Tips for Cleaning Your Toilet
One of the keys to making toilet cleaning easier is to stay on top of it. Try to clean or wipe down your toilet as frequently as possible and the task of giving it a thorough cleaning will be much easier because there won’t be a lot of built up grime to deal with. If you are past that point and already have a dirty or stained toilet to deal with then let’s jump in and get started.
The first thing you will want to get for cleaning your toilet is a good pair of rubber or latex gloves. Having the gloves will protect your hands, but more than that it will make you braver about sticking your hands in areas that you otherwise wouldn’t so you can really get your toilet clean instead of just doing a “surface cleaning”.
Next, you will need a disinfectant cleaner or detergent. Make sure that the bottle is marked as a disinfectant and also check out the back of the bottle. If it really is a disinfectant it should have an EPA number printed somewhere. If you prefer not to use harsh chemicals when cleaning your toilet you can also use vinegar. The smell may be pretty strong, but it dissipates quickly and is safe.
You will also need a toilet bowl brush and some rags that can be washed (not sponges) or disposable towels. If you have mineral deposits you may also want to purchase a pumice stone to use to remove them.
Put some of the disinfectant into a spray bottle to make it easier to apply. To begin with, spray down the outside of your toilet including the outside of the bowl, the toilet seat, the tank and the handle. In order to properly disinfect, the disinfectant has to sit on the surface for awhile, so spray the outside, allow it to sit and start working on the inside.
Next, close the lid on your toilet, flush it, and then open it and add your cleaner to the toilet bowl. Try to apply your cleaner as close to the rim of the toilet as possible. Once you have your cleaner in, start scrubbing with your brush from the top down rather than from the bottom up. Begin under the rim and scrub, scrub, scrub, working your way down into the bowl. You may want to use a small mirror to check and be sure you have removed all of the stains that are up under the rim. Use a pumice stone to gently scrub away any hard water or rust stains in your bowl.
After you have thoroughly scrubbed the toilet bowl you can either wait around and allow all the water to drain off your brush, or you can close the lid on your brush. Leaving the brush inside the toilet will help it to drain more completely and avoid any drips when transferring it to the brush holder, but the choice is up to you. Either way, once the bowl has been scrubbed, close the lid of the toilet and flush. This will remove the excess cleaner from the bowl.
Now is a good time to wipe all of the disinfectant you sprayed on the outside of the toilet off. Use paper towels or disposable cloths and wipe down the outside of your toilet thoroughly. If you need to scrub in any areas, spray a little more cleaner on the area and scrub away. Pay special attention to the handle since it is one of the parts of the toilet that you touch most often.
Finally, you will want to open the lid of the toilet, remove your brush if you left it in there to drain, and work on cleaning the seat and the rim of the bowl. Use your disinfectant and paper towels and thoroughly clean the seat, the rim, the inside of the rim and the area back by the hinges which has a tendency to get pretty nasty.
At least ever week or so you should give your toilet a thorough cleaning. In the meantime, you can make the job of cleaning your toilet easier if you wipe it down and run the brush around the bowl each day. It doesn’t take long to do and can keep your toilet looking great during the week while lessening the disgusting factor of the thorough cleaning at the end of the week.
