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What is the Best Way to Clean a Toilet?

Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes

The best way to keep a clean toilet is to create a regular cleaning schedule and make sure you always have a full supply of the necessary cleaning products.

Products used to clean a toilet include a liquid spray cleaner (usually used for porcelain and counter tops), an abrasive cleanser for scrubbing (usually used for bathtubs or floors), a toilet scrub brush, a roll of paper towels, and a medium level toothbrush for hard-to-reach places. For easy accessibility, keep all your cleaning supplies stored in a large bucket or carrying tray that can be transported from closet to toilet or to other parts of the house if you have more than one bathroom.

A roll of paper towels is part of a toilet cleaning kit.
A roll of paper towels is part of a toilet cleaning kit.

If a toilet is cleaned well and family members, especially children, are instructed about how to properly use the toilet, it will only need to be cleaned once each week. Cleaning a toilet is a fairly simple procedure, but it must be cleaned thoroughly to remove all bacteria and avoid mineral deposit build up and odors.

Raise the lid and the seat of the toilet and begin by pouring some of your abrasive cleanser into the toilet bowl. Using the toilet scrub brush, swish the cleanser around in the water until it is thoroughly mixed. Leave the lid and seat up but allow the cleanser sit while you work on other parts of the toilet.

It is important to have a regular cleaning schedule for your toilet.
It is important to have a regular cleaning schedule for your toilet.

Next use your liquid spray cleaner to thoroughly spray the toilet inside and out. Start at the bottom and spray around the base; then spray around the outside of the bowl, the edge of the bowl, and the underside of the seat. Then lower the seat and spray it as well. Next spray the underside of the lid and then lower the lid and spray the top. Lastly, spray around the hinges, the sides of the tank, around the flush handle, and the top of the tank. At this point, the entire toilet should be fairly wet and dripping.

Cleaning products should be used to clean toilets on a frequent, regular basis.
Cleaning products should be used to clean toilets on a frequent, regular basis.

Next, take a couple of paper towels and begin wiping your way down the toilet. First wipe the top of the lid, then the flush handle, down the sides, and around the lid. When wiping the hinges, use the toothbrush to get around the hinges that are hard to reach; then wipe up any debris with the paper towels. Once the lid is wiped clean, open the lid and wipe the underside; then wipe the top of the seat, and raise the seat so you can wipe all around the sides and underneath, paying special attention to the seat stoppers. Wipe the insides of the hinges and then all around the rim of the bowl. Lastly, wipe down the sides of the bowl and all around the base. Again, use the toothbrush on the bolts at the base, if necessary.

A scrub brush can be used to clean a toilet.
A scrub brush can be used to clean a toilet.

Once the outside of the toilet has been cleaned, go back to the bowl and scrub the inside with your scrub brush. The abrasive cleanser will have had time to work away at anything inside the bowl and you can simply scrub it away. Flush once, rinse out your supplies in the sink, and then put everything away until next week.

Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes

Paulla is a freelance writer and website editor who currently lives in Maine. Paulla has a B.A. in English Literature from George Mason University and over 15 years of experience as a freelancer. She relishes the flexibility and consistency of working on WiseGEEK articles, as well as the opportunity to constantly learn something new.

Learn more...
Paulla Estes
Paulla Estes

Paulla is a freelance writer and website editor who currently lives in Maine. Paulla has a B.A. in English Literature from George Mason University and over 15 years of experience as a freelancer. She relishes the flexibility and consistency of working on WiseGEEK articles, as well as the opportunity to constantly learn something new.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon211842

Grab the toilet scrub brush, use some Woolite to get it out, pour some bleach when you're finished - to eliminate odors. You don't want your bathroom smelling like poo and pee mixed together, because when it happens like that, no one will want to come.

FirstViolin

I've always used a cleaner called "Daniel Briggs Toilet Elixir". I think it's just a locally produced product, but gosh it works well.

closerfan12

What a good idea to use a toothbrush to clean the hinges on the toilet.

I find that often when I'm trying to clean behind the toilet seat, or even worse, back where the toilet plumbing is, I can't get into the little crevices -- I will definitely try out the toothbrush thing next time I clean.

galen84basc

Great post -- I totally agree with your cleaning methods. I am crazy about keeping my bathroom clean, so I go through the whole toilet cleaning thing about twice a week. But then, I have three teenage boys, so sometimes it really needs to be cleaned even more often!

The hard part with toilets isn't the cleaning -- it's getting the boys to leave the toilet seat down!

anon14357

I find white vinegar is an excellent product for cleaning toilets. Pour some in a spray bottle and spray to your heart's content. I also suggest wearing some kind of gloves, plastic disposable or rubber. Please do not use the same rubber gloves that you use when washing dishes, though. The reason should be obvious. Thank you.

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    • A roll of paper towels is part of a toilet cleaning kit.
      By: Vladimir Liverts
      A roll of paper towels is part of a toilet cleaning kit.
    • It is important to have a regular cleaning schedule for your toilet.
      By: Africa Studio
      It is important to have a regular cleaning schedule for your toilet.
    • Cleaning products should be used to clean toilets on a frequent, regular basis.
      By: Africa Studio
      Cleaning products should be used to clean toilets on a frequent, regular basis.
    • A scrub brush can be used to clean a toilet.
      By: FirstBlood
      A scrub brush can be used to clean a toilet.
    • Disinfecting wipes are often used to clean toilets.
      By: Edie Layland
      Disinfecting wipes are often used to clean toilets.