How to Clean a Toilet
It is important to know how to clean a toilet properly.
Start with getting your cleaning supplies together.
Supplies:
- Clean, dry cloths/rags
- Glass or multi-surface cleaner
- Toilet bowl cleanser (liquid or powder)
- Toilet bowl brush
Steps for how to clean a toilet:
- Fold your cleaning cloth in quarters so you can rotate the cloth to a clean dry surface after you clean each area.
- Start with the handle and tank. Spray your glass or multi-surface cleaner on the surface and wipe with your dry cloth, cleaning the surface but being sure the surface isn’t too wet since you want to be able to polish the surface dry. Do not clean the lid, seat or any other area of the toilet before cleaning the handle and tank or you will be spreading around germs from the dirtier areas to the areas that typically aren’t as dirty.
- Move to the lid and seat. Apply your cleaner and use a clean, dry surface of your cloth to clean and polish dry. The seat is likely the most dirty surface and often you will have to use more cleaner and/or more cleaning cloths than with other parts of the toilet.
- On to the toilet bowl. Sprinkle cleanser in the bowl, making sure you cover the entire bowl, sides of the bowl included. Dip your brush in the toilet water to wet it then sprinkle cleanser on it as well. Scrub in a circular motion starting at the top of the bowl and working your way down to the bottom of the water in the bowl. Once done, shake the excess water off of your brush and flush the toilet afterwards to rid yourself of germs that could crawl back up onto the toilet. Remember to scrub under the rim of the bowl. Many people miss this area and as a result, it becomes an area for unpleasant guests to thrive. Also, scrubbing from top to bottom of the bowl is a more effective way of cleaning because the toilet water becomes cloudy and dirt-filled if you start at the bottom. Contaminated water is not a good way to remove germs.
- Finish by applying cleaner to the outside of the bowl and clean the front and sides of the bowl using the same technique.
- Using a clean, dry cloth, you can touch up and polish dry any area of the toilet where there is excess cleaner which should leave you with a sparkling fresh toilet.
With the proper supplies and technique, it should take no more than two to three minutes to clean a toilet.
If you have troublesome bowl stains that your standard cleaner cannot remove, using a commercial acid based bowl cleaner will usually do the trick. This can be found at any janitorial supply store. You can also use a pumice stone designed for toilet bowls if you don’t want to use harsh chemicals on tough stains.
Following the above steps on how to clean a toilet will keep it fresh and clean!
