What is the most sanitary way to clean a toilet?

[justLisa]

I don't think I've ever started a thread on this forum, but how's this for my first:lol:

 

I have been using bleach and a scrubber thing, but then my OCD-ness kicks in and I find myself outside bleaching that thing and it's container with the hose then leaving it in the sun all day. And since the sun is on my front porch, I'm not sure what the neighbors think about this:lol:. This seems like kind of a hassle every time I need to scrub my toilets, which is um.....daily. Times 3 toilets.

 

For the outside I use those sanitizing wipes, but the though of buying so many of those disposable wiper things seems pricey, and then the "wand" portion still needs sanitizing. I have never found one of those tablet things you drop in the tank to be effective.

 

So, how do YOU clean your toilet :bigear:

[Mommyof4ks]

Hmm...clearly I need to put more thought into this lol. I just clean my toilet with the scrubber thing once a week using vinager, and then I plop the scrubber back in the holder. I do peroxide the scrubber every few weeks. So far we are all alive with no ill effects. :D I cannot bring myself to let the kids clean the toilet yet, because I think I am fairly good at containing the mess. I change clothes after cleaning too, because those germs are so gross to think about.

[ChristusG]

I use the wand things (these....Clorox Wands). LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are the most sanitary way I've found to clean the toilet. Only the bottom 1/3 of the wand really goes into the toilet. When finished, I just pull the little trash can over to the edge of the toilet and click the button to release the wand into the trash. Then I use a sanitizing wipe to wipe the bottom 1/2 of the wand and replace into its holder. Easy, sanitary, and it takes me literally a minute to clean the toilet.

 

It's not the cheapest way, but it buys me a lot of time and the "ick" factor goes away lol.

[ktgrok]

Lol, I guess you don't want to come to my house.....

 

I swish the toilet daily, no cleaner, and just put the scrubby thing back in it's base. I do keep meaning to put vinegar or diluted bleach in the base, but never remember. I also wipe down the toilet daily with a washcloth, which then goes in with the whites to be washed and bleached and dried in the dryer. I can't imagine any germs survive that. Once a month about I use toilet bowl cleaner, but that's it.

[ktgrok]

Lol, I guess you don't want to come to my house.....

 

I swish the toilet daily, no cleaner, and just put the scrubby thing back in it's base. I do keep meaning to put vinegar or diluted bleach in the base, but never remember. I also wipe down the toilet daily with a washcloth, which then goes in with the whites to be washed and bleached and dried in the dryer. I can't imagine any germs survive that. Once a month about I use toilet bowl cleaner, but that's it.

[stripe]

Ok, how come I have a spot up at the top that gets moldy no matter how hard I scrub, my brush just doesn't fit in unless I jam it in and scrub frantically for several minutes? I hate my toilets. When I moved in, they were stained pink and it took so much work to remove the stains, and they just get moldy and gross so fast....I swear it's these particular toilets.

[justLisa]

Ok, how come I have a spot up at the top that gets moldy no matter how hard I scrub, my brush just doesn't fit in unless I jam it in and scrub frantically for several minutes? I hate my toilets. When I moved in, they were stained pink and it took so much work to remove the stains, and they just get moldy and gross so fast....I swear it's these particular toilets.

 

 

What grosses me out is all the crevices around where the top is bolted down. Ick. I wish they would just come out with a one piece toilet that self cleans.

[stripe]

That's why I like squat toilets, frankly. This kind, not the nasty hole in the ground.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Squat-toilet-with-tank.jpg

 

But I don't have one.

[Mynyel]

Like this:

 

 

[Mandylubug]

I keep pinesol in my brush container. I do the flylady method daily and spray everything else on the outside with windex and wipe it down after wiping down my counters and sink, etc... my brush and holder sits in a tupperwear container on the floor behind the toilet.. now the brush itself doesn't gross me out since it has the pinesol in it and it disinfects, but the little brownish dribbles of pinesol that fall in the tupperwear container around the brush container gross me out :/ I end up rinsing it out weekly.

[dsmith]

I have never seen one of those before. I just know if I had one in my house, one day while in a rush or not paying attention I would put my foot right in the darn thing. Definitely not for clumsy people like me.:D

 

 

 

That's why I like squat toilets, frankly. This kind, not the nasty hole in the ground.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Squat-toilet-with-tank.jpg

 

But I don't have one.

[Mandylubug]

now, my SIL uses a cheapy scrub sponge and scrubs her toilet with bleach once a week with her hands with disposable dish gloves on.. she then tosses it all and uses new gloves and new sponge next week

[stripe]

I have never seen one of those before. I just know if I had one in my house, one day while in a rush or not paying attention I would put my foot right in the darn thing. Definitely not for clumsy people like me.:D

 

That's funny, but I see your point.

 

They're easier for kids, no climbing required, and accidents (don't quite make it on time) are easier to clean up. A lot fewer nooks and crannies to deal with, ugh.

[ktgrok]

It's the water, not the toilet.

[Laura Corin]

I clean the outside/seat with toilet wipes, but I think I will be swapping to Ecover multi-purpose cleaner sprayed onto paper towel - the wipes are expensive. I clean the inside with the scrubber and Ecover toilet cleaner (we have a septic tank so I try not to use bleach) then put the scrubber back in its tube. If the drips from the scrubber build up or the scrubber looks dirty, I might clean it out - maybe once a year or so. I clean once or twice a week, plus all of us give a swish around if the toilet gets visibly dirty.

 

Laura

[DarlaS]

Great. Just in case keeping up with the housework is not enough of a challenge, now we need to clean our cleaning supplies too? :001_huh:

 

I just poke it back in the little holder and every so often replace it. (I have this one so it's covered.) I do occasionally wipe the dust off the outside of the holder with a Clorox wipe.

[mommaduck]

Honestly, I don't know how anyone gets a toilet clean with a brush. They just don't get everywhere. And if you have hard water, they really don't get things clean. I'm a soft scrub and sponge/rag kind of person. It's how my mother taught me to clean a toilet. I've gone so far as to empty it of cold water and fill it with hot before (I'm cold sensitive).

[Kirch]

Flamethrower?? :D

 

Seriously, though, whoever thought it was a good idea to just mold the porcelain over the pipes on the base clearly never had to clean a toilet. I really wish we had one with a pillar/smooth base.:glare:

[Rosie_0801]

If scrubbing the inside with a brush, wiping the rest with eucalyptus oil, tossing the rag in the wash and hanging it on the line was good enough for my mother, it's good enough for me.

 

Rosie

[KidsHappen]

For a quick cleaning I use these disposable little blue scrubbie things that are like a scrubbie sponge with a handle on the back. I can't remember if they are made by the Scrubbing Bubbles people or Corox brand. They are supposed to attach to a handle and the you release the scrubbie into the garbage when you are done but I feel like that doesn't do a thorough job so I use disposable rubber gloves and just hold the handle and scrub. When I want to do a serious cleaning I use the Clorax clinging gel and a regular scrubbie. I apply the gel and let it sit for about half an hour the don my gloves, give it a through scrub and then rinse the sponge and toss it back into the cleaning bucket. I wipe down the outside with a clorox disposable wipe.

[amey311]

Flamethrower?? :D

 

 

You laugh, but I remember a Dave Barry story about setting a toilet on fire to completely clean it. I swear there was rubbing alcohol involved.

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/01/861087/housecleaning-tip-dont.html This references it. The original article was from 1995.

 

The article states that your kitchen-yes, YOUR kitchen-is basically a festering swarm of potentially deadly bacteria. The most interesting part of the article concerns a discovery by a University of Arizona microbiology professor named Dr. Chuck Gerba, who is an expert on household germs. I am familiar with Dr. Gerba, because some years ago I interviewed him on bathroom cleanliness, and he told me that the only sure way to kill all the bacteria on a toilet is -- I am not making this up -- to put laboratory alcohol on the bowl and set it on fire.

 

LEGAL ADVISORY -- Dr. Gerba is a trained bathroom scientist. As a layperson, you must NEVER EVER set your toilet on fire, EVER. Also be advised that it looks much cooler with the lights out.

 

So anyway, Dr. Gerba has found that the cleanest-looking kitchens were often the dirtiest. 'Because `clean' people wipe up so much, they often end up spreading bacteria all over the place. The cleanest kitchens,'' he said, ``were in the homes of bachelors, who never wiped up and just put their dirty dishes in the sink.''

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/01/861087/housecleaning-tip-dont.html#storylink=cpy

[GingerPoppy]

If scrubbing the inside with a brush, wiping the rest with eucalyptus oil, tossing the rag in the wash and hanging it on the line was good enough for my mother, it's good enough for me.

 

Rosie

Ahh, that sounds about right!!

[Kirch]

You laugh, but I remember a Dave Barry story about setting a toilet on fire to completely clean it. I swear there was rubbing alcohol involved.

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/01/861087/housecleaning-tip-dont.html This references it. The original article was from 1995.

 

:lol: Ahh, Dave Barry. Haven't read him in forever!!

[milovany]

Most sanitary way? For me? Pay someone else to come in and do it!

 

What I really do: I keep a brush in soapy water next to the commode. Every night before going to bed, I swish the brush around in the bowl right after flushing (as the water's going down). That's pretty much all I do.

[mo2]

It's the water, not the toilet.

 

:iagree:

 

Try having well water. Yeah. With no chlorine in it, the mold/mildew/ick just goes crazy.

[jackson'smama]

probably a little ocd here myself, but i do NOT use a brush. every time i've ever tried to keep a brush and use it, i get annoyed by then having to clean it's little stand. and i get REALLY tired of small children trying to do random things with that brush like clean the toilet and then drag said brush, dripping with toilet water, through the house.

SO, i clean it with my bare little hands. i use random products from clorox cleanup to baking soda and vinegar - depending on how dirty i think it is at the time. i remove the whole seat once per week and soak it in the tub (it's plastic) - sometimes just in hot water. i wipe the outside with a rag with whatever cleaning solution i'm using inside. i steam around it with my shark mop. we have hard well water. i have two young boys (you know what that means). but we are all healthy and my hands have not rotted off from the years of cleaning the toilet!

i put the cleaning rags in a pan in the laundry room and they get washed separately with other cleaning rag type stuff.

then i wash my hands.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Assign it to my teen. ;)

 

I get a toilet gel product, swish it in with clean with a brush then use Lysol wipes on the rest.

[stripe]

It's the water, not the toilet.

Great news!

 

Ugh.

[Night Elf]

I'm an old school big yellow rubber glove cleaner. I use a long handled toilet brush sometimes but occasionally I feel it's not doing the best job so I scrub the insides and outsides with a scrub brush. I use Soft Scrub inside and bleach water on the outside (lid, tank, floor, and wall).

 

I also have an easy cleaning toilet seat that I can remove and soak.

 

We recently got new toilets and it's been so nice! The only drawback is the inside is shapped strangely and we can't find a plunger that fits it perfectly. We're still looking.

[stripe]

So you all who scrub inside, you drain the water first, I'm assuming? I don't even know how to do that. Ugh.

[DawnM]

I put Lysol toilet bowl cleaner around the rim and let it sit for about 10 min.

 

Then I get one of these Clorox wand things and clean ALL 4 toilets with one of them, and then toss it.

 

I also use the Scrubbing Bubbles wipes for the top of the toilet and around the bowl on the outside. I have BOYS. I need them! :lol:

 

Dawn

 

I use the wand things (these....Clorox Wands). LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are the most sanitary way I've found to clean the toilet. Only the bottom 1/3 of the wand really goes into the toilet. When finished, I just pull the little trash can over to the edge of the toilet and click the button to release the wand into the trash. Then I use a sanitizing wipe to wipe the bottom 1/2 of the wand and replace into its holder. Easy, sanitary, and it takes me literally a minute to clean the toilet.

 

It's not the cheapest way, but it buys me a lot of time and the "ick" factor goes away lol.

[LaxMom]

I dunno, but I can say that plunging the stopped up toilet in the men's locker room should not be done wearing flip-flops. :ack2:

[Mabeline]

 

I also have an easy cleaning toilet seat that I can remove and soak.

 

 

Oh wow, I really need this seat. Thanks for letting me know it's out there.

[Trilliums]

That's why I like squat toilets, frankly. This kind, not the nasty hole in the ground.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Squat-toilet-with-tank.jpg

 

But I don't have one.

 

I was in a bathroom with very low toilets yesterday and it sparked a conversation with another woman. She said that squatting was the best way to "fully evacuate the bowels".

[Tiramisu]

That's why I like squat toilets, frankly. This kind, not the nasty hole in the ground.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Squat-toilet-with-tank.jpg

 

But I don't have one.

 

Having lived in several houses with these in Japan, I can tell you they smell no matter how much you clean them. I don't know why, but they do. It's a funky odor, too, different from anything I smelled here. I bet if someone blindfolded me, I could identify it since it's so distinctive.

 

They are nice for public toilets, though, because you don't have to touch anything.

 

ETA: Japanese houses don't smell bad, just the traditional toilets. I thought it might be good to clarify since it looks like "houses" is the antecedent for my pronoun. ;-)

Edited May 19, 2012 by NJKelli

[Tiramisu]

I think what is key to sanitization is to use something that kills germs and let it sit for awhile. CDiff spores, for example, will only be killed with a 10% bleach solution and I think it has to sit for 20 minutes before wiping. Fortunately, most people have to worry about that.:001_smile:

[lynn]

I use lysol bathroom cleaner and bowl cleaner. I spray the entire toilet down, top to bottom andput the bowl cleaner in. I let it sit 5 min+ then wipe it all down with a mircofiber towel designated for toilets only and put that towl in the washing machine on a prewash setting with bleach. This gets done a couple times a week. I use clorox wipes daily.

[justLisa]

Thanks for all the tips :D

 

Seriously, I don't know *how* stuff gets where it does, but I'm not letting the kids/DH clean them yet.

 

Once, and I kid you not. There was apparently too much toilet paper in the toilet, so DH unhooked a cheap metal coat hanger he found to fish it out. Then, he LEFT said instrument next to the toilet and when I inquire about it he said "oh, don't ask." :ack2: This from a man who alcohols everything he touches.

 

I think I'll go back to what I used to do. Spray the entire thing with bleach, and then use one disposable exam glove to scrub every toilet around the rim. You can buy a huge pack at costco. I think it's just as much waste as those scrub and toss things.

 

And I am totally going to look at those removable toilet seats!

[KristinaBreece]

So you all who scrub inside, you drain the water first, I'm assuming? I don't even know how to do that. Ugh.

 

I think if you turn the water off to the toilet (ours has a valve right behind it), and then flush it twice, it should be empty. Going to try this now.

[sparrow]

I dunno, but I can say that plunging the stopped up toilet in the men's locker room should not be done wearing flip-flops. :ack2:

 

:iagree:

 

Crocs don't add much more protection. Somehow the water finds its way into the holes on top :tongue_smilie:.

 

We own a campground. I'm inwardly chuckling about y'all being skeeved out at cleaning your own toilets. Please, come join me at work for Memorial weekend :D.

[fraidycat]

:iagree:

 

Crocs don't add much more protection. Somehow the water finds its way into the holes on top :tongue_smilie:.

 

We own a campground. I'm inwardly chuckling about y'all being skeeved out at cleaning your own toilets. Please, come join me at work for Memorial weekend :D.

 

LOL. I used to be the cleaning lady at a bar after closing time - not pretty. :D

 

Very little skeeves me out in the bathroom at home, and I am not huge on using chemical disinfectant or antibacterial anything in my own home. I put a drop or two of shampoo/soap/vinegar, whatever is handy at the moment and swish the toilets with the toilet brush, wipe down the outside with either a flushable wet wipe (the kind made for human tushes) or a damp cloth. Toilets are done.

 

If anyone has been ill, I might up the disinfection factor with some tea tree oil or something, but honestly, I can't even remember the last time anyone has been sick.

[Miss Peregrine]

I sprinkle ajax every few days and use a kitchen scrubber with a long handle since toilet scrubbers don't clean very well, IMO. I keep the kitchen scrubber in a toilet wand holder. I wipe the seat and rim, and outside of the toilet with Costco baby wipes. I usually use 2, one of which I just used to wipe off the faucet and counters.

[Bang!Zoom!]

:001_huh: I don't see the way I do them here at all.

 

Thanks Mom, throw me in the weirdo category again......

 

I plunge back the water until there is no water in the bowl. Mix up a bucket of bleach water, pour that in. Leave soaking for an hour. Flush. Now Toliet bowl cleaner, clingy blue stuff, scrub. Flush. All over wipedown, pull up the seat tabs, get under there, and wax the sides/tank with turtle wax.

[stripe]

If I use soap, I can scrub the toilet daily and it still becomes all nasty with pink moldy stuff everywhere. If I use bleachy scrub, it looks way better. It is very frustrating.

[mommymilkies]

I have a Scrubbing Bubbles brush and insert thingamabob. I don't do it every day. I don't always use the little name brand scrubbers. I found the brushes too gross. I try to use all natural cleaners, but I figure the small amount of chemicals I use for the toilet is better than me wanting to puke when I go in the bathroom.

[justLisa]

:001_huh: I don't see the way I do them here at all.

 

Thanks Mom, throw me in the weirdo category again......

 

I plunge back the water until there is no water in the bowl. Mix up a bucket of bleach water, pour that in. Leave soaking for an hour. Flush. Now Toliet bowl cleaner, clingy blue stuff, scrub. Flush. All over wipedown, pull up the seat tabs, get under there, and wax the sides/tank with turtle wax.

 

 

Oh we are toilet cleaning sisters!! :lol: This is even better than I do now. Maybe this will be my "once a week" routine. Though I have never emptied the water, I just pour bleach in the bowl, then scrub around and leave the brush to sit and disenfect.

[Bang!Zoom!]

My "day" for this is Sunday afternoons. The rest of the week is what I call, "Maid Service Hotel" style.

[Dustybug]

I sprinkle either AJAX/Comet type stuff, sometimes just baking soda into the toilet. I don't drain anything. I use the toilet brush to scrub around THEN I flush. Sometimes I pour a little bleach into the toilet and let it sit awhile and flush before I do all that. Then I use an all purpose cleaner spray or vinegar/water to spray the outside and use a washcloth to wipe it down by hand. I don't even use gloves. :tongue_smilie:

[ktgrok]

Am I weird because I'm just NOT grossed out by toilet germs? I mean, I change poopy diapers and clean poopy bottoms several times a day. What's a little more poop, lol. And of course, I worked in a dog kennel for a long time, then as a vet tech for a decade. I've had so much excrement on me that a toilet that looks clean is just not going to gross me out because of some possible germs.

 

Like I said, baby diapers are way more gross. Or mildew in the shower. Now THAT grosses me out. To the point that I have actual nightmares about mildew encrusted bathrooms. yuck.

 

I also just realized that we wipe our rear ends without wearing gloves. So why is that ok, but wiping the toilet down requires hazmat gear?

Edited May 19, 2012 by ktgrok

[BatmansWife]

I like to use the thicker toilet bowl cleaners (like Cling).....squirt it all around the inside of the bowl. Then I used a toilet bowl brush and scrub all around inside, especially up under the rim (I don't know if that's what it's called). This brush, with it's own container to stand it in, stores under the bathroom sink. Then I use a antibacterial spray (like spic n span) and spray the entire outside of the toilet....tank, flusher handle, lid & seat (both top and bottom), around the toilet (just everywhere). I usually use toilet paper to wipe everything so I can just throw that in the toilet and flush it all when I'm done.