How to Clean a Toilet Properly: The Ultimate Guide to Keep it Stain-Free and Fresh Smelling

written by: Florie Malapit

Published: January 9, 2023
Updated: June 28, 2023

reading time:  minutes

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How to Clean a Toilet Properly: The Ultimate Guide to Keep it Stain-Free and Fresh Smelling

Cleaning a toilet may seem simple, but it takes a lot of know-how and dedication. To get your toilet sparkling and free of stains, you need to know how to clean the bowl, the tank, and the interior of the toilet bowl.

In this guide, we'll tell you how to do all of those things and more. We'll also give you tips for keeping your toilet stain-free for longer.

Cleaning the toilet is one of the most unpleasant chores. It's also one of the most important. A regular cleaning routine is one of the best ways to keep your toilet clean and free of stains. If you've cleaned a toilet, you know it's not the most straightforward task. It can be messy, smelly, and difficult to get done correctly.

A clean toilet is essential to keeping your home sanitary. Fortunately, keeping your toilet clean can be as simple as hiring a house cleaning service in Melbourne. There are also a variety of methods you can use to keep your toilet looking as good as new.

This guide will discuss how to clean a toilet properly to stay stain-free and fresh smelling. We'll walk you through everything from how to deep-clean your toilet bowl and keep that porcelain sparkling white all year long. We'll also show you how to remove stains from your toilet's interior and exterior, no matter how stubborn they might be.

How to clean a toilet properly

What You'll Need

  • Rubber gloves
  • Goggles
  • Bathroom cleaner
  • Toilet cleaner
  • Toilet brush
  • Sponge
  • Clean cloth
  • Paper towels
  • Bathroom mop
  • Baking soda
  • Can of cola
  • White vinegar

Instructions

1. Gather your cleaning supplies and prepare the area

Gather all the tools and cleaning supplies that you need. Take everything out from around your toilet to start. It can be messy to clean a toilet, and there's always a danger that you'll spill cleaner or water outside the toilet.

Remove all unnecessary items from the area around the toilet and the tank cover to avoid additional cleanup. Remember to remove everything at the top of the tank to prevent anything from falling into the bowl while cleaning.

flush and disinfect the toilet

2. Flush and disinfect the toilet

Before anything else, make sure you're cleaning with rubber gloves and goggles. You should protect your eyes and skin due to the harshness of some toilet cleaning chemicals. For the same reason, always flush the toilet with the lid closed.

To prevent the cleanser from diluting, add your preferred powdered, liquid, or gel cleaner into the toilet bowl as close as possible.

3. Wipe the exterior of the toilet

Clean the outside of the toilet using a bathroom cleaner that is potent enough to disinfect it after the cleaning solution soaks into the toilet dirt in the bowl and you flush it away.

To avoid leaking on already-cleaned surfaces, start cleaning at the top of the exterior of the toilet. Spray and clean the tank's edges, handle, and other surfaces with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Wipe the toilet's exterior lid next, then clean the bowl's exterior from top to bottom. Before cleaning the bottom edges of the toilet where it touches the floor, start with the sides and front. You can also take the time to mop the dirty floor area surrounding the toilet rapidly.

4. Spray the toilet seat

Spray the toilet seat with a toilet bowl cleaner

Particular attention should be paid to the toilet seat. Since it is the section of the toilet that makes contact with people, it must be carefully cleaned.

As you raise the seat, spritz the toilet's rim, interior lid, and seat with a toilet cleaner or disinfecting spray. Wipe the toilet seat's cover, seat, and back hinges using cloth or paper towels.

Some toilets have hinges that may pop open for easier cleaning access. To eliminate any bleach or chemical residue from the seating surface, wipe the seat with a cloth dampened with clean water.

5. Clean the toilet water tank

Check the inside of the water tank by taking off the lid. Pour four cups of vinegar into the tank if you notice any mineral buildup or gunk. Let it sit, and give it up to an hour to soak.

After that, flush the toilet and switch off the water supply. It will let the toilet tank empty. While the tank is empty, scrape the walls with a sponge or toilet brush.

Restart the water supply, let the toilet fill, and flush it several times to clean the tank thoroughly.

6. Use a toilet brush to scrub the toilet bowl's interior

Scrub the interior of the toilet bowl with a toilet brush

Starting at the top, start scrubbing the toilet bowl. Under the rim should always be cleaned first. Look under the edge to get rid of all the stains and filth. Next, use the toilet brush to scrub the bowl, particularly the drain opening at the bottom. With the lid down, flush the toilet.

If the toilet bowl has brown or reddish rust or mineral stains, you can use baking soda or a commercial product to clean the porcelain. Some people advise adding a can of soda to the toilet bowl, scraping and rinsing it out before adding white vinegar to the water to help remove stubborn hard water stains.

In either case, flush the toilet before removing rust stains since the chemicals in the rust-cleaning solutions may react with those in the all-purpose cleaner. After this cleaning, rinse the bowl with the cover down.

7. Clean the surrounding area

To complete the bathroom toilet cleaning task, clean up any cleaner or water spills, put the garbage away, disinfect the cleaning tools you used, and replace whatever you removed from the toilet or the space around the toilet.

It's time to flush your fears goodbye with these easy toilet cleaning steps

Bid Your Fears Goodbye With These Easy Steps!

We've covered a lot of ground today, and we hope you found it all helpful. Now you know how to clean a toilet properly and keep it looking fresh and free from stubborn stains.

But if there's one thing we want to leave you with, it's this. No matter how hard you try to keep your toilet bowl clean, it will inevitably get dirty again, and that's okay. It's natural for your toilet bowl to have hard water stains and smells after a while. After all, it's where all your business goes.

So don't worry about being perfect. Just be sure to follow these steps from time to time, and your toilet will always be ready for whatever comes next!

For more bathroom cleaning tips, check out our ultimate bathroom cleaning guide.


FAQs: How to Clean a Toilet

Why do you need to clean a toilet bowl?

Cleaning and disinfecting a toilet bowl is more than just an act of hygiene. It's also a way to keep your plumbing in good shape. Because when the bowl isn't cleaned regularly, it can start to build up with bacteria and stubborn stains that can lead to clogged pipes and other problems.

How to keep the toilet bowl clean?

The best way to clean dirty toilets is to keep a cleaning schedule, just like you would for most other household tasks. Ensure your tools and cleaning supplies, such as toilet brush, gloves, and towels, are clean, and regularly scrub the toilet bowl or use antibacterial wipes to clean the toilet seat.

In between more extensive cleanings, using a toilet rim block will help keep your toilet fresh, clean, and hygienic.

How often should you clean a toilet?

You should scrub and clean a toilet as frequently as possible, but if someone is ill in your house, thorough disinfection should be performed every two to three days. If the toilet is used regularly, scrubbing it with a toilet brush and disinfecting it with a disinfecting spray once per week or every two weeks should be sufficient and the best way to clean a toilet thoroughly.

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About the author 

Florie Malapit

Contributing Writer at Sparkle and Shine Today. She is a freelance content writer with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, major in Marketing Management, and more than two years of blog and content writing experience.


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