If you know Sally left it that way, skip over that. Do not make this about whose fault it is, but about having the habit of noticing the condition of the bathroom. You need your kids to get the habit of tidying when they see a mess, not looking for someone to blame when they see one.)

You will have to make sure there are always rags for the kids to use to attend to their messes, that kind of thing, but you will never regret having taken the time to do this.

Oh, and time how long this takes. It is literally a one to two minute job. It is pretty hard for a kid to complain to a mom who works all day about a job that literally takes two minutes.
 
EasterJoy said:
I like the FlyLady’s “Swish and Swipe”, where she makes it a point to use every bathroom every day, and to wipe down the surfaces and run a toilet brush around the inside of the bowl every day. It does work.

Looking down the road, though, I would suggest this: teach your kids that for a polite person, looking at the state in which they are leaving the bathroom before actually leaving it is part of using it. Make these questions about being thoughtful to the next person part of toilet training: Is the seat down? Is there toilet paper for the next person and an extra roll out? Is the sink presentable, or are there globs of toothpaste left on it? Did I slop up the faucet? Did I leave the medicine cabinet open, the box of bandaids out, and the wrapper to my new bandaid on the counter? Is the towel OK, or does it need changing? Is there at least one extra bathtowel and one extra handtowel in the cupboard? Is the water off all of the way? In other words, without worrying about whether I’m cleaning up my own mess or someone else’s, will the person using this room after me know I was thinking of them? Not in a nagging way, but in a positive “welcome all as Christ” kind of way. If a job needs chemicals or some other attention that only you can give, the kids can just give you or their dad a heads-up. If you walk by and it is a mess, just grab the first kid you see and say, “Sally, the bathroom needs seeing to. Do your best, and we’ll look over how you did in about ten or fifteen minutes.” (If you know Sally left it that way, skip over that. Do not make this about whose fault it is, but about having the habit of noticing the condition of the bathroom. You need your kids to get the habit of tidying when they see a mess, not looking for someone to blame when they see one.)

You will have to make sure there are always rags for the kids to use to attend to their messes, that kind of thing, but you will never regret having taken the time to do this.

Oh, and time how long this takes. It is literally a one to two minute job. It is pretty hard for a kid to complain to a mom who works all day about a job that literally takes two minutes.
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I second all this. We are 5 (almost 6) people and one bathroom, which also serves as the laundry room. First thing in the morning I do a quick look-over and hit any really gross spots. I do a good wipe, swish, scrub, and mop about once a week. Maybe not quite that often on th emopping but I need to do it more… I have two young boys. 😊
 
kristacecilia said:
I second all this. We are 5 (almost 6) people and one bathroom, which also serves as the laundry room. First thing in the morning I do a quick look-over and hit any really gross spots. I do a good wipe, swish, scrub, and mop about once a week. Maybe not quite that often on th emopping but I need to do it more… I have two young boys. 😊
Click to expand...
A friend of mine with four boys had this sign in the kids’ bathroom:
“We aim to please.
You aim, too, please!”
😃
 
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