I am so excited to be teaming up with Home Right to bring you this post {and giveaway – whoohoo!!}. As always, opinions are 100% my own.
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So how are your bathroom tasks going for this month’s Household Organization Diet? Since we have been in Mexico for the past 10 days, I am a little behind, but I did manage to get three out of our four bathrooms deep cleaned before we left {I kind of cheated on one since we just finished a bathroom remodel in there but it sounds better to count it!}
Last year I posted about how I use my HomeRight steam cleaner to power clean the kitchen and today I’m going to show you how I use it in the bathroom. For those of you that don’t have a steam cleaner, I will be posting lots of alternative cleaning tips so there will be lots for you too too! And…if you want your own steam cleaner, check out the end of the post for a chance to win this awesome HomeRight SteamMachine Plus!
If you are looking for ways to make your cleaning tasks quicker and easier, steam is the way to go. Yes, you can even clean the bathroom without any harsh chemical cleaners!! The high temperature, high pressurized steam from the SteamMachine Plus easily loosens and dissolves dirt, grease, and grime {and whatever else!} and kills 99.9% of all germs and bacteria without the use of any chemicals. As a mom of boys, I have seen my fair share of messy bathrooms and this tackles it all!
My favorite part about the SteamMachine plus is the hand held unit that pops out from the main body. This makes is so easy to get into all of those little areas that need cleaning – like around the edges of the toilet base or to power away the little bits of grime that build up around the facets. The SteamMachine plus can literally clean almost everything in the bathroom – tile and grout, windows and mirrors, facets, shower doors, flooring – you name it! The little scrub brush and small head above are the attachments that I use the most and I have not found an area yet that these little guys cannot get into.
Okay, so let’s get to cleaning those bathrooms!!
General Cleaning Tips
- Gather all of your cleaning supplies before getting started. I always keep a microfiber cloth, window cloth, spray bottle with a 50:50 water/vinegar mixture, and a toilet cleaner/brush in each bathroom so they are always on hand for quick cleaning needs. The rest of the supplies are in my portable cleaning kit {along with additional cloths}.
- If it is not too cold, open up the windows to let in the fresh air.
- Always clean from top to bottom and from one side of the room to the other to avoid having to go back over areas that you have already cleaned.
- When deep cleaning, remove everything from flat surfaces {counters, shelves, etc.} and place just outside of the bathroom. It takes a little extra time initially but will let you get in to all of those hard to clean spaces and ensure a thorough cleaning.
Cleaning Supplies
- microfiber cloth
- 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar in a spray bottle {you can add essential oils for scent if desired – you can see my favorite ones HERE}
- Norwex window cloth
- Home Right steam cleaner {optional}
- toothbrush
- baking soda
- bathroom cleaner {1 part vinegar mixed with 1 part Dawn dish soap} in a spray bottle or a scotch brite scrubber
- paper towels
- Norwex Toilet Cleaning System {or other toilet cleaner}
- Vacuum
Step by Step Deep Cleaning
NOTE: This list will give you a thorough deep cleaning of your bathroom. Just do what is needed if you are doing your regular cleaning. 😉
- Throw dirty towels, shower curtains, window curtains, and any bath mats into the wash.
I like to add about 1 cup of vinegar to the wash cycle to help get rid of any musty smells and help fluff up the towels . Make sure you run your washer on warm instead of hot if you are washing a plastic shower curtain and remove it immediately to hang to dry. It is also a good idea to throw a towel or two into the laundry with the shower curtain if you do not have anything else in there. - Remove all items from surfaces.
Place items out of the way just outside of the bathroom. It may seem like a pain but it will save you time in the long run and give you a more thorough clean. - Dust and wipe down light fixtures.
Use a microfiber cloth to wipe off any loose debris. If there is still grime, spray with the 50:50 water/vinegar spray and wipe dry. Polish any shining surfaces with the window cloth. If you have any cobwebs in the corners, use a vacuum hose to remove. - Clean blinds and window tracks.
If you have blinds, spray lightly with the water/vinegar spray and wipe down with a microfiber cloth. Open the windows and wipe down the inside of the window sills and tracks. I love using my steam cleaner for this – a couple of blasts of the steam and a quick wipe with a paper towel takes care of all of that grime that accumulates in the corners. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, spray it down with a vinegar/water mixture and use a toothbrush to get into all of the grooves.
- Clean windows and mirrors.
Spray the windows with water/vinegar and use a Norwex Window Cloth {or other polishing cloth} to clean and polish. It is so much better than using window cleaner and there are NO streaks {even when the sun shines in!}. - Clean countertops and shelving.
You can easily clean the countertop with your steam cleaner – just attach the little scrub brush, steam, and dry with a microfiber cloth. If you don’t have a steamer, spray with a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar and wipe with a microfiber cloth paying extra attention to the corners. Once you have cleaned the counters, wipe down and replace all items that you have removed.
- Clean the shower and bathtub.
The steam cleaner works amazing for getting rid of all of that soap scum on shower doors and around the sides of the tub and will clean tile and grout with virtually no scrubbing! You can use the squeegee attachment if you have a glass door or use the scrub brush attachment if you have tile and grout. Just steam from top to bottom and follow with a dry microfiber cloth to wipe away any loose grime. If you do not have a steam cleaner, a 1:1 mixture of blue Dawn dishwashing detergent and vinegar is great at tackling soap scum. Keep some on hand in a Scotch Brite scrub brush to give a quick scrub after each shower. - Clean the toilet.
I use the Norwex Sanira system on our toilet bowls and love that the cleaning solution is built right into the brush. For the outside areas of the toilet {and all of the areas around the toilet!} I use the steam cleaner with either the little attachment {for the areas right around the base of the toilet} or the scrub brush {for the toilet itself}. If you want to add extra cleaning power, you can spray first with the vinegar. It is all you need to get rid of all of the grime and “little boy” smells. 🙂 For those of you that don’t have a steam cleaner, use a toothbrush with the water/vinegar mixture to get into all of those little areas. If you have “little boy spray” around your toilet, make a paste of baking soda and water and spread it around the bottom of the toilet seat and any other “spray zones”. Let it dry and then spray with the vinegar and wipe down. Don’t forget the walls too! 🙂 Wipe down the toilet and toilet seat with a microfiber cloth and the vinegar/water mix. - Clean the floor and baseboards.
Again, I am now using my steam cleaner to do this task and it is so much quicker! The SteamMachine Plus easily gets into all of those corners. You can also use the handheld unit to clean along the tops of baseboards and then just wipe dry. If you don’t have a steam cleaner, wet down a microfiber cloth with the water and vinegar and wipe along baseboards. Do a quick vacuum or sweep of the bathroom floors and wash down with the water and vinegar and a mop or microfiber cloth.
- Clean the sink.
I always leave this towards the end as I use the sink to rinse out my microfiber cloths during the cleaning process. If you have your steam cleaner, use the scrub brush attachment to clean all over the sink and facets and then follow with the polishing cloth for a shiny clean! Otherwise, use the water/vinegar mixture and a microfiber cloth to wipe down the sink and polish the fixtures with the window cloth. If your facet is starting to get any mineral build up affecting the water flow, use a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar in a plastic bag and secure it around the facet {or shower head} with an elastic band. Leave overnight and then remove. - Re-hang shower curtain and curtains.
Once you have finished the laundry, hang the shower curtain and window curtains back up. Enjoy your sparkling bathroom!
Try doing a good deep clean of your bathroom once per month. The more you follow the daily cleaning tips, the less you will have to do. The steam machine heats up in less than 30 seconds so it is easy to pull out for all of the little jobs too! 😉 Not all tasks need to be completed on a monthly basis either, so just do what needs to be done!
For those of you that like printables to help keep you on track, here you go! Just print it out, add it to your cleaning binder, or place in a plastic sleeve.
And now for the best part! I am so excited to give away a HomeRight Steam Machine Plus to one lucky reader! I know you will love this machine as much as I do so don’t forget to enter below to enter. This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the United States {excluding Alaska and Hawaii}.
I would love to clean all of my floors with this!!! Thanks for the giveaway!
I would LOVE to use the Home Right Steam Machine in my kitchen! We have backyard chickens, and I’m forever worried about what is getting tracked into the house. This would be such a great tool to have!
I would clean everywhere. We moved into a new apartment in October of last year and although we really cleaned a lot , I would love to get a much deeper clean .Thanks
I would love to use the Home Right Steam Machine to sanitize my bathroom. Steam cleaning makes me so happy because I know it’s disinfected. I would also love to try using it for cleaning window sills! That’s such a tedious task.
What a great post. I am really looking forward to scrubbing down my bathroom!
I would love to clean all of my floors with this!!!
This steamer looks great! Thanks for a great give-away!
I would clean EVERYTHING with this machine!! Floors, the bottoms of my toilet, tubs, shower… You name it, I would clean it 🙂
There is nothing better than a clean bathroom!!
Definitely would use it for cleaning in the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room!
I would love to clean all my floors with this.
I could use it to clean everything but first things first…the dreaded cleaning of the bathroom. With this it would be soo much easier!!
This steam cleaner would simplify cleaning my entire house (but especially the bathrooms)!
I would start with the bathroom. Thanks!
I borrowed my SIL’s steam mop at one point and loved how much less work it was to clean the floors in the kitchen – and they need to be cleaned A LOT thanks to little ones in the house. I’ve been looking for a good one, and love the idea of being able to clean more than just floors with it.
Everything!
My whole house!!! It’s mostly tile so this would be a Godsent! hehe 🙂
This would be awesome for my whole house, but especially my bathroom since there are 4 of us and only one bathroom!
I would LOVE this to simplify my cleaning! As a mom of 3 boys, I would definitely be thrilled to have a little extra cleaning help!
I’d like to clean my bathroom floors
I would use it in all four of my bathrooms!!
That steam cleaner looks awesome! I have fibromyalgia and sometimes getting that satisfactory deep clean is hard to do with my body’s limitations. Especially with a 4 year old son, husband and doggie. I would definitely use this in both bathrooms as well as in the kitchen and dining area!
Love your blog! I’ve been doing my own decluttering for the past month and just stumbled on it a few days ago. It’s keeping me inspired! Thanks! <3
I have fibromyalgia as well so I hear ya! Good luck on your decluttering!
I would use it every where, especially the BATHROOMS!!!! This would make cleaning soo much easier!!
I love the idea of the hand held brush to clean blinds, window sills and the fridge. Hope I win. Really need to start Spring cleaning.
I am moving and would love love love this to deep clean the dirt from previous owners!
I would love to steam clean all the bathrooms in my home. I’ve never used a product like this before and like that it kills all the germs and gets rid of grime.
I would love to clean my entire bathroom without all the nasty chemicals
I would like to clean my kitchen and bathroom with the steam cleaner.
So excited about this giveaway, I don’t usually sign up for stuff but this would be The Best for our home. Thank you for the opportunity.
I would love to clean my kitchen and bathroom floors. We have nice tile, and my old swiffer wetjet isn’t doing the job right now… great review!
What a great giveaway. This would be perfect for me to clean with. I have 3 kids {2 girls & a boy} using one bathroom! All the floors in my house are tile too. First I would clean the bathrooms then my whole house! I have Fibromyalgia, Severe Arthritis, & degenerative disk disease in my back and this would be a blessing for sure. Thank you for having such a wonderful giveaway! Good luck to all who enter! God bless!
We bought our house from smokers and this steamer would be perfect for finally getting some of the grime out!
This steam machine sounds wonderful. I would love to use it to clean my toilets. (And my floors. Cleaning the floors is my least favorite chore and I am always looking for ways to make it easier.)
I would clean the area around my cat’s litter.
Oh, this would really help with cleaning my shower!
I would love this! Especially the detached wand!!!
My favorite part too!
thanks so much for this- great tips!!
My shower needs some TLC ……
I would LOVE to clean my kitchen and bathroom tile floors with this steam cleaner!
This is perfect! We’ve been needing to deep clean our bathroom, so I’m definitely following these steps. Don’t think I can go get a steamer, but most of this stuff is definitely do-able, especially with a cute checklist!
I never thought to use a steam cleaner in the bathroom! Brilliant idea! Time is always an issue with children and aging parents in the house I would so use this to quickly clean the bathroom and I bet it works in the kitchen!! Thanks for the ideas and I love your blog!
Yep! Works great in the kitchen too!
I desperately need to steam clean so many areas of my home… my bathrooms, my kitchen, my basement all need a deep steam cleaning. I can see how the steam would be SO AWESOME for disinfecting without chemicals, plus just getting rid of any built up gunk, LOL!! Loving the in depth instructions you have given here for how you do your bathroom… VERY useful and time-saving info! Pinning this, so I can refer back to this post. Plus, going back now to check out your whole organizational series. THANKS for sharing!
I would love to win this to use in my bathrooms!! Thanks for the opportunity! I love your printables too! Just so you know, the download link takes me to the Kitchen printable though.
Thanks for the opportunity to win – I love your blog and it’s so helpful to me! Many Thanks.
I would clean whatever possible surface that I could clean with it.
I would clean my kitchen floor and bathroom floors.
I would love to clean my fireplace, kitchen floors , bathroom and my car interior. I would go crazy.
I would love to clean my bathrooms and hard wood floors.
I would clean my kitchen starting with my oven first.
Uhm, the link to download leads to the deep clean your kitchen link!
Also, with a little boy with no aiming skills at all, I’m sure the steam cleaner would come in very handy.
Ah!! Thanks for letting me know about the link – all fixed! Good luck with the giveaway – my boys have no aiming skills either and, unfortunately, it does not seem to be improving with age!
Im a mom of 3 and a wife with OCD. I’ve been searching for a steam cleaner that I know will work! It’s out of my price range so I’m crossing my fingers! I’ve come to your page a lot recently, you have some of the best posts!
As a mom of 3 and an OCD wife.. i would love a steam cleaner. I’ve been looking for a decent steam cleaner in my price range but havent found one with consistently good reviews. This sounds perfect. My entire house except for bedrooms are hardwood or linoleum. We live in Wisconsin and due to the cold temps in winter and warm temps in the house, moisture tends to be an issue with our windows. So now as its warming up, not quite yet warm enough yet though, ill have to take on the daunting task of getting the mold off the windows and windowsills. Would be a breeze with this steam cleaner!
I would love to use it to clean my kitchen
I would love to have this Steam Machine to keep our new house clean!
Wow what a thorough cleaning. Thanks for the chance to win the steam cleaner.
my oven could use a good cleaning!
Everything!! Esp the bathroom!! This would make it soo much easier! Thanks! 🙂
i keep meaning to try a steamer….just haven’t gotten up the nerve…I have 3 cats and 3 dogs *shudder* just keeping dry hair picked up is a full time job…..I’m not so sure how a steamer could help
Borrowed a floor steamer from my daughter and now want my own
Definitely would have to sanitize the kids’ bathroom, I sure hope I win this!!!!!!!!
Fantastic blog! I always look forward to your posts!
Thanks Jen!
This would be great for our new house!
Enjoy your new home!
Love the post and cleaning tips!
This looks like an amazing product! My shower sure could use some help.
Girl,
Thankyou for the post. I’m buying my first home and I’ll be moving in the first week of June…Yay me!!! I know I’ll need to steam down every surface I can lay my eyes on once I get this steamer. Can I lightly steam the walls with this appliance too?
Congratulations on your first home!! I haven’t actually tried steaming the walls before so I would be careful of the paint coming off {and make sure you don’t do it over wallpaper!} That being said, I have steamed my baseboards and they have been fine. I’d just keep the steam a little ways back from the wall and try it in an inconspicuous spot first.
I just got porcelain tile downstairs. The steam mop would be perfect for cleaning my floors
I would love to use this in my bathrooms!!!thanks for the great tips and the chance to win!!!
I would LOVE to win this! With 2 dogs, 2 teen aged sons, and a hubby who works in maintenance, I am forever cleaning!
Yes, that will keep you busy! 😉
I would start with the bathroom, but I feel like the sky’s the limit from there! Thanks for the bathroom checklist!
I’d clean anything and everything I could with it!
I soo need this!! Would love to win!! 🙂 I love seeing all your posts, so inspiring!
Thanks Sherri! Good luck!
This looks like a great product. Our cement floors are difficult to keep clean.
I really like that you use a lot of natural items to clean with instead of harsh chemicals. I do own a steam cleaner and find that it is awesome as well! Thanks for the tips for deep cleaning…sometimes it just gets overwhelming and you just need a list to help start.
The starting is always the hardest part! 😉
Just remodeled my bathroom – would love to win this steam cleaner!
I’d love a steam cleaner for my new tile floors in my kitchen and laundry room!
If I won this, I would give it to my daughter. She will be moving into her first house soon and this would be GREAT for her to have. I could clean almost anything.
Awe… what a nice Mom! 🙂
Would love to deep clean the Kitchen and Bathroom Floors most of all.
I so want one of these to clean everything! I would use it in the kitchen, bathroom, the tile floors, and sliding door tracks.
the first project i would tackle would be the tiles & grout in front of my wood fire place. But with 2 kids and 3 pets this SteamMachine Plus would find use in any room my home lol.
I would use the SteamMachine to clean my kitchen and bathrooms. It would also be great for cleaning my dog’s kennel and the litterbox.
This would be great for the kitchen & bathroom floors.
Where do you find these here in BC?
I know Home Depot and Lowes carried {and maybe still does?} their other model but I am not sure if they carry this one. Of course, it can always be ordered through Amazon! http://www.amazon.com/HomeRight-C800949-M-Steam-Machine-Multi-Purpose/dp/B00I65UF9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1430373567&sr=1-1&keywords=SteamMachine+Plus
Thank! Will try there first. Loving the blog. Just finishing up the detox and I will be joining the rest of the months as they come.
I have a Shark and have loved it, but I need to try one of these! I love that it doesn’t just do floors! The print checklist is so great, that how I have my kids clean bc we can make sure they don’t miss anything. Thanks for the tips!
Yes, it really is all the other places that I can clean that make me love this unit so much!
Great cleaning tips and printable! Thank you so much for sharing them at the #SmallVictoriesSundayLinkup!
Thanks for hosting!
These are wonderful tips. I pinned this for future use. Thank you for sharing at Share It One MOre Time. Cathy
Wow! What a wonderful giveaway!
I could so use this machine. Having 4 fur babies needless to say plenty of tracking stuff in and messy treats on the floors.
Looks so easy to use.
Thanks for showing all the neat cleaning tips.
Have a blessed day.
I hear you! We have four fur babies too – 3 dogs and a cat. 🙂