Expert Advice from Good Housekeeping

Inside Organize & Clean

Speed Cleaning: Tips to De-Scum Your Bathroom

By CAROLYN FORTE, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Filed Under: Good Housekeeping, Organize & Clean, Organize and Clean the Bathroom

In the Bag
To start, hang a plastic sack on the doorknob for tossing the cleaning cloths you're about to use and emptying the wastebasket the easiest insta-tidy trick.

First, Flush
Next, grab some bleach. Pour a cup into the bowl; brush around the sides and under the rim. Then move on to the next task for five minutes.

Quick Shine
While the bleach is working, fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar (or better yet, keep a bottle stored nearby for just this occasion). Spritz onto paper towels or a microfiber cloth, and zero in on those telltale soap drips and toothpaste spatters on faucets, mirrors, countertops, and in the sink a definite dirty-bathroom giveaway. Optional (and only if you really care what your visitors think): Give spotty shower doors the same spray treatment.

Wipe Control
Flip over one of those same vinegar wipes and run it across the back of your dusty toilet tank, then over, under, and around the seat. Flush the bleach that's been sitting in the bowl, toss the wipe into your doorknob bag, and move on.

Towel Trick
Instead of scooping up all the used bath towels, just put out fresh hand towels those are the only ones short-term guests use anyway. Leave the others on the bar; just straighten them. If you have linen spray, mist the towels. If you don't, a light body spray or perfume will do the job.

Exit Strategy
Now it's time for the floor. Shake out your rug or bath mat to fluff it up so it looks recently vacuumed. Next, with a dampened paper towel, swoosh the corners of the room, where most of the hair and dust collects. And don't forget to take the plastic bag with you when you leave!

Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc. Originally Published: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/syndication/speed-clean-bathroom-synd

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9 comments

Lasvannie 01:04:12 PM Jul 17 2008

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I CLEAN MY SHOWER DOOR WITH BABY OIL. IT TAKES OFF THE SCUM; YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY IT ON THE REST OF THE SHOWER.

MurphyGobeau 10:50:53 AM Jul 17 2008

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You're right, Abbigaill2. We have a well and the "ring around the toilet" that develops from our water. The thing that has worked for me is to sanitize and drain the toilet, then use a pumice stone to attact that ring. It takes elbow grease, but looks so much better afterwords. I wish there was something that you could just spray on instead. Until that time, it's pumice. Have a good day.

Dlalex54 09:30:33 PM Jun 14 2008

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try magic arasers they are the only thing that works in the shower and bathroom all around.. get them in the 4 pack at walmart..its cheaper and you will not have to scrub hard either.

Dlalex54 09:28:19 PM Jun 14 2008

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try magic erasers.. they are the only thing i have found in 58 years that works without killing yourself scrubbing. great for soap scum and shower doors too.. you will love it. get them at walmart in the 4 pack..its cheaper.let me know how u like them. dlalex54@aol.com

FINANCECTRLAP 01:25:10 PM May 20 2008

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PLUMBERS SAY DO NOT USE BLEACH IN YOUR TOILETS. IT IS TOO HARD ON YOUR PLUMBING.

Ajchan1018 05:05:29 PM May 07 2008

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Does anyone know how to remove soap scrum from the shower stall. Nothing I use seems to help.

Ajchan1018 05:04:24 PM May 07 2008

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Ajchan1018 Does anyone know how to clean soap scrum from the shower stall. Nothing I use seems to help.

Abbigaill2 01:33:16 PM Apr 26 2008

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Sorry but bleach kills the septic tank and causes sewer odor! My definition of scum is the lime and calcium deposits that accumulate around the inside of the toilet. Short of a grinder it wont come off. CLR and lime away doesnt work either.