Cleaning has never been a “chore” for me. I know I’m weird, but I honestly do enjoy MOST of the cleaning jobs I do around the house. I really like to vacuum and sweep the floors, I love making my bed every day, and in general, I enjoy the process of cleaning just as much as the end results.
However, one thing I do not like to clean is the shower. I guess it’s just one of those things I’m always willing to procrastinate on 🙂
Several years ago, {after not cleaning my shower for a few months} I decided I had to come up with some type of system for cleaning my shower so I wouldn’t put it off for so long ever again.
From then on, I’ve been cleaning my showers the same way every month and it only takes me about 10 minutes total!
Here’s what I do…
Step 1: Gather My Supplies:
I actually don’t use many supplies to clean our showers — just a sponge, a small bristle brush, and my cleaner of choice.
Currently, I’ve been using Scrubbing Bubbles and have very happy with the results. I have tried using homemade cleaning products {which I do use for the rest of our bathroom} but I decided I liked the “stronger” stuff for our showers.
If you have rust, soap scum, or lime build-up, I’d suggest using Lime Away {I had much success with that product in our old house}. Also, just a little tip — Dial soap / body wash leaves a lot more soap scum than most other soaps!
Step 2: Create the “Optimum” Conditions
Whenever I clean the shower, I ALWAYS do it while I’m taking a shower. That way, it’s already steamy inside {which helps to loosen the dirt and grime} and I don’t have to awkwardly try to clean it without getting wet.
If you’ve never tried cleaning the shower while taking a shower… you will be amazed at how much easier and faster the process is!!
Step 3: Clean the Shower
I always spray the shower with my Scrubbing Bubbles about 10 minutes before I get into the shower. By the time I get in the shower, the bubbles have already “gone to work” and I start scrubing with my sponge from the top down.
I use my bristle brush to scrub in the corners, between the tiles, and any other small spaces that I can’t get with my sponge.
Finally, I scrub around the drain and then move the shower head to wash down the walls.
Step 4: Daily Maintenance
One thing Dave and I do every single time we take a shower is to use a squeegee to wipe down the walls. We even use the squeegee to direct water on the floor into the drain.
This might sound a bit obsessive to some of you, but it drastically cuts down on soap-scum buildup, water spots, mold, mildew, etc. — which means I don’t need to clean our showers nearly as often.
We keep the squeegee hanging in the shower so we have absolutely no excuse not to use it!
I’ve timed myself many time {I know, I’m weird} and I can easily clean any shower in our house in less than 10 minutes… and it doesn’t even seem like a chore because it’s simply an excuse for me to take an extra long steamy-hot shower!
And in case you’re thinking about making some changes in your own bathroom this year, I’ve got lots of inspiration for you! I’ve teamed up with four other bloggers today, and we’re all talking about bathrooms! Go check them out for some great ideas!
Christine from I Dream of Clean is revealing her method for speed cleaning a bathroom.
Lauren from Mama’s Laundry Talk is sharing advice on how often to wash your bathmats and towels.
Jami from An Oregon Cottage is sharing her lovely decorating expertise with an ultra-cool project. She’s making a new shower curtain by stenciling on drop cloth!
Nony from A Slob Comes Clean is organizing her bathroom cabinets according to how her family really lives!
Michelle says
I clean in the shower, as well, but I use a sponge with a detergent dispenser handle and fill it halfway with vinegar and halfway with dawn dishwashing liquid. The abrasive part of the sponge gets whatever grime is there and the vinegar disinfects the area. It’s worked for me for many years.
Louann Kreitner says
I agree with you
Beckie says
Please, don’t expose your skin and lungs to all the chemicals of Scrubbing Bubbles while being naked in the shower and stepping in the water with the chemicals being absorbed into your skin. I use to do this to…until I got a disease that requires major detoxing. Treat yourself to a long shower without chemicals, you deserve it for being the one cleaning.
Heather says
I was thinking the same thing!!!!! AHHH!H!!!!
bathtub refinishing buffalo ny says
There is definately a lot to learn about this issue. I really like all of the points you’ve made.
Cheryl says
When you clean while you’re in the shower, does the cleaner affect your skin? We have a shower that drips non-stop, so it’s never dry (well, it is right now because we have no water, LOL!) and it also pools up about two inches deep while you’re in the shower. Would it be safe to use cleaners while showering in these conditions? Thanks for the tips!
Sambira says
Cheryl,
If your show drips, it should be repaired. There is something wrong. If your show pools up in the bottom, your drain is not working well and probably needs to be cleared of debris (probably hair or something like that).
Clipping Path says
Excellent article! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.
Bill S says
This is good advice. For those of you who don’t like the odors of Scrubbing Bubbles there is a new “green” cleaner to consider. There is a new ecofriendly and household safe ready to use shower cleaner, from a new “green” cleaning chemical manufacturer that has an excellent shower cleaner that dissolves soap scum. The company is BioWorx.us They are coming out with a full line of household cleaners. Their goal is to have green cleaners outperform the best non-green cleaners. I tried just about every shower cleaner known to mankind trying to remove nasty soap scum buildup in my kids shower. With this, a corn based product, the heavy layer of soap scum dissolved like butter. I now use it on a regular basis not because it works, but because I have had skin cancer a couple times and I hate the thought of showering with toxic residue from regular cleaning chemicals.
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JillyD says
I used to hate cleaning the shower even though I used Scrubbing Bubbles and pretty much the method described –now I never have to do that much work. This I learned from having a house on the market and needing to buff it up every morning. After the last shower of the morning, after the shower-er has squeegeed the shower, he or she or, most often, I will wipe the walls with an old, clean washrag or hand towel. Especially the corners and the lower tiers of tile. Mold will never form, scum will not form, tiles will gleam, every day. It takes less than a minute.
robotic vacuum cleaner says
After I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Cheers!
Heidi says
Homemade Tub Cleaner – vinegar and dish soap, NO SCRUBBING!
Heat 1/2C white vinegar in m’wave for 90 sec, pour int spray bottle. Add 1/2C BLUE Dawn dish soap.
Shake gently to mix.
Spray on surface, let it sit 1-2 hours.
Just wipe it away then rinse with water.
It’s Amazing!!
Oh, and one more little trick for soap scum- (now dont laugh…)
try a double sided dog brush(Oster Finish & Shine Combo Brush) it has a Pin side & Bristle side
Walmart carries them for $4.97 and they REALLY do work like a charm!!!!
Heidi says
I love chemical free cleaning, although when I have been lax in cleaning I do still resort to them. 🙂
I love Norwex cloths. I found that if I wipe down the entire shower, tub and fixtures after my shower, I am left left with a shiny, clean area. There are no water spots and no build up because it has been wiped away and hasn’t had a chance to dry. The Norwex cloths are super absorbent. After I wipe down the shower, I use the now wet cloth to wipe down my sink and its fixtures. No more toothpaste residue! It probably takes me less than 5 minutes tops. I know I spend a lot more than 5 minutes when I have to scrub everything.
The best thing about the Norwex cloths is that they can be rinsed out and hung up to dry and they DON’T STINK like other cloths.
Cassy says
Thanks for this post! I love Norwex cloths too but have never thought about keeping one in my bathroom for this purpose.
Yasmin says
Hello ladies wonder if this really work ?
Vicky says
Thanks to Flylady, I learned to do this too! Changed my life! lol! But I would be careful using chemicals while inside a steamy shower. Could be hazardous. I keep one of those pink two sided sponges in the shower and use a little shampoo on it. I scrub everything down with the scrubby side and throw it on the floor of the shower and do that with my foot. Then I rinse everything off. It was a little easier when I had a hand held shower head to rinse, but we have done away with that. I thought the other day that I needed to get a squeegee. Wish I could get my daughters in the habit of doing their bathtub themselves!
joy page says
A friend told me the greatest tip ever for cleaning the shower….use a sponge mop on the large areas. What a timesaver. You will still have to use something along the crevices, but you just might take 3 minutes off of your 10 minute cleaning time. Have fun!!!
Jordan Page says
Shared this on my most popular post of 2011! Thanks for the great idea!
http://www.funcheaporfree.com/2011/12/youre-welcome-wednesday-tip-keep-your.html
Jen R says
Best bathroom cleaning tip…cheat…I have a cleaner once a fortnight do it for me 🙂
Hayley Tule says
I love this website!!! I’m actually a little addicted and have to set a timer when I get on here! I LOVE your shower cleaning tips! I read that this morning, hopped up and headed to the shower, sprayed some scrubbing bubbles, organized my closet a bit, came back and hopped in— what a great excuse for a half hour shower!! Also, we’ve had a squeegee hanging in our shower since we remodeled it last year, and I’ve never used it!!! Until today;) so thanks!!
DawnW says
I fill a spray bottle with 1 cup water & 1/3 cup alcohol and spray it in the shower every day after I step out. (Found the recipe online somewhere.) Stays clean for a long time. Easy and cheap.
Livin In Duckville says
Your post made me smile… One, because you said that you’d gone months before without cleaning your shower. Two, that you’ve timed yourself doing a chore…. both things that I thought I was weird in doing or not doing as case may be…. I’ve timed myself to prove to myself that a certain chore doesn’t take ‘like forehhhhhh-ver!’ … Just a little head game I played with myself.
Popping over from ‘A Slob Comes Clean’ Thanks for the tips!
lisa says
“I always spray the shower with my Scrubbing Bubbles about 10 minutes before I get into the shower.” Saw this and thought “she’s going to shower with all that gunk in there?” then realized you meant get into the shower to CLEAN it!
Good tips–with two teenagers our bathrooms need all the help they can get!
Shanna says
For people who don’t like to squeegee… At my old house I just turned the water on super hot at the end and sprayed with the handheld shower all around, you have to hop a bit at the end because your feet will start getting hot (or stand outside the shower)! The super hot water rinses everthing away before it can stick and it dries faster because it’s so hot. Of course my hot water is set way above the “legal” setting. This worked really well even in my damp climate.
monica says
One thing that I think really helps with our oversized shower is hanging a “squeeghie” in the shower, and with regular use the shower stays much cleaner. Also, I have a steam cleaner that I use in the metal tracks to remove the grossness that seems to accumulate. Yuck, I can’t stand that.
Stephanie says
I just wanted to say I love the shower!!! I use a wash cloth and Totally Awesome (which you can get at the dollar store farely cheap) and it is seriously Awesome and not really strong smelling. I would recommend it for everything.
I use it on carpets and upholstery anytime theres a stain and it works great as well. For sure a must in a household!
Melissa Medendorp says
What do you do if you have grout? I can’t seem to get that clean?
Rebecca says
I clean my bathroom weekly. I clean the shower, floors, sink, cabinets, etc. I try to deep clean it (removing the blinds and washing them, cleaning off the plunger, etc) once a month. It’s probably overkill, but my kids bathe in the tub and my Newfoundland sleeps in the tub. Those two factors make me feel like i have to clean it more often! I doubt I can get my husband to squeegee. I’m thinking of making some cleaner I found online that you spray after every shower. We shower each morning so I could just spray before I go to work. Maybe that would cut down on the soap scum and at least then I could only worry about cleaning the actual tub part, which is easy!
Beth Miller says
Hi Andrea,
Great article today! I completely agree with you as I used to feel the same way. Now, when I tell people I clean my shower once a month, I feel like they look at me like I’m not a clean person. Actually at the one month mark- it is still pretty sparkling clean. I don’t use scrubbing bubbles anymore, as the fumes from the chemicals would about kill me, and I didn’t want the chemicals remaining in the tub (I have 2 small children who take baths). I also clean for a living and the most amazing product I have found that works better on soap scum, dirt, rust spots (shaving cream rings) and adhesive, then any chemical cleaner is Melaleucas’ Tub and Tile cleaner. I use it as you do, Spray it on, wait about 10 mins- get IN the shower, clean, and rinse. It is amazing AND I can breathe freely the whole time. I also use Melaleucas’ Daily No Work after my shower, but I am the only family member that does and even after 2 years of using this, I am always amazed at how sparkling my tub and shower look each time I get in. So I always say that i clean the shower once a month whether it needs it or not. lol