Recording on a mobile

Eventually I will look for a decent recording microphone but for now I would like to record myself for a quick self assessment of my progress and to send to others for critique.
I have tried recording using my mobile in various rooms in the house. The toilet which is where I practice is obviously hideous for recording with noise bouncing around everywhere. The lounge is more dead but my mobile only picks up a one dimensional flat layer of the tone and sounds nothing like I really sound ( at least I hope not). It also seems that the volume clips the recording which leads to a further loss of quality despite my attempts to play quietly.

I would like to know if there are any tips for recording quickly and cheaply just for the purposes of listening back to my work. Where should I place the mobile? Etc