First, let’s prepare ourselves to clean. If you are in your nice clothes, you probably aren’t going to be very inspired to really get things clean. I suggest you dress in something comfortable that allows you to bend and move freely from room to room. I like wearing my gym clothes and tennis shoes for this task. Let’s get started on how to deep clean your bathroom.

HOW TO DEEP CLEAN YOUR BATHROOM:

1.Gather your cleaning supplies:

-disinfecting cleaner

-glass cleaner

-microfiber cloths and paper towels

-toilet bowl cleaner

-broom, mop

Need some cleaning inspiration? Check out this great video here!

2.Pick up what doesn’t belong:

-toss away all trash

-put items away that belong elsewhere

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price. Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

Today, we’ll address the top things to declutter and clean in each room. But, if your home is dirty and cluttered, it is probably already affecting your health, your finances, and your relationships. If you are ready to jump right in and get started decluttering, check out my plan here.

3.Pretreat your surfaces: Start up high (light fixtures) and work down

-pour cleanser in toilet bowl

-remove surface items from countertops

-dust light fixtures

-dust away surface dirt on wall decor

4.Clean the toilet:

-wipe tank and exterior

-wipe lid and seat

-wipe under seat and hinges

-scrub bowl and flush

5.Clean Counters:

-scour sinks and faucets

-wipe vanity

-polish mirrors

6.Clean tub and shower:

-spray cleaner on shower walls and tub

-clean hair from drains

-scour tub and shower and rinse

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Cleaning Checklists here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get.

7.Floors:

-sweep and mop

8. Lay out fresh towels

-launder and replace towels

Extra Credit: If you want to got the extra mile, wipe down your walls and baseboards. Also, if you have removable glass light fixtures, you can run the glass bowl through the dishwasher, or wash by hand if they are too delicate. Also, if you have air vents in your bathroom, you’ll want to vacuum or wipe those areas, as they can get pretty dusty. You can even place your metal floor vents in the dishwasher on the top rack to remove dirt.

More bathroom cleaning tips:

I like to wash my shower curtains and rugs in the washing machine to get that deep clean feeling. I almost never place the shower curtains in the dryer, but I hang them right back in the shower when the washing machine cycle ends to let them air dry. I have fabric curtains, but I have heard many people successfully wash their plastic shower curtains in the washing machine, too. I do not have experience with that, so do so at your own discretion.

Also, if your rugs and bath mats have a rubber, non slip backing, you’ll want to avoid high heat in your clothes dryer. The high heat extends to break down and melt the rubber backing, causing it to crumble and fall apart.

Emergency Clean: If you have company coming over and you have been given little notice, you are going to want to just do an emergency sweep of your home. This is just a surface clean, and it will make your home “guest ready” in a short time.

To do that quick sweep, grab an empty laundry basket or a large box and go throughout the living area grabbing anything that is out of place and tossing that into you basket. This is just a temporary fix, but it is intended to give you some immediate satisfaction just by clearing the room of clutter. When you have time to deep clean, I have checklists below.

Next, grab some multi-surface spray and wipe every counter top and toilet seat from the kitchen to the bathrooms. Then, make each bed. Don’t have time to make beds? Just close the bedroom doors. If you have time, focus on the floors. If you have guests coming over for a visit, just focus on the main living area floors. Don’t do a “full sweep, vacuum, and mop job” if you are in a time crunch. Instead, just sweep and spot clean. Again, this is just a quick fix. When you have the time, I have some deep cleaning checklists below.

Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.

My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.

Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here. Need to create your own personal housekeeping schedule? Grab my free homemaking ebook when you subscribe to my site. You’ll receive a coupon code via email to get it FREE when you subscribe.

Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.

First, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter.

1. US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
2. Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source )
3. 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
4. People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
5. The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)

• The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in there that they can’t park a car. (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/)
• According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home.(https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/)

Maybe your house is clean but cluttered. If so, you need to know a few declutter motivation tips before you start using the Step By Step Decluttering plan I use. Does a Cluttered House Cause Stress? Let’s look at a reputable, mental health site to answer that question. They have given us 8 ways mess leads to stress. According to Psychology Today:

Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood? How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives. (source)

Why does mess lead to so much stress? (source)Getting rid of all of that stress can be one of the best declutter motivation tips.

1. Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important. (source)
2. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. (source)
3. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.(source)
4. Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.(source)
5. Clutter makes us anxious because we’re never sure what it’s going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile. (source)
6. Clutter creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or work spaces. (source)
7. Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem solve.(source)
8. Clutter frustrates us by preventing us from locating what we need quickly (e.g. files and paperwork lost in the “pile” or keys swallowed up by the clutter). (source)

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

Declutter Checklists for Each Room:

How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.

How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Subscribe below to receive your daily task via email. To subscribe, just leave a comment below.

Happy Decluttering!

New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:

Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here. You can see sample pages below.

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price.

Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.

Step 3:   How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.

Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered. 

Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.

Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com: 

14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered

How to Do A 1 Day Declutter

How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule

How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter

What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?

Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.

For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.