How to Keep a Toilet Clean and Free of Stains

Cleaning your house is a talent, and the most essential one is learning how to clean a toilet. The area around the toilet bowl is among the dirtiest in the whole home. NSF International conducted research on home germs and found that 27% of toilet seats and 14% of knobs were unhealthily dirty. But it’s not simply filth that should motivate you to clean bathrooms; improper toilet-bowl cleaning may lead to more serious issues.

No one wants to get up close and personal with their toilet, but it’s an important part of cleaning the bathroom. As one of the most-used bathroom fixtures, the toilet needs to be cleaned regularly to keep germs and stains at bay.

The first step in cleaning a toilet is to get rid of any dust, dirt, or other grime that you can see. Before you disinfect, you should clean the area to make sure the disinfectant can get rid of germs on the surface. We’ve come up with a few ways to make cleaning a toilet easier. Many of them use common household items and don’t even require touching the toilet. You should clean and disinfect your toilet about once a week, or more often if someone in your home is sick.

How to Clean your Toilet

The best way to clean a toilet is to disinfect the whole thing, including the bowl, seat, rim, handle, and outside, to kill any viruses, bacteria, or mold and mildew that might be there. The good news is that this doesn’t have to be a boring or gross job.

Follow these easy steps to learn how to clean a toilet and get rid of tough stains:

Things You Need

• Cleaner for everything

• Cloth for cleaning

• Sprays or wipes that kill germs

• Wet towel

First, clean the outside.

• Spray an all-purpose cleaner on the seat, lid, handle, and outside of the toilet, including the hard-to-reach places around the base and rim, and wipe it all down.

Step 2: Clean and dry the surface

• Follow up with a disinfecting spray or wipes, making sure the area stays wet for at least 5 minutes (or as long as the manufacturer says to) before wiping it clean with a dry cloth.

How to Clean the Bowl of a Toilet

If you need to clean the toilet quickly, you can do so by dropping one or two denture tablets into the bowl. The bubbling action will give you a quick clean in minutes, without the need for a brush. The bubbling action will give you a quick clean in minutes, without the need for a brush.

Things You Need

• Water bucket

• Clean the toilet bowl.

• Toilet brush

Empty the bowl and put some cleaner in it.

Before you clean it, empty the water out of the toilet bowl. Pour a bucket of water into the toilet bowl, then use a cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles Bubbly Bleach Gel to cover the inside. This will make the toilet flush without making the bowl fill up. Since the water level is lower, you can put cleaner right on the bowl to clean it better. You can also turn off the water valve near the bottom of the toilet and flush to drain the bowl (just remember to switch it back on after cleaning).

To make cleaning easier, empty the toilet bowl and add cleaner while the disinfectant works on the handle, seat, tank, and outside of the toilet. By the time you’re done wiping these areas, the toilet bowl cleaner will have soaked in. Use a toilet brush to clean it, and then flush.

How to Clean the Tank of a Toilet

When cleaning a toilet, people often forget to clean the tank. This can cause rust, mold, mildew, and other dirt to build up inside. It’s best to clean the toilet tank at least twice a year, because a dirty one can make the bathroom smell bad or even damage the toilet.

Things You Need

• White distilled vinegar

• Brush to clean

• Baking soda (optional)

• Soap for washing dishes (optional)

Step 1: Empty the tank and put vinegar in it.

Before you clean the inside of your toilet tank, you need to empty it of water. To do this, turn off the water valve and flush the toilet until all the water is gone. Then, fill the tank up to the overflow valve with distilled white vinegar and let it sit for 12 hours (or overnight) before flushing.

Step 2: Clean the tank and fill it up.

Use a scrub brush to get rid of any residue that is still there. Turn the water back on and flush a few times to clean out the tank and fill it back up. If you can’t wait 12 hours to go to the bathroom, mix vinegar with baking soda and dish soap for a stronger cleaning effect.

After emptying the tank of water, put two cups of vinegar, one cup of baking soda, and a few squirts of dish soap in the tank. Mix the solution with a brush and clean the sides and bottom. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, scrub it again, then turn on the water and flush to rinse.

How do You Clean a Toilet That Has Stains?

Start with a toilet cleaner that kills germs, or make your own by putting a spray nozzle on a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. This lets you spray all over the toilet bowl and under the rim. When you’re done, you can even spray the toilet brush.

While the cleaning solution is soaking in the toilet bowl, clean the outside of the toilet. Start by putting on rubber gloves. You don’t want any of this stuff on your hands! Grab a disinfectant wipe and run it over all the surfaces: under and around the toilet seat, in the grooves under the toilet bowl, in the space between the toilet and the floor, and don’t forget the dirty toilet handle. This step gets rid of any dust, dirt, or stains that might have gotten into the toilet bowl. If there are still tough stains, scrub the inside of the bowl with a pumice stone. This will get rid of hard-water stains without scratching the porcelain.

You may see that the grout or caulk around the toilet has turned yellow or that there are stains from hard water. Use an old toothbrush and Lysol Power bathroom cleaner to clean up tough messes. Spray the toilet from the bottom up, making sure to cover the bottom of the bowl and the space between the bowl and the tank. Make sure to spray both sides of the toilet lid and seat, as well as the top of the toilet tank. After 10 minutes, use a sponge, paper towels, or a microfiber cloth to clean up any leftover spray.

No need to rinse.

How Many Times a Month do I Need to Clean My Toilet?

It takes about 30 minutes to get rid of tough stains and germs, which is about the length of a podcast episode. If you clean the toilet once a week with toilet cleaner and a toilet brush, there shouldn’t be any stains that won’t come off.

With a quick wipe down with Lysol disinfectant wipes once a week, the outside of the toilet should stay clean and shiny. But if someone in your home has the stomach bug, you’ll need to clean the toilet and the rest of the bathroom every couple of days.

Also, don’t forget to clean your supplies. Soak sponges and rubber gloves in a mixture of water and bleach that is 50/50. Use a spray to clean the brush and plunger, like Microban. Air dry.

How do a Professional Company Clean Your Toilet ?

f you want to clean your toilet like a pro, the most important thing to do is to keep your bathroom cleaning supplies and tools separate from those you use to clean the rest of your home. This will keep germs from spreading from one place to another. You don’t want toilet residue to get on your kitchen counter.

Professional cleaners often use the same household items that you do, like toilet bowl cleaner (or bleach), disinfectant wipes, rubber gloves, and a non-scratch scrub sponge, a microfiber cloth, or paper towels. Tough stains can be removed with a handheld scrub brush or a pumice stone.

Touchsmart Cleaning recommends using an emery cloth for a stronger scrub. Heavy-duty acid solutions may be needed to get rid of hard water buildup, but they are dangerous and should only be used with a professional help.