That little toy garden of Ursula's is too cute.

I hope that wasn't the same sponge on the toilet and then later on the sink. ew.

My friends thought me somewhat mean when I would buy the children's dish gloves from ikea. She enjoyed washing dishes with me though. Those were the days...

Am loving the 20/20 cure videos Maxwell ... but the grout in your bathroom needs fixing ... maybe a future video?

Why am I at the kitchen + living room again... geez, seems like yesterday that I did them...

I won't be at home starting tomorrow, but I'll finish my home cure, because my house is so much better ! I think I learned to do at little bit at a time, and I happened to stick with it. I always thought I was a "all out then nothing for a long time, then all out again" kind of girl, but it turns out, I'm not.

I'm actually looking forward to doing the kitchen again. It gets so much use, and I seem to appreciate it the most when this room is clean.

On another note - have you been to unhappyhipsters dot com? hilarious.

Unfortunately, my eyes focused on the grout, too. That's a very easy, inexpensive fix with silicone that will make a HUGE difference.

The cure is great and I'm taking it on!

maybe he's saving the grout for the next Cure ;)

I spent the 20 minutes cleaning out a couple of bookcases that needed a deep clean and rearrangement, since we did the general house cleaning yesterday. I've been meaning to do these bookcases for weeks and just looking at them was an irritation. It took all of 17 minutes to do them, and they look so much better. One of the lessons I am relearning from this cure is the power of a few minutes--put on the timer and see what you can get done. It is usually surprising how much you can do in 10, 15 or 20 minutes.

This is going to sound terrible, but my daughter LOVES to clean with rags, so I let her use a spray bottle of Mrs. Meyers all-purpose cleaner (very diluted) and she literally scrubs the kitchen linoleum on her hands and knees. She loves it, is occupied while I do other cleaning, my kitchen floor is cleaned regularly, and life is good.

I spend my 20 minutes cleaning also a couple of bookshelves and they look very nice now.

I have to admit that video was the one I have got the least out of in this series...don't feel I learned anything from it. Oh well, I enjoyed the music though and the shoes! We had our grout replaced but it has gone back to grungy again, didn't last, boo hoo... Planning to get the whole bathroom renovated next year so that will fix everything. ;)

Thanks for all the tips!

I'm second to notice that Ursala's toys are very cute. Can you give more info, especially the doll house? Thanks!

What happened to your lip, Maxwell?
I spent my 20 minutes deep cleaning the fridge. Gross!

I'm a fan of keeping a little spray bottle of watered down bleach in the bathroom for things like ornery mildew, etc., and according to reputable sources, small amts of bleach as used in the home are not harmful for the environment. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Occupational-OSHA-Environmental-1417/Bleach-used-household-cleaning.htm I figure it's me or the mold and I'm not backing down!

I'm going to miss The Cure when it's over. :)

Perhaps you do a cure for closets next. :)

I love these videos. I've missed a few days here and there but have had a chance to catch up. I have bathroom floors with grout that just won't stay white. Suggestions PLEASE!!

Grout that won't stay white? Have you tried a really good clean and then sealing every 6 months? That worked for us.

And not to be nit-picky, but it looks like Maxwell's issue is more the caulk than the grout. The caulk is the stuff that joins unlike surfaces and it tends to get "invaded" by mold and mildew a bit more easily (especially at the tub-joins-tile line where there tend to be tiny gaps where mildew can grow). Once it is behind the caulk, it needs to be removed, cleaned out, and recaulked (adding water to the tub before caulking helps to ensure a good seal). FWIW.

I think a 20 min grout/caulk episode would be amazing. Maybe it is 2 episodes: prepping for grout and grout/caulk. I honestly regrout or re-caulk in stead of scrubbing for an hour. It is a better look and takes the same/less time.

Love the paper idea. And I love, love, love that Maxwell shows us his real life house - ie, it is amazing but not perfect (which is also the difference in video vs a picture).

- j

Passing along a tip. to me, the worst tile grout to clean is the grout between the tub and the first layer of tiles. and when it's grimy everyone notices it. When I quick clean our washroom I use Soft Scrub Gel with Bleach. The container has a thin spout and all I do is squeeze a line of this cleaner all around the perimeter and let stand for 20 minutes. I don't even scrub it. After the time passes I use the shower head with hot water and rinse away. Spotless.

easy tip for the shower curtain. yes it is good to leave it ungathered so it doesn't get gross. but if it does get gross, and it's vinyl/rubber, did you know you can just throw it in the washer on cold? i've been using the same $4 vinyl liner for about 5 years. when it gets coated in soap scum, i just take it down, wash it, and put it back up, wet even.

I love Ursala's doll house. The little people and the accessories are adorable. Please, Maxwell, give us more information. Although I haven't followed the Cure to the letter, I have been inspired and at least have gained awareness of my home and its needs. There's so much that needs to be done, but I am not physically able. Still, it's surface clean and neat. I'm glad to see Maxwell's "real" place - the grout that needs attention and etc. It makes the Cure more real for ordinary people who live in modest homes and often "make do." I have a list, but I'm "making do" with outdated mini-blinds and some accessories that don't quite work because of lack of $$$. The videos have been helpful in setting goals and priorities.

How about cleaning the mildew and mold build up on the grout in your shower area? That just looks gross!

I, too was focused the moldy grout. A little 50/50 bleach/water and a toothbrush or scrub brush works wonders!

Sorry but that was terrible cleaning job. What about the floors, baseboards and base of the toilet (with 3 boys in my house that's usually the most yucky)? And did I see black mold on the tiles around your bathtub surround!? UGH. Bleach and a scrub brush, then apply grout sealer. Seriously.

My bathroom will get the top down treatment today, too. Thankfully, it is small! I am often able to clean the sink, toilet, floor & shelves while my kids are in the shower. Then I do the shower once they are in bed. I prefer to use bon ami as it doesn't scratch or smell.

Tylex mold and mildew will fix the grout. It's probably not very environmentally friendly though. Personally I liked that the grout wasn't perfect.

People without perfect grout and caulk unite! (I can't believe how critical people are. Oh wait, yes I can.)

My bathroom tips. If you have a tiled shower, use a squeegee on it after your shower to keep the mold at bay. If you have one, you can wash your plastic shower liner in the washing machine too.

I would love a video on fixing the messed up gout. I don't really want to retile my bathroom, but the grout could use some love.

I am sure that you live in an older building and yes, black mold and mildew are hard to get rid of, but I, like others here couldn't help noticing it.
One trick for cleaning plastic shower curtains is to have a spray bottle with white vinegar handy. Spray curtain from time-to-time which acts as a natural sanitizer

Re: the grout - for those us us with grout issues, I have replaced my shower head with a handheld shower head. After every shower I merely take 10 extra seconds to hose the walls and shower curtain to remove any suds or conditioner drips. I when I first started doing this (20 years ago) I was amazed how long my shower and shower curtain stayed clean. For those that balk about the extra water used, I turn off my water during sudsing/cleaning/shaving so... And I also don't have to use nearly as many cleaning chemicals because I don't have to clean as often.

Honestly, I love seeing Maxwell's home and that it's not totally perfect. It's honest. He's a real person with a real home (with real moisture issues in the bathroom like many of us) which means it's easy to relate to him. I like that. This is a very cool video series that I look forward to every morning now. Kudos Maxwell - keep up the good work! Going to clean my bathroom now for 20 mins...

Regarding day 16 of cleaning. You are not getting the bathroom clean--you are just moving the germs around! (e coli, etc) Why not try using some disinfecting cleaners? And that rag under the sink--yuk! I love your enthusiasm though.

I feel bad for Maxwell with all the negative grout comments, but then again, he knows us all, so...

That being said, I am sad this is the last week of The Cure. My house has been a much happier place over the last three weeks, even my sister commented that it was much cleaner.

PS: Love the Air Maxwell shoes!

Please please please please use a dedicated sponge for your toilet! Then never ever use it for any other part of your bathroom, particularly not your sink, which is where you brush your teeth and wash your face.

I make it easy on myself and always use yellow sponges for the toilet, but of late, I have been using disposable handiwipe-type rags for the toilet and then just tossing them after a few uses. I keep them in a separate plastic container so there is no cross-contamination. I am NOT a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination, but common sense dictates that the germs in your toilet are of a different "breed" than those in other parts of your house. [pun intended!]

Oh man... you all seem to be grossed out by the mold in Maxwell's tub. If that's the case then my bathroom would really freak some people out, because its even worse! I'd like to see a video that shows how to recaulk a tub. I know its a simple project... but it's exactly the kind of thing I put off. I could use a demonstration!

And please wear rubber gloves when cleaning toilets.

Don't you wash your sponges?

This is my second post, and I wanted to comment again after I read some of the later posts. I, too, noticed that Maxwell appeared to use the same sponge on the sink as he had on the toilet. I'll bet he knew the video would catch some comments about the grout, too. As far as the remarks about his cleaning method, hey - it's supposed to be a 20 minute, one room surface clean. Surface clean, folks. Not a deep clean. When I do a quick surface clean, I clean the toilet bowl and wipe the seat and lid with disinfectant wipes. And I use a clean one or two for the sink ad counter. I wipe off mirror smears with a microfiber cloth or spot clean with a paper towel. So my surface cleans are not as detailed as his. Who's complain'?

It's wasteful, but I can only use disposable gloves and wipes to clean the toilet. Can't bear the thought of multi-use sponges.

I don't use sponges, but nice cleaning cloths that get washed in hot water after every use, just like my underwear.

(I work for environmental engineers and we know all about e. coli. Soap and water does wonders.)

But don't fool yourself! The germiest place in your house is your kitchen sink! http://women.webmd.com/home-health-and-safety-9/places-germs-hide

@totalhousehold, I had to call a plumber regularly to snake the plumbing from the roof, very expensive. I bought a pack of very inexpensive small round colorless plastic grids, ordinarily used as a base for yarn needle work, from Michaels, a craft store. I unscrewed the tub drain plug, exposing its screw. I pushed a grid concentrically down the screw to flat against the tub. I screwed the cap back on, over the grid. I remove, clean, and return the grid after each shower. One grid lasts for years, so a pack of them is virtually free, and I haven't had to call the plumber for long hair clogs since I began using them.

I keep a sponge with a scratchy side in a natural beige color behind my bathroom sink for wiping up water and toothpaste. With a family of five, 3 being teens, this really saves time! Just pop the rinsed damp sponge in the microwave for 1 minute 2xs a week to sanitize it! I also scrub the shower/tub while I am in it 1x a week.

Monday and Tuesday were laundry days, so today I cleaned the bedroom as the day 16 cure. Much more dust than expected had accumulated out of sight under the bed frame's storage drawers. So, I shifted all the bedroom furniture and removed all the bedroom dust. I used the vacuum cleaner, plus a lint tape roller for surface-cleaning textiles and dusting rough surfaces that would trap dust cloth fibers. I cleaned the bedroom for over an hour today until I was satisfied with it, which surprised me because the bedroom had looked clean!