How to Clean a Bathroom (And a Toddler) in 9 Minutes

An easy challenge for the ultimate multi-tasking wondermom.

4 min read

It’s bath time at your house and your bathroom is a pit…again. Would you believe me if I told you there’s a way to get your bathroom clean enough for guests (yes, guests!) in less than 10 minutes, all during bath time? It’s time to break out those Super Multitasking Mommy Skills!

Hold onto your hat, Mom, because this lighting-fast cleaning routine might leave you a little breathless.

Ready, Set…Go!

Minute 1: Gather Supplies

Run the bath water, and gather the following supplies:

Three paper towels (or for a green alternative, a few reusable cleaning cloths)
Your favorite cleaning solution (I enjoy anything that smells like grapefruit)
Glass cleaner
Toilet bowl cleaner
Toilet brush
Liquid hand soap
Fresh trash liner
One mud-loving toddler

If you find you’re always short on time and on supplies, Amazon Prime Pantry might be just the thing to keep your bathroom squeaky clean. With a click of a button, all your cleaning supplies can be shipped to your front door.

When the water is ready, place your toddler in the tub and hand her the bathtub crayons. Start singing your silly, yodeling bath songs. Bath songs are best when they include a yodel.

Minute 2: Scrub the Toilet Bowl

Now for everyone’s favorite job…

Squirt toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet.
Give it a good scrub with your toilet brush.
Close the lid and let the cleaner work its magic for the next four minutes.
Make a couple of shampoo bubbles for your giggly toddler. (It’s probably a good idea to wash your hands after scrubbing the toilet and before blowing bubbles in the general direction of your toddler).

Minute 3: Shine the Sink

Get ready to make your sink sparkle.

Grab a paper towel and turn on the faucet to let the water run until it’s hot.
While the water is running, put any stray items left on the counter back in their place. I find hanging a cosmetic organizer on the towel bar and keeping a giant basket under the sink make this process pretty painless.
When the water is hot, squirt some liquid hand soap on your towel and rub it all over the counter, sink bowl, and faucet.
Run the towel under the hot water, then wipe down the sudsy sink until there are no bubbles left.

You could also use a spritz of cleaning solution, but unless someone in our house has been ill, I find hot, soapy water is all I need.

Minute 4: Polish the Porcelain Throne

You are the Queen of Clean, mama! Time to polish your throne.

Watch your daughter dump water over the side of the tub with her bath cup.
Wonder why you even let her play with a cup in the bath.
LEAVE THE WATER ON THE FLOOR. I’m not kidding. She’s actually helping you, she’s a child genius.
Take the paper towel you used for the sink and wipe down the outer surfaces of the toilet. You’re done with that towel now. It touched the toilet. Enough said.

Minute 5: Wipe from Top to Bottom

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the most awesome multi-tasker of them all? This girl!

Spray the mirror with a little glass cleaner.
Wipe it down with a fresh paper towel.
Look at the water your daughter thoughtfully poured over the side of the tub, and use it to your advantage.
Using the same paper towel you used for the mirror, wipe down the bathroom floor. Start from the tub and work your way out the door.

You could spray the floor with cleaning solution now, too, but I don’t prefer to spray stuff so close to a little one in the tub. It makes them cough, and is probably a little over ambitious anyhow.

Take a moment to admire the creative prodigy in the tub. She’s drawing beautiful underwater artwork on the bath mat with those tub crayons. If she happens to put one of those crayons in her mouth, remember the box says non-toxic. It’s going to be okay.

Minute 6: Take Out the Trash

Hang in there, lady…you’re making great time!

Flush the toilet.
Throw your paper towels away.
Tie up and replace the trash bag. I often pile several trash liners under the liner currently in use so when I take a full bag out, a fresh liner is right there waiting for me.

Minute 7: Bathe Your Child

Three words: Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

It is bath time, after all.

With your toddler’s help, gather the bath toys and put them away (again, a basket does the trick here!), and convince your toddler that bath crayons are for the bath only while (gently) prying them from her hands. Toddlers have incredible grip, second to none.

Minute 8: Drain and Dry

You’re almost done. Let’s save your last minute for when the tub is draining and spend this minute wrapping your toddler up in that adorable hooded frog towel you can’t get enough of.

Your toddler is now off to bigger and better things like bedtime.

Take a deep breath.

It’s okay to wish it was your bedtime, too.

Minute 9: Finish Strong

It’s just you and the bathroom now.

You have one more minute and one more paper towel.

Drain the tub.
When there’s about an inch of water left in the tub, spray it down with your cleaning solution of choice.
Wipe down the sides as the water finishes draining, and the bottom of the tub once it’s gone.
Run the tub water for just a second to give the tub a good rinse.
Pull back the shower curtain, and if your bath mat is removable, let it dry on the side of the tub. This will help keep moisture-loving mold and mildew from growing and makes your life a little easier.

A Job Well Done!

Minute Ten: Reward Yourself

Phew! That’s it! Your bathroom is guest ready, your toddler is squeaky clean, and you did it all in less than ten minutes, you super mom, you.

Now go help yourself to a piece of emergency candy from the stash hidden above the stove.

You’ve earned it.

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