Vacuuming is not usually the first thing people think of when they tackle the bathroom, but professional cleaner Kellsie Zapata says it should be. In an Instagram reel and a TikTok video, she explained why this one step makes cleaning faster and the results noticeably better. Her advice is simple, practical, and surprisingly easy to add to any routine. The twist is that she does it twice, once at the start and once at the end.
Zapata begins by clearing the room so nothing gets in the way. She removes items like the bin and bath mats, then gives the floor a quick vacuum before any sprays come out. The goal is to lift up dust, dirt, and hair while everything is still dry. She points out that wet hair is the last thing you want to push around while you wipe surfaces, and once dirt gets damp it can turn into an even bigger mess. Spending a few extra minutes on this first vacuum, she says, makes the biggest difference.
After that, you can move into your usual cleaning routine. Zapata recommends spraying your chosen bathroom cleaner and letting it sit for the time listed on the label, which is often about five to 10 minutes. Then you wipe, scrub, and rinse wherever needed, whether it is the sink, the vanity, the toilet, or the shower. By this point many people would reach for a mop, but this is where her second vacuum comes in.
Even though the floor was vacuumed at the beginning, Zapata says you should vacuum again before you mop or steam clean. The first pass removes the obvious grime already on the floor, but the second pass catches what falls during the rest of the clean. As you wipe counters, polish fixtures, and scrub the shower, the dust and particles you lift off those surfaces often drop straight down. If you skip the re-vacuum and go directly to mopping, you can end up spreading that fresh debris around instead of removing it.
Her followers were quick to share how much the method clicked for them. One Instagram commenter said the idea made so much sense and admitted they sometimes forget, especially the re-vacuum step. Another person thanked Zapata for the reminder and noted that a quick first vacuum feels like a smart primary move. Over on TikTok, a viewer said they loved the tips and never realized bathroom cleaning worked better with a specific order.
Have you tried vacuuming your bathroom floor twice, and did it change how clean the room feels afterward? Share your thoughts in the comments.
