Spring Cleaning: Bathroom Edition

SPRING CLEANING!!

Cleaning bathroom: love it or don't!  I happen to like it because it's a small room that doesn't take much time to get things done and see the efforts of my work.  It usually is only comprised of a sink, a tub/shower, the floor, and the toilet.  I like to start with the sink, then move to the tub/shower, toilet and end with the floor.  With that in mind, let's also examine some areas of our lives that are similar to the bathroom.

First, the sink.  To clean this fixture, I usually use baking soda.  If the drain runs slow, I shake some baking soda down it followed by vinegar.  The chemical reaction causes the compound to bubble and really does clean the pipe!

• What area in our lives is running slow and needs to be cleaned up?  
• Perhaps we procrastinate calling someone or sharing the Word with others.  
• We can clean that area up by letting the Holy Spirit bubble up in us.  
• Allow His words to flow out clean and smooth.

Next, I clean the shower.  We just have a shower and every time I step into it to clean it, is makes a sort of popping noise where there is a space between the shower pan and the actual floor below.  It always catches me off guard startling me, and I have to remember that I'm not going to fall through the floor!  Cleaning the shower usually is easy and quick because I can use glass cleaner on the doors and walls. I use baking soda again on the floor because it kills germs and gets into the grooves easily.

• Are you sure of your footing with the Lord?
• When we fellowship with the Lord, we're standing on holy ground just as Moses did when God called him to the burning bush (Exodus 3:5).
• Jesus is our firm foundation, the cornerstone the builders rejected (Ephesians2:20).

Now I move to the toilet.  Now, we all know that this is by far the filthiest fixture in the bathroom!  The nice thing is that is doesn't stay filthy.  We spray cleaner (I use a recipe from dear friend over at Stacy Makes Cents!) in there and it just begins to sparkle with no telltale signs of the filth that was once there.  It's like that with Jesus, too.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians7:1:  "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (NKJV)."

Finally, I finish the bathroom cleaning by cleaning the floor and washing the rugs and towels.  We have wood floors in our bathroom, and all sorts of things are tracked in on it.  Vinegar and water clean the floor up nicely.  The mixture removes scuff marks, dirt and mud, and even makes it shine a little bit.  I move the dog food bin, the dog's water dish, the rugs, trash can, and the standing toilet paper holder out of the bathroom to mop as much of the floor as possible.  I empty the garbage then, I put everything back in its place and the bathroom is finished.

In Scripture we read that John the Baptist is telling others of the coming of Jesus.  He says, "He's going to clean house--make a clean sweep of your lives.  He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned (Matthew 3:12, The Message)."

Who would have thought there would be a faith message in cleaning the bathroom?  Well, maybe if tackling the bathroom isn't your favorite thing to do, this article will inspire you to consider areas of your faith walk as you clean and freshen this area of your home!

Blessings!