Keeping a clean home is something all of us take pride in, but the one thing that makes us queasy is cleaning the toilet. No matter how appealing your house looks, having a clean toilet is essential for your home hygiene and staying healthy.
An unkempt toilet is a breeding ground for germs, diseases, and smells bad to boot. Well, and let’s face it, no one feels like using a smelly, stained toilet.
While we may all be familiar with how to clean a toilet, specific stain removal may not be something with which we are familiar. Here is an essential stain removal guide to keep our toilets spic and span.
Cleaning and disinfecting a toilet bowl
Let us begin with the basics and discuss how to clean a very stained toilet bowl. This should not take more than 5 minutes.
What you’ll need
- A good toilet brush
- A toilet cleaner and disinfectant like Harpic/Domex
- A plunger (optional)
- A bucket
The process
Let us begin with the importance of a good toilet brush. A good toilet brush ought to have a comfortable handle and a head that is shaped to give you access to all the nooks and crannies of the toilet bowl. The bristles on the brush must be stiff enough to get rid of stains but should not flick dirty water outwards.
Start the cleaning process by reducing the amount of water in the toilet bowl to allow the toilet cleaner to disinfect the bowl effectively. While you could use a plunger to do this, an easier way would be to fill a half bucket with water and pour it towards the back of the toilet with moderate force. This acts as a flush and helps drain most of the bowl’s water.
The next step is applying the disinfectant and cleaner. Begin under the upper rim of the toilet and apply it to coat the sides of the bowl thoroughly. This is fairly easy since most cleaners come with angled spouts.
Then let the cleaner sit for a few minutes. If the bowl has old and stubborn stains, you could let the cleaner rest for ten minutes or more.
Now, it is time to begin scrubbing. Start from the top and work your way down, applying extra pressure whenever you need to clear a stain. Be sure to spend extra time under the rim, on the top, and in the drain since these areas have the most germs.
All that’s left for you to do now is flush the cleaner out. Remember to scrub gently while the flush does its job to avoid splashing and partially clean the brush simultaneously.
Yellow stain removal from the toilet bowl
Sometimes, yellow stains are extra stubborn and difficult to remove. Here’s a guide on how to clean a yellow-stained toilet bowl using common household items.
What you will need
- Baking soda
- A solution of two parts vinegar to one part water
- A spray bottle
- Toilet cleaning brush
The process
First, apply a liberal baking soda over the yellow stains and brush it vigorously. Then, spray the vinegar and water solution over the area and let it rest for a few minutes.
Once again, work the area over with the brush and rinse it with water. Your stubborn yellow stains should have vanished. If there are still signs of the stains, repeat the process once again to rid your toilet bowl of the yellow stains.
Brown stain removal from the toilet bowl
If you see brown spots inside your toilet bowl, these are caused by rust or iron oxide. Here’s a guide on how to clean brown stains on the toilet bowl.
What you will need
- Vinegar
- Salt (optional)
- An old toothbrush (optional)
The process
If the spotting is inside the bowl, all you need to do is pour a generous amount of vinegar into the bowl and let it rest for a few hours, preferably overnight. Then flush the toilet, and your stains will disappear.
If these brown spots are near the rim, you will need to apply a paste of vinegar and salt using an old toothbrush. Let this rest overnight and flush it out in the morning to remove the brown spots.
Cleaning the toilet seat and the exterior of the toilet
Your job is only halfway done. Now that you have cleaned the toilet bowl, let us get to how to clean yellow stains on a toilet seat as well as the exterior of the toilet.
What you will need
- A toilet seat disinfectant spray
- The toilet cleaner and disinfectant you used for the bowl
- Paper towels or dry cleaning rags
- An old toothbrush
The process
Pour the disinfectant and cleaner onto the toilet seat. Cover the corners and edges properly since these areas have a lot of hidden grime. Then continue to cover the rest of the external surfaces of the toilet bowl.
Start cleaning the surfaces and the hidden areas with an old toothbrush. Don’t be afraid to break out the elbow grease! Once you have thoroughly scrubbed all these areas, wipe them with paper towels or dry cleaning rags.
Wait, there’s more to do. Spray a toilet seat disinfectant onto all the toilet surfaces you are likely to touch often, such as the lid, the flush, the tank, and the seat. These sprays contain sodium hypochlorite, a highly effective chemical in getting rid of harmful germs. In addition, they also leave a pleasant fragrance when you’re done.
Start wiping the bowl with a dry rag. Always start from the top and work your way down. If the cloth becomes wet, swap it out for a dry cloth.
Cleaning the toilet base
The toilet base, where the toilet meets the ground, also requires regular cleaning. Once again, you need some common household items.
What you will need
- A solution of two parts vinegar to one part water
- Dishwashing soap
- A spray bottle
- A scrubber
The process
Make a cleaning solution using two parts vinegar, one part water, and a few drops of dishwashing soap. Mix this thoroughly and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray the cleaning solution on the toilet base and let it rest for around 20 minutes. Then work the area using a scrubber and rinse it with water.
Pro tips
- Regularly cleaning your toilets goes a long way in keeping you and your family healthy. While you ought to clean the toilet bowl at least twice a week, it is advisable to clean the entire toilet using the steps mentioned above once a week or once in a fortnight, depending on the amount of traffic the toilet sees.
- If you live in a gated community or apartment building that uses a community management app like MyGate, you may find offers and discounts from professional cleaning services to help you out as well.
- Keeping your toilet brush clean is as important as cleaning the toilet itself. Once you are done cleaning the toilet, be sure to rinse the brush in hot running water. Then, spray it with a disinfectant to kill the germs and dry it out in the sunlight.
Now that you know how to clean stained toilets, it is time to get started to give your toilet space a fresh and clean look!
Wipe Your Worries With These Easy Toilet Cleaning Tips
About MyGate
MyGate is India’s largest gated society maintenance system, benefiting thousands of housing societies, developers, society facility managers, and millions of homeowners in every Indian city.
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