Look Ma! No Bowl Brush!

Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner with the goose-neck bottle is a time saver and greatly reduces the "oh gross" factor when cleaning the loo. When I first came across this product I mistook it for a lark. However, I've come to value its presence in my cleaning kit. Many times I don't need the brush, instead I just squirt the bowl with the toilet cleaner then spray down the rest of the commode. After I wipe it down, I give the flusher a press. Sometimes I do use the brush if the toilet is a bit more needy, but usually squirting under the rim as the goose-neck bottle allows, I don't need to.

I like to start the WC cleanup by squirting the toilet, then spray and wipe down the bathtub and shower wall tiles then the sink. Wiping down the mirrors is always necessary. I hope they come up with a quick cleaner for mirrors like this bowl cleaner. Then I wipe down the bowl. By this time the sink counter is dry and I can set out a fresh roll. I don't like the roll hanger. I either set it on the sink counter or use a paper- towel holder like the one below which allows me to set out more than one roll. The floor is last to be done. A good sweep and a mopping is usually all it needs. Pine oil is my favorite cleaner for the floor. I don't use the other Pine Sol scents because they don't disinfect like the original formula.

There are a few other products I use to help with clean up in the bathroom. I've shared a few below. Last but not least would be a pair of rubber gloves. Whenever doing any cleaning using more than water, I recommend the use of rubber gloves. The drip-catch cuff helps ensure only your gloved hands get wet.

Please leave a comment below related to this lens, this product or cleaning around the house.

When I'm doing well with keeping up on the housework, I find that getting into a routine helps. Once I establish a routine, then I can begin the task of whittling the minutes away from the overall time spent cleaning. Who likes to clean?

Establishing the day of the week to get the cleaning done is the most important thing. For the things I like least, Saturdays. Because I know I'll be doing something I really like over the nine-to-five during the week. I set aside an hour or maybe two in the morning when I get up to attack things as needed.

My bathroom routine above is an example of how I employ time. When the dishes in the sink need a soak before putting them in the dishwasher, I stack them in the sink, large plates on the bottom and smaller items nested on top. I then run water until the whole stack is filled with water then I add a big squirt of soap to the top item and allow that to flow down to the bottom. Once the bottom dish is bubbly, I turn off the water and let it stand. I sort out the rest of the kitchen then give the stove a wipe down with a sudsy cloth. Finally I go after the dishes and stack them in the dishwasher. I do a second wipe down of the stove with a not-so-sudsy cloth. I turn on the dishwasher then get on with the rest of the chores on the list.

Using the carrot, the fun plans for later, as a goad to get things done, I find I feel a bit better about it all before I head out the door. However, on those days I need to use the Klingon pain stick to get the work done, I get the ingredients for a favorite dish or treat and plan to make that only if I get the work done. Yes, folks, I'm a kid at heart.

I confess. There are more times than not that my housekeeping is very real. I'm a bachelor(-ette). The poster child for baching it. I figure it's organization if I know which pile is for what type of item, right? Even the king-size bed, one corner for clothes already worn, one corner for the electronics like laptop, ereader and associated plugs and a narrow river of books down the center. Fortunately for me, I don't move much in my sleep, so I get the remaining quarter of the bed. This all gets neatened up when I change linen. So, maybe I'm not so bad. I change the linen as needed - very needed.

So to take the forehead scratching out of setting up a cleaning routine, keeping it real. Here's a link to the Good Housekeeping . If the thought of speed cleaning your way through the house appeals, then The Inspired Room has the perfect article for you, Speed Cleaning: Tips for Fast and Efficient Housekeeping. I tell myself all of the time, "... pick up as you go along." I just seem to not remember that advice until I embark on a much needed housework detail.

I recently discovered a toilet paper that's not made from trees. I stumbled upon it in my local Sprouts grocery store. It surprised me to find that there are other ways to make toilet paper. Now for me, I go with what's cheap and just buy more of it. Though this TP is more highly priced than my regular Wally World cheapy stuff, I like it better. It has many qualities of a more expensive brand, like Charmin's softness. It's about as absorbent as your quilted varieties. Also, it doesn't tear apart as easily as the brand I've been buying. Truegreen Enterprises, Inc distributes it.

What makes this necessary item so special are the components. It's made from sugarcane and bamboo grass. Four regular rolls equals eight rolls. If only I could find writing paper made from the same treeless products.

Per the package:

• Soft
• Absorbent
• Strong
• Affordable
• Septic Safe
• Whitened with hydrogen Peroxide - a natural alternative to bleach

The pooch in the pic above just finished cleaning her dog house. I'm much the same after a morning of housework. Imagine what happens when her person comes in and asks, "Wanna go outside?" Bet that tail wags and those ears perk up. Same here. The minute the clock hand strikes play time, I'm up dancin' a jig and doing hand springs. I know exactly what it's all about. Once there's fun in the picture, then I forget the woes and drudgery of house cleaning.

So, make house cleaning fun. Blast the music or play games with each task. Get your arobics as you dance to the music and mop the floor at the same time. Shake that fanny as you bend over and reach behind the whatever you reach behind. Sing along with the music. I like to pace myself by setting the timer for a particular task and trying to beat the clock, so to speak. Make it fun. The time flies and you are having a ball.