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In the comments to this post, our beloved Offbeat Homie Mich offered this tidbit of advice:
My quick cleaning tip is that when I’ve finished using a makeup remover wipe I turn it over so the clean side is out and use it to give my bathroom sink a quick wipe out of toothpaste residue/stray hairs/dropped powder from my makeup.Ok so it’s not a full bathroom clean but it means you can go a couple of extra days between full cleanings with bleach etc.
I love this! When I’m getting in the shower, I’ll often use a dirty sock or pair of underwear to wipe out my bathroom sink or even swipe down the edge of the floor where it meets the floorboard. (Pro-tip: if using dirty underwear as a cleaning agent, be sure to bundle them sunny-side in.) The clothes are going into the wash any way, and the dirty things are already in my hand — might as well do a 10-second wipe-down to make the bathroom a bit less grimey.
Oh yes. I admit to using dirty clothes to wipe down bathroom sinks, etc. all the time.
Also, I’ve never thought of my underwear as have a, uh .. sunny side, but I will now!
I use the towels in the bathroom that are ready to be washed to wipe down the floors and counters.
Same! In fact, I did that this morning!
The inside of the sink seems ok for this, but I probably wouldn’t go so far as to use underwear or a sock. Maybe it’s a mental thing, but the sink and counter are “upper body” only areas for me. I know it doesn’t make sense because you wash your hands there, and your hands touch everything… I actually just started using a Norwex cloth that I hang on the side of the cabinet. It has silver imbeded into the fibers so you don’t have to wash it after each use, plus the only chemical needed is water. (No I don’t sell it)
Similarly if you’re washing up by hand and the water isn’t too gross at the end you can use it to give the counter a quick wipe down too. Saves water and detergent and it’s less hassle than doing the two separately. (Bonus for me is it means it gets wiped during the one moment in the day when it isn’t covered in dirty washing up!)
I do this when I shave in the bathtub (as opposed to the shower or just at the sink) to clean up the little hairs left behind in the tub (with whatever I just took off before the bath)
That’s a great idea! I have definitely done this with wipes occasionally but only to clean up the makeup I spilled – but never thought about using socks, etc. I don’t think I would want to use my underwear – just because, even though it was going in the wash, I wouldn’t want to think about my bathroom dirt being on my underwear near my bajingo…. lol!
lol I worry about the opposite issue–anything from on/around my girly-bits being smeared around the bathroom!
This is why I said bundle them sunny-side IN. In other words, use the OUTSIDE of your underwear to avoid both A) getting bathroom grime on your bajingo and B) smearing girly bits all over bathroom.
“smearing girly bits all over the bathroom”
heh heh… I know you mean from the undies, but….
heh heh.
Hah, I thot I was the only one who did this! Can’t say I’ve done it with undies, but used makeup wipes, half-used napkins & towels, shirts after being worn, anything sitting around that’s about to be washed & isn’t distinctly filthy. Heck yeah, it’s going in the wash or trash already.
Ah cleaning by Mich!!
luckily my husband takes charge of ACTUALLY cleaning the bathroom once a week because I hate the smell of bleach.
Yep I also do the sock trick and use it to dust the baseboards (usually while still on my foot)
But I don’t think I would want to use my knickers to clean anything up!!
Yup. It makes sense doesn’t it? I apply the same principle in the laundry, using towels/wash cloths that are going in the washing machine to occasionally remove fluff, dust, hairs from the inside & outside of my old-ish top-loader machine.
I wipe up spilled detergent with the towels, and in fact just used one to wipe out the dusty cone in the middle of the spindle in the middle. (Is that supposed to be for fabric softener? Does it auto-add during the rinse cycle?)
On a related note: I keep a scrub brush in the shower at all times so that I can attack tub grime while letting the conditioner work its magic on my dry, tangly hair. Why get grubby later during a designated “cleaning” session when I’m already in there with time to kill?
I totally do this too. Otherwise I’ll never clean the bathtub.
I totally clean the shower while showering sometimes. It’s just easier to scrub when I don’t have to worry about getting myself and the floor all wet!
I am queen of the “furtive sink and toilet wipe with the washcloth I just retrieved from the bath tub.” I’ve also been known to ghetto it up just a little further and use my old bath towels as floor mops. (Hey… they’re already ON the floor…) I soak ’em in hot water, wring ’em out and dump a little cleaning solution on for good measure. Then, mop. Mop like you’ve never mopped before! To do this accurately, you must shuffle-dance the towel across the floor until you are too ashamed to continue OR the floor is clean.
Yes, I was raised by filthy wolves.
I do this all the time with hand towels that are ready for the wash. I figure they’ve only touched clean hands, so no worries in using them to wipe things down. I use white towels, so they get bleached in the wash anyway.