By Mrs. Mathis
Image by Diana House
The first thing I want you to understand is that most toilet bowl cleaners are toxic, dangerous to pets and young children, and unnecessary. Cleaning toilets may not sound glamorous, but it is very easy if done on a daily basis. Commercial toilet cleaners are really only needed for bowls that have been long neglected; they are unnecessary for daily or even weekly toilet cleaning. So read on to find the next best thing to a self-cleaning toilet.
Cleaning Toilets That Are Filthy
After you do the obvious and flush the toilet, pour in about a ½ cup of bleach and let it sit there for a few minutes. This will kill the germs and whiten everything that can be cleaned without scrubbing. Next, take your brush from its holder and dip it in the bleach water. Working carefully so not to splash any water on you or your clothes, scrub the seat and lid of the toilet. Then use the brush to raise the seat and scrub the rim, working from the top toward the inside. Dip your brush again and scrub the inside of the toilet, working from the top down. Finally, flush while holding the brush in the flowing water.
Rinse your brush well and repeat the steps above to rinse every surface. Allow everything to air dry while you clean the rest of the bathroom. The last steps of this room wide cleaning should be wiping down the outside of the toilet bowl and mopping the floor.
At this point, you may notice stains in the bottom of your toilet bowl. If you do, use you toilet brush to drive out as much water as possible and then pour in enough white vinegar to raise the water level above the stains. Leave the vinegar in place as long as possible and then scrub again and flush.
Daily Toilet Cleaning
If you are starting with a toilet that is already clean, this is all you need to do to maintain it. First, flush every time you use it, no matter what. Then, at least once a day, take your toilet brush and scrub the bowl, catching any stain that you see as soon as it develops. Finally, right before you shower, take a minute to wipe the lid, then the seat and then the rim with a little bathroom tissue that you then flush away. That’s all it takes to maintain a clean toilet at all times.
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I think this is poor advice on cleaning a toilet. Never use the toilet brush on the seat! That is very disgusting and you will be spreading feces everywhere, including splattering it everywhere. If your bowl is very stained, use a powder scrub like Ajax. If not simply use a household spray cleaner to clean the inside of the bowl and scrub with the toilet brush at least once a week. Spray the rest of the toilet, including the bottom of the seat and wipe with a damp micro-fiber cloth, go over it with a dry micro-fiber cloth to make sure all the lint and hair is removed.
There is no need to use bleach in the toilet, you will not be eating in there and it is not good for the environment. The purpose of cleaning the toilet is to remove feces and smells. A normal household cleaner will do the trick along with a little bit of elbow grease.