This Inside-and-Out Bathroom Cleanup Routine Will Transform Your Mornings

published Oct 4, 2024
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Wicker basket of cleaning supplies on top of bathroom sink
Credit: Sarah Crowley/Apartment Therapy

Bathrooms are a compulsory cleaning space, right? You have to clean the sink, scrub the toilet, and wipe down the mirror when things start to get grody. But because the bathroom gets a regular cleaning facelift, it might not always get the deep-clean attention that it needs — especially in your storage areas, like cabinets and drawers.

When you don’t have time to deep clean the whole bathroom, you can focus on this space holistically — first doing a quick sweep of the storage areas, then cleaning up the bathroom surfaces and fixtures.

You can give your bathroom a quick little spruce-up, both inside and out, without committing to a full-day project.

Credit: Rikki Snyder

If you have a bathroom on the larger side, you may want to set a timer or some other hard limit so this project doesn’t get too unwieldy; the goal is to focus on a few high-impact projects that’ll make the bathroom figuratively and literally shine.

First, clear out …

Start by clearing out your storage areas. You can either choose one messy drawer, for example, or try to tackle the whole thing if your bathroom storage feels doable in one swoop. Here’s a quick rundown.

  • Take everything out.
  • Clean the drawer or shelf while it’s empty.
  • Sort through your items. Dispose of anything expired, or opened items that you aren’t going to use. Be careful about how you dispose of medication and sharp objects — there are ways to do so safely.
  • Replace the items in your drawer or on your shelf. If anything looks dirty or dusty, wipe it before you set it back into place.
  • Repeat the process for each storage area.

Then, clean up!

Once you feel like you’ve made some progress on your storage areas, give the “outside” of your bathroom a little shine. You probably have a routine you like, but here are some spots I always make sure to handle.

  • Wipe the mirror.
  • Wipe down the sink faucet and handles.
  • Clear and clean the counter.
  • Clean the toilet.
  • Scrub the shower and tub, if there’s time.

And there you have it! Your bathroom is clean and you’ve made your mornings just a bit easier. Let us know in the comments how this method worked for you.

This post originally appeared in the 2022 January Cure.