Homemaking Hack {#2}:
How to {Almost} Never Have
To Clean Your Shower Again

Here's my philosophy on cleaning. Although I think it's nice, comfortable, and important to have a clean (enough) home, I do not pressure myself to have a home that is ready for white-glove inspection at any given moment. I just think there are more important things in life, and I can use the time I save to serve my family in other ways.

I do put forth a lot of effort clearing clutter and trying to keep it from coming back, because clutter just stresses me out and makes it harder to clean when the time comes. (Do you ever feel like it just grows? As soon as I get a surface cleared, it quickly becomes my family's favorite place to put things!)

I don't concern myself with Martha Stewart-style cleaning procedures. I'm the type of girl who would rather put forth a small amount of effort daily than put forth a great amount of effort weekly or monthly. For example, if I notice a couple toothpaste splatters on the bathroom mirror, I won't run to my cleaning supplies to fetch a bottle of vinegar solution and a microfiber cloth. I simply wet my fingers, flick some water onto the general area of the toothpaste flecks, grab the hand towel, and wipe. Done. Eventually I will go for the vinegar and microfiber cloth, but only when it is really needed.

The other good thing about having reasonable cleaning expectations for my household is that I am more likely to involve the boys in the process. If I needed everything to be spotless and done just-so, I would feel the need to do it myself. I am not hesitant to ask Conner, for example, to vacuum the steps, because I know the steps will be cleaner than before he tackled them, even if he does miss a spot here or there. I think it's important to involve children in cleaning and maintaining the house, because it instills work ethic, helps build their independence, and gives them a sense of contributing to the family.

Now that you understand my cleaning philosophy, let's talk showers! Here's a fun anecdote, but I must include the following disclaimer first:

Disclaimer: I have Dan's permission to share this story. The statute of limitations on this one must be 10 years. Ha! 

When we were first married, Dan and I lived in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. He and I shared a bedroom, of course, but we decided to each have our own bathroom, because, well, why not? I didn't have any reason to go into his man-bathroom, so I didn't. I figured he was a big boy and could do his own cleaning. (Can you tell where this is headed?)

About a year later, we received notice that our rent was increasing, and Dan and I figured out that we could actually be paying a mortgage for the same amount as our monthly rent (and build up some equity in the process), so we purchased a cute yellow Cape Cod-style house. Now, I can't remember why I was doing the final cleaning of our apartment by myself this particular day, but I do remember that I was by myself when I opened the shower stall in Dan's man-bath. The sight of that shower stall was as bone-chilling as the prospect of attending clown camp. (Did you know there is such a thing? I actually love the idea of clowns; they bring joy to a lot of people, including my boys who love them! I just have an irrational fear of them for a reason that will probably never be known.) Anyhoo... It. Was. Disgusting. The entire stall was coated in a layer of brown sludge that I never was able to identify. I think it was a combination of soap scum, mold, and mildew. The original color of the shower floor was only visible through two small circular patches that had somehow survived the spreading muck. I really didn't understand how a person could go into that shower and come out cleaner.

I attacked that sludge with a can of Scrubbing Bubbles. I scoured the large areas with a big scrub brush and used a toothbrush to clear the grime away from the seam around the glass door and the nooks and crannies in the hardware. It took me a long time, and there was a great deal of sweating, gagging, and muttering through my teeth, but I eventually got the shower into a state of normalcy.

When Dan returned to our apartment, I asked him how he could bear to shower in such a filthy environment. "I mean, you couldn't even stand in the shower without your feet being on top of a layer of brown goo!"

"Oh, yes I could!" he replied. He removed his shoes and socks and showed me how, if he stood on his tiptoes with one foot about six inches in front of the other, he could fit his toes into those two small circles.

So, rather than actually cleaning the shower, he preferred to stand on tiptoe while he lathered up. Every. Morning. {Ahem.}

I think Dan gave me permission to share this story, because it's about a much younger version of himself. Today's Dan not only knows how to clean a shower, but also has higher standards that would not tolerate showering in a box of brown muck, if he could help it. Without further ado, this is what Dan (and I) have learned and are going to share with you:

{how to (almost) never have to clean a shower again}

Materials: 

• an absorbent towel [other than the one(s) you will be using for your hair and body]

Procedure:

1. After you shower, take the towel and wipe the shower down, paying particular attention to the seam around the shower door, if you have one.

That is it. It is a one-step process that only takes seconds. Ideally, you and your husband will take showers one right after the other, so only the second person would have to wipe down the shower. The most difficult part is getting in the habit, but once you do, the results are glorious. We moved into our current house about a year-and-a-half ago, and I've only had to break out the Scrubbing Bubbles once, and it was only for a few small areas on the shower floor. This was also accomplished in seconds. Oh, and be sure to wash the towel every so often to prevent it from getting icky.

I will admit that, once you're in you're third trimester with a slightly oversized baby, wiping down the shower is a little (okay, okay) a lot less fun. For a time, I wiped what I could without having to bend down and then kicked the towel around on the shower floor to absorb as much as I could. I've now given up on even that and just ask my wonderful hubby to do it for me. I figure it's fair, considering the fact that I had to clean that terrifying shower stall in his man-bath 10+ years ago. 😉

So, tell me... What's your favorite non-labor-intensive cleaning tip?