How to Clean Your Bathroom in 10 Minutes

I love cleaning—which is good, because I've built my whole career around it—and one of my favorite jobs is the bathroom. I know! That's weird for sure, but part of the reason I enjoy it is I've got a system that makes the job go super fast, leaving me with a sparkling space in which to apply my lotions, potions and various glittery face paints.

Cleaning the bathroom may not be high on most people's list of favorite chores, and it doesn't really help to be told that doing it regularly is the easiest way to make short work of the job (though that is true!). But here’s some good news: With just three products, three tools, and a little strategy, you can get your bathroom clean in 10 minutes. Ten minutes! That's not much time at all, and the satisfaction of having a clean bathroom is well worth it. Here’s exactly how to make it happen.

STEP 1: Pick the right products and tools for the job.

The idea here is to streamline the number of products and tools you're using, which will make you a faster cleaner because you won't be forever reaching for another bottle or cleaning cloth.

You only need three products to get your bathroom clean in less than 10 minutes, and with minimal scrubbing and scouring on your part:

Scrubbing Bubbles
Windex Multi Surface Cleaner
X-14

Scrubbing Bubbles is a foaming bathroom cleaner that will cut through the kind of buildup that typically befouls a bathroom—toothpaste spittle, soap scum, residue from hairspray and dry shampoo—without a whole lot of scrubbing on your end. (The bubbles, you see, they're meant to do the scrubbing!). Windex Multi Surface Cleaner 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 also as an all-purpose cleaner that can be safely used on countertop materials from corian and formica to granite and marble. And X-14 is a mildew-eliminating product that you'll spray on the grout, then allow to penetrate for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping with clean water to remove the product residue. No scrubbing needed!

These products are designed to do most of the work for you, which means that you’ll only need these three tools to finish the job:

All Surface Scrubby Cloth
A toilet brush, like the Lysol Bowl Brush
Strong paper towels, like Bounty (or a multisurface microfiber wipe, like these from Casabella)

You can put down the toothbrush and squeegee and whatever other specialty cleaning tools you've collected over the years (which, frankly, are probably adding to the clutter and mess in your cabinets) and do all of the cleaning using paper towels and a microfiber cloth. (Paper towels are truly best for glass cleaning, but reusable microfiber wipes will also work. The Casabella wipes are machine washable and can be used several times). And while you don’t technically need a toilet brush, you’ll probably want one for the obvious reason that using a toilet brush to scrub the toilet bowl definitely makes the job less disgusting.

STEP 2: Spray Scrubbing Bubbles in your tub, sink, and toilet bowl.

Working in the right order will also save you a bunch of time. Start with the Scrubbing Bubbles, which is going to be your workhorse. Shake the can up and apply a thin layer of the foam cleaner to the tub, the sink basin and surrounding surface area, and the toilet bowl. 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. Scrubbing Bubbles can cause discoloration to some plastics, so while it can be used on the exterior of the toilet and the seat, you're better off sticking with the Windex Multi Surface Cleaner for those parts.

Once you've applied the Scrubbing Bubbles to the tub, sink, and toilet bowl, give the product three to five minutes to penetrate surface grime.

STEP 3: While the Scrubbing Bubbles do their thing, wipe down your mirror and exterior of your toilet with Windex Multi-Surface Cleaner.

Spray a wad of paper towels or a microfiber wipe with the multisurface cleaner and start by polishing the mirror, and then use the same paper towels to clean the toilet. You’ll start by wiping the top of the tank, then work your way down. Pay extra attention to the 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 surface cleaner there. With the seat still flipped up, wipe down the space between the bowl and the tank, where hair tends to collect. (Sorry! That's gross and horrible to talk about but not as gross and horrible as a museum-quality collection of stray hairs decorating your toilet.) End by wiping the pedestal and floor area around the toilet.

By now, the toilet bowl has had plenty of time with the Scrubbing Bubbles, so all that’s left to do for your toilet is 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, letting the brushing and the flushing water work in concert to scrub away bacteria and buildup.

STEP 4: Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the Scrubbing Bubbles off your sink and tub.

With the commode out of the way, it's time to wipe the sink and tub down, which is where the microfiber comes in. The combination of microfiber and the Scrubbing Bubbles is going to make short work of blasting through soap scum and bacterial buildup: The foaming cleaner will penetrate and break down a lot of the mess before it's even time to scrub it away, and the microfiber is designed to pick up more residue than cotton or terry cloth rags. Wet the microfiber cloth, and wipe away the Scrubbing Bubbles, switching to the scrubby side for especially stubborn patches of buildup, typically on the sides of the tub and around drains. Rinse the cloth frequently while you work, so that both the cloth and the water are working in tandem to wash away the foaming cleaner.

STEP 5: Spray grout and caulk with X-14.

Grout is the mortar that fills the gaps between tile; caulk is the waterproof sealant used to seal gaps or seams around tubs, sinks, and toilets, especially in the shower or around the tub. Because bathrooms are an inherently wet environment, both grout and caulk have a tendency to develop mold, mildew, or Serratia marcescens, which is that pinkish/orangish shower scum that collects around drains and in other places where water tends to stand. To fight that, you need to know about X-14, which works its magic without you needing to scrub.

Now, you may be wondering why this wasn't the first order of business in this bathroom cleaning endeavor; after all, if this product is doing the work for you, why not spray it, clean the rest of the bathroom and finish up by wiping the X-14 away, right?

Well, here's why: The stuff stinks to high heaven. The smell is reminiscent of chlorine bleach, and can be quite overpowering. You should be sure to open a window or turn on a fan to ensure the area you're working in is well ventilated, and leave the room while the X-14 does its thing. The X-14 will get rid of mold and mildew in just a couple of minutes, and you don’t need to wipe it away, you just need to rinse the area with water. If there are any really stubborn mildew spots that might need some extra attention you can wipe the area down with water and a rag or scrub brush.

And you’re done!

Cleaning the bathroom may still never be your favorite chore—or maybe it will be now that you know the secret to being a bathroom cleaning sorceress! But hopefully the knowledge that 10 minutes, three products, three tools, and a little strategy is all you need to make it less horrible will encourage you to perform the task more regularly…say, once a week or once every other week? After all, who doesn't love a sparkling clean bathroom?!? I know I sure do. All the better to admire myself and my glittery face paints!

Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and host of the podcast Ask a Clean Person.