31 Days

Clean
Your
Bathroom
(in 10 Minutes)

Look, we don't blame you if you've been a bit lax when it comes to cleaning your bathroom. Housekeeping can be a bit of a drag and the bathroom is an easy one to ignore. But let's forget about the dust and stray hairs and smears of toothpaste for a minute and talk about the real grime—the microbial stuff that you can't see but should definitely be worrying about.

Have you ever heard the term “toilet plume?” The phrase itself is uncomfortable, but the definition is even worse. When you flush, the sudden surge of sweeping water creates a fine mist of microscopic particles that can be shot up to 15 feet from the toilet bowl. That means toilet water, germs and fecal matter all float in the air a bit before finally landing on the floor, the counter, in your sink and shower.

Feeling a bit more motivated to clean this small, but important room now? Good. Because, when you think of it, a clean bathroom is a marker of the type of man you are. A guy who has his shit together doesn't have a bathroom that's full of dusty hair tumbleweeds or a toilet marred with dried dribbles of urine. You're better than that. And you surely want people who visit your place to think better of you.

The good news is that according to renowned cleaning expert and best-selling author Jolie Kerr, you can clean your bathroom entirely in about 10 minutes, with minimal scrubbing. And all you need is two products. Here's her plan of attack.

Plan of Attack

Begin by removing everything from around the sink, the tub's ledge and on top of the toilet. Then spray down the tub, sink and toilet with a thin layer of foaming cleaner (Kerr recommends Scrubbing Bubbles). "Be sure to get the rim at the top of the bowl, where the water comes out when you flush, since this area can get particularly gross and mildewy," she advises. "Then give the product three to five minutes to penetrate surface grime."

Windex Antibacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner and Puracy All Purpose Cleaner

While the bubbles work their magic, wipe down your mirror first and then exterior of your toilet with a multi-surface cleaner. Windex Antibacterial Multi-Surface Cleaner, according to Kerr, "is so clutch in a bathroom because it serves as both a glass and chrome cleaner, so you can use it to polish mirrors and faucets, and it can be safely used on countertop materials from Corian and formica to granite and marble." But if you're looking for a more natural alternative that you can use on all surfaces, including glass, Puracy All Purpose Cleaner is highly recommended.

Pay extra attention to the toilet's flusher, since it's one of the areas we touch the most. When you get to the seat, be sure to flip it and thoroughly clean the underside, spraying more cleaner there. With the seat still flipped up, wipe down the space between the bowl and the tank, where hair tends to collect. And since the bowl has had plenty of time with the Scrubbing Bubbles, dip a brush in the toilet water and scrub the rim of the bowl (where the water comes out when you flush). Then, flush the toilet and scrub the rest of the bowl.

Using some paper towels or a microfiber cleaning cloth, wipe down the sink and tub. The foaming cleaner will have penetrated and broken down a lot of the soap scum and bacterial buildup before it's even time to scrub it away. Concentrate where there are stubborn patches of buildup—typically on the sides of the tub and around drains. "Rinse your cloth frequently while you work," says Kerr. "So that both the cloth and the water are working in tandem to wash away the foaming cleaner."

Finish by wiping up any spills, and cleaning out any corners with the wet cloth. Make sure to thoroughly wipe the floor area around the toilet.

Should You Clean
Your Toilet Brush?

“Technically speaking, you should spray the toilet brush, post-use, with a disinfecting spray and rinse it with hot water to remove all the nasty stuff it just lifted from your toilet bowl,” says Kerr. “Here in the real world, I'm calling that optional because, well, even I don't do that every time and I know better.”