The Fast Facts
- Even if you think you clean your toilet well, you might not be cleaning it often enough.
- Some of the most advertised toilet cleaners could be doing your pipes damage and fostering rust and limescale.
- You might be surprised at our top recommendations for cleaning your toilet bowl. Hint: Plumbers recommend it.
I’ve cleaned and disinfected my toilet before writing this, so I feel a little bit better. My colleagues are equally convicted, informed, and motivated — in that order. Please understand, once you learn what we have, there’s no going backward.
Yes, you may think you clean your toilet. But is what you’re doing actually killing bacteria, germs, and mold, or is it just “curb appeal”? You may spray, wipe, scrub a little, and swish:
But how often and how deeply do we need to clean our toilet bowls?
Read on, and you’ll find out that when we ask if you really need to clean that, we may just be redefining what you think is “clean.”
parts
- Aerosols (plumes) of germs and bacteria (like Salmonella) that can travel up to 6 feet during flushing, contaminating surfaces and air.
- Aerosols of bacteria including Serratia marcescens (especially harmful for immunocompromised folks or people in hospitals), which is one of the same bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- toilet mold
- backsplash that contains mold, viral, and bacterial spores
academic research
hidden dangers lurking in your toilet
How (and how often) to clean what cleans your home
communities of microorganisms
Why your water bottles need your attention (and how to wash them right)
Research from 2021
E. coli, and infections like listeria, MRSA, or Legionnaire’s disease.
research
study
Scrubbing
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
More on that below
Bleach kills many germs, but doing a two-step process (cleaning, then disinfecting) is best. Some biofilms are bleach resistant, and some germs and viruses are resistant to some disinfectants.
2020 study
all
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Clean:
Disinfect:
soft drink can erode toilet stains and grime
Cleaning
usually with water and soap to remove dirt, germs, stains, and impurities from surfaces
Sanitizing
often with weaker bleach solutions, sanitizing sprays, or peroxide solutions (toys) to kill germs to public safety regulations after cleaning
Disinfecting
done with stronger bleach solutions or chemicals after cleaning
Toilet Bowl ✅
Cleaning: a couple of times weekly, more depending on the number of users
Sanitizing and disinfecting: weekly, more depending on the number of users
Descaling: Monthly. This regimen of removing the mineral deposit in water receptacles is necessary to remove mineral buildup inside. The ‘scale’ of calcium, limescale, and other minerals is a breeding ground for viruses, germs, and bacteria.
Pro tip: According to the City of Moline (Illinois) website, even though you may disinfect with bleach, you do not want to leave bleach in your toilet as it can damage your plumbing seals and valves.
Toilet seat ✅
Cleaning: a couple of times weekly, more depending on the number of users
Sanitizing and disinfecting: weekly, more depending on the number of users
It’s wise to use an angled brush with a cleaner designed for under-the-rim use. Let the cleaner sit before scrubbing thoroughly.
Toilet handle ✅
Cleaning: daily
Sanitizing and disinfecting: a couple of times weekly, more depending on the number of users
Pro tip: You’ll want to wipe it down and let it either air dry or dry it manually with a rag or paper towel. Drying is part of the cleaning process since pathogens thrive on wet and warm surfaces.
Toilet crevices ✅
Cleaning: a couple of times weekly, more depending on the number of users
Sanitizing and disinfecting: weekly, more depending on the number of users
P.S. Best practices for bathroom use.
- Never mix bleach and ammonia. They create a harmful, toxic gas, chloramine.
- Some cleaners, when used too frequently in the toilets and sinks, can damage pipes and plumbing, including Drano, Liquid-Plumr, and bleach-containing toilet bowl cleaners.
- The toilet roll goes on with sheets facing over, not under, so you can separate one-handed. OK, I just added that one myself, but it’s logical!
Cleaner
If you’re using soap and water, vinegar and baking soda, a detergent, or anything labeled a “household cleaner,” these are enough to remove dirt and surface debris to wipe away.
Disinfectant
A disinfectant, though, uses chemicals to kill pathogens on the surface. Disinfectants include hydrogen peroxide, products labeled “antimicrobial,” and, of course, “disinfectant.”
Hydrogen peroxide
To be clear: We all need to be cleaning AND disinfecting our homes and the frequently used items in them to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Also, we need to be sanitizing the brushes and pads we use to clean surfaces.
Bonus: Descalers and descaling tools
Lastly, if you’re not scrubbing enough, biofilms, limescale, or rust stains can create tacky tracks where bacteria can nest and fester. So in addition to cleaning and disinfecting, descaling regularly may be necessary.
Descaling involves using a solution to dissolve mineral buildup, such as limescale. If scale is visible, you may need to employ a pumice stone tool to help remove the buildup.
Thanks to Amazon and modern advances, there is a brush, scraper, or solution suitable for cleaning under the rim, the ears of your toilet, the bowl, and more. There are also various ways to approach cleaning, deodorizing, sanitizing, and disinfecting.
We’ve got a few recommendations below, but whether you’re doing a daily clean or a deep disinfection, there are at least three methods: natural cleaning agents, good old-fashioned chemical disinfectants, and some tools and gadgets to get the job done.
Au naturel
For weekly+ sanitizing, you can make a baking soda paste or use a vinegar dilution.
Baking soda scrub: Create your own paste using two simple ingredients. Please note that “tablespoon” is abbreviated as “tbsp.”
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp water (or equal parts depending on size and number of containers to be cleansed)
- scrub the bowl, rim, and seat
- flush, wipe the under and skin-side seat clean with a water-dampened rag, or paper towel, and use a separate rag or towel to dry.
Vinegar solution: You’ll come to learn (if you haven’t already) that white vinegar is your secret solution to cleaning and sanitizing most household items and features. In this case, you stir:
- 1 part white vinegar
- 4 parts water
- spray all over and let it marinate for 10 to 15 minutes
- flush, wipe the under and skin-side seat clean with a water-dampened rag, or paper towel, and use a separate rag or towel to dry.
With both methods, it’s important to let your surfaces air-dry fully or dry with a rag or paper towel. Remember, moisture and warmth are gateways to multiplying any remnants of bacteria or mold particles, so drying is actually part of the disinfection process.
We like this vinegar for cleaning:
Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide: Both over-the-counter and medical-grade disinfectants are sound germ-killing options for outer surfaces:
- 1:1 equal parts hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol to water
- wipe the outer surface down and allow to fully air dry
Descale with lemon: The acidity in lemon slices or lemon juice makes them ideal for descaling kettles and coffee makers:
Essential oils
Several essential oils have antibacterial, antifungal properties that can help disinfect and deodorize your toilet and home. You can start with your favorite aromas, research which offers which of the above properties, dilute, and get to disinfecting from here:
- eucalyptus essential oil
- grapefruit essential oil
- lemon essential oil
- orange essential oil
- oregano essential oil
- peppermint essential oil
- pine essential oil
- rosemary essential oil
- tea tree oil
- thyme essential oil
Bleach
Bleach is a go-to disinfecting and sanitizing agent, and the CDC recommends using
Yes👏🏾you👏🏾 really👏🏾 need👏🏾 to👏🏾 clean👏🏾 that toilet bowl, seat, lid, handle, and those toilet “ears.” We say clean loosely as an umbrella term for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting on a weekly to multiple-times-per-week basis.
You can clean by using concentrated vinegar, baking soda, and a splash of antimicrobial essential oils. You can then sanitize by alternating with a bleach dilution to sanitize and disinfect, along with other disinfection chemicals. This regimen of cleaning and sanitizing can keep biofilms, viruses, infection-causing bacteria, and general germs away from your parts and from aerosolizing in your home.
*Remember to keep all chemicals out of reach of children and pets.