Cleaning the bathroom....YUCK!

[AaronsMommy]

How do you clean your toilet and bathroom?

I use baking soda and vinegar exclusively, but I can't seem to give up the paper towels and disposable toilet brushes? I know they are terrible for the environment and quite a waste of money, but I haven't found anything other way (that I can stomach.) What do you do?

[SageR]

I use flour sack cloth in place of paper towels. You can buy a package of 5 practically anywhere. If you cut those into quarters you have papertowel size rags. I keep a basket next to the sink.

I do have a roll of unbleached recycled papertowels under the kitchen sink for really nasty messes - mainly pet messes. But using the flour sack cloths we're down to buying a roll of toilet paper a couple times a year.

For the toilet brush, I just have a regular one. I've never given it much thought. I mean, you scrub out your toilet with it, it's going to be germy, but it's not like the kids are playing with it. I've always though those disposable cleaning things were far more about convenience than actual safety. There is so much of that stuff on the market and yet people aren't getting any healthier. With only bs, vinegar, and castile soap cleaning our house, my family is never sick.

[Best Feeling]

Here's my bathroom cleaning routine:

1. Spray master shower with water, sprinkle generous amount of baking soda into tub. Scrub tub and walls (if necessary) using a scrub brush. Spray with vinegar. Let sit.

2. Flush toilet, sprinkle baking soda, scrub with brush. Pour in a little vinegar. Let sit. I don't flush until I go to the bathroom next.

3. Wipe off counters with dry rag.

4. Scrub sink with baking soda and vinegar. Rinse.

5. Rinse shower/tub.

6. Spray with Cleaner2** and scrub grout if necessary using grout scrubber.

7. Spray counters with C2 and wipe with rag.

8. Spray outside of toilet C2 and wipe with rag (toss rag into laundry).

9. Spray tile floors with vinegar/water or C2 and wipe with rag. Scrub grout as necessary.

10. Replace towels.

**Cleaner 2 = 1 TBSP castile soap, 10-20 drops TTO, and enough water to fill a gallon-sized milk jug.
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What is it about using cloth rags that you find hard to stomach? That might help us help you more.

I usually do the two bathrooms at once and go through 4-6 rags in total, depending on time between cleans. If something squicked me out, I would just go through more cloths. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to do both bathrooms if I do it weekly.

I've never understood the allure of a disposable toilet scrubber so I'm not much help there. If I think the toilet scrubber or its holder are getting gunky, I clean them out in the tub before giving the tub a good scrub.

[thixle]

Okay, I can't help myself-- those germs in your toilet came out of your butt, and are in your underware And your keyboard probably has more feces and germs from feces than your toilet does.... eeeeeeewwwwww Your kitchen sink drain is also probably the dirtiest part of your house.

I clean the potty with a squirt of soap (castile, handsoap, baby shampoo that someone gave me)... and I'll leave a vinegar soak overnight occasionally... The brush, well, I rinse it in the toilet and let it dry in the holder-- I've been known to rinse it in the sink, too- boy, my old roommate hated that! And about once a month, I'll leave it in the vinegar soak in the commode overnight, too. I'm not going to scrub my dishes with it, but I am not afraid of the toilet brush, either.

I usually use paper towels on the seat and "pee catcher"- you know, the part where the hinges are? But, dd and I use family cloth, cloth diapers, and mama pads- so I'm used to body fluids in the washing machine I have "cleaning rags" seperate from "wash rags" and "dish rags" so :

[swd12422]

I have the ick factor too, although I do realize that thixle is right!

I've switched to rags and just rinse them well in the sink and then leave them in the (not yet cleaned) tub to dry before I put them in the rag hamper. They're less icky to handle when dry. Once those are outta the way, I clean the tub, leave the tub rags to dry and then put them in the hamper too. (Why is the tub less gross than the floor/counters/toilet? Dunno. Just my little neurosis.)

Obviously, I use separate rags for the toilet -- I don't clean the toilet and then use the same rags for the sink/counters!