FlyLady.net: Monthly Focus

Our Monthly Focus - Swish and Swipe

Welcome to July! We are at the start of a brand new month and that means it's time for a brand new habit. This month, we'll be working on the Swish and Swipe of the bathroom. With this one simple habit, our bathrooms can stay company ready at any time. Check out the great info below to get started.

The simple habits we establish can help us to never see dirt again ~ FlyLady

Rubba Scrubba

Here are the habits we have covered in 2010. Remember to reinforce these habits along with completing your new one.

2009 habits See what habits we covered in 2009 - use this list as a reference for reinforcing your habits!

What does Swish and Swipe Mean?

As part of my morning routine I clean my bathroom. Now this is not the crisis cleaning because company is coming and you have not touched the bathroom in months. This is a daily maintenance that keeps it company ready all the time! I know many of you don't think that this needs to be done but I assure you that you deserve to clean and fresh smelling bathroom all the time too.

It don't take much time to do this either. This is why I called it a swish and a swipe. Doesn't that sound like a lick and a promise! Quick and easy! Here is how it works and once you establish this habit, your bathroom will never look and smell dirty again.

To accomplish this you need a couple of things to keep in your bathroom. I have my favorite window cleaner in each bathroom just for this purpose along with a roll of paper towels or old wash cloths. You can use what ever you like just so you don't have to leave the room to swish and swipe. You will have no excuse to get sidetracked if you will do this.

Here is the swipe part. I take the window cleaner and a rag and wipe off the mirror and then the counter, faucets and sink. Bam it is just that fast. Now I do this as I am getting dressed and I put my things away. Do you hear me! put your stuff away as you use them this keeps your counter clear and easy to wipe down. Then I take that same paper towel or rag and head toward the toilet. I keep a toilet bowl brush beside each toilet in our home. They are kept in a crock (one like you put kitchen utensils in). I keep an all-purpose cleaner like old shampoo in it (not bathroom caustic cleaner). Soap is soap as far as I am concerned. You could use old shampoo that you hate or what ever you have. They are even making some great new toilet bowl brushes that are kept in cylinders that have lids. Now don't do this if you have little children or pets that will get into this. Each take take the brush and let the excess cleaner drip off; if it is thick you may have to water down the solution a bit so it will drain well. Then take the toilet bowl brush and swish it around in the toilet. Even if you don't use any soap; you will keep stuff from growing in there. Then wipe off the back of the toilet with the used paper towel or rag, then the seat, the rim and lastly the sides and floor. If you have little boys you know how they miss. Then toss the rag in the laundry or the paper towel in the trash. When you do this once a day you will find that your toilet is always fresh as a daisy.

There you have it Swish and Swipe! This takes all of about 1 minute from start to finish but you have to have everything in the bathroom so you have no excuses to not do this.

Now go gather up some window cleaner for the bathroom and look in the bathroom closet for some shampoo or some cleaner that will work for swishing the toilet. Nothing says I LOVE YOU like a Clean toilet to throw up in when you are sick! - FlyLady

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Testimonial:Another Way to Swish

Hi Kelly!

This has now become an automatic daily habit for me but I wanted to share a funny and quick way I have been swishing and swiping to clean my toilets and old claw foot tub.

My mother, a hoarder of ALL things, passed away 2 years ago and because she had dentures, kept boxes and boxes of the fizzy denture cleaner tablets at her home. I was wondering what to do with 10 boxes when I thought "porcelain teeth" ....."porcelain tub and sink" and the lightbulb went off!

Every morning when I get into the shower I plop one of those tablets in the bottom of the toilet, and by the time I get out the toilet has practically cleaned itself. Once a week I even use a few in the back of the toilet to keep the lime and scaly grime from building up back there.

And, after the last bath of the day, I plop a few of those tablets into a little water and just let it "fizz" the grime away and give it a swipe and rinse. It leaves a great shine and smell too! I then just use baby wipes to wipe down the rest of the toilet/sink every day and it has made a big difference in how I feel about our keeping our home clean....

For the first time about a week ago, I was proud to have a neighbor in to our house without worrying if things looked okay.....he even used our bathroom to wash his hands without me scrambling to get things in order before he went in.........

Thanks to FlyLady, the need for perfectionism and the CHAOS is slowly moving out and is being replaced by the gentle, loving home atmosphere I have always craved.

With gratitude,
FlyBaby Barb in Pittsburgh

Kelly here: What a great idea. This FlyBaby is able to let someone use her bathroom without worry. Our habit for July is to swish and swipe daily!!

Have you started?