In my house the main floor bathroom and the laundry room are combined into one space and located just off our kitchen. It is a high usage area that sees a lot of wear and tear and requires my attention on a daily basis. There are some things that I only tend to do in the spring cleaning.
I like to use just a bucket of sudsy hot water and wash the walls down. The main reason for doing this is that hair spray and other styling products get overshot and onto the wall. Scrubbing the walls freshens the paint and removes dirt and grime that have built up over the course of the year that you may not even notice until you have scrubbed it off.
Wipe down the face of all cabinets. If wood use a wood conditioner.
Wash and iron the curtains as well as clean the window and screens. I replace the shower curtain or give it a good soaking in vinegar to remove hard water stains.
Soak the shower head in a bucket of vinegar and water mixed to equal parts. This will remove hard build up and help keep your shower head functioning.
I have fake ivy above my cabinets. I take that all down, wipe off the top of the cabinets and give the ivy a shower.
The washer and dryer also receive a little extra care. In the washer I run a quart of bleach through the small load setting leaving it to soak for an hour or so before running it out. Then I run another small load to rinse. I wipe the inside of the barrel of the dryer off.
Don't forget to look inside your cabinets. Retire towels to the rag basket that are stained or look worse for wear. Wipe down the shelves and reorganize as you return items back to the shelves.
Organize and clean out your medicine cabinet. Look for expiration dates on products. I always throw out any sunscreen from the previous year. Do not keep prescriptions that are expired past six months. When was the last time you replaced your toothbrush? How is your hair brush looking? Replace these items if needed. Your old toothbrush makes a great grout scrubber, put it into your cleaning bucket.
Clean your light fixtures.
I like to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the bathroom floor, making extra sure to get around base of the toilet and under the washer and dryer.
We keep a magazine stand in the bathroom. I sort through and keep only the most recent magazines.
This year as part of my bathroom spring cleaning I had two extra projects that I worked on. I had found a laundry cart at an antique mall in Ohio. The base was rusty and dirty but with a little elbow grease and some white spray paint it looks wonderful. I had also found a wall mount clothes drying rack. It needed some work and I thought that I would have to paint it but after giving it a good sanding and washing it off I think I will skip the painting. You can see it hanging on the wall in the picture above.
Don't forget to add a little beauty! Even the most utilitarian rooms in our house should be beautiful.
