Your toilet is probably one of the most used fixtures in your home, so chances are it’s also one of the things that you clean the most. While there’s more than one way to clean a toilet, to make it easier to keep your toilet sparkling clean, we’ll teach you how to speed-clean your porcelain throne in a matter of minutes.
How to Clean a Toilet in Record Time
Get your commode to sparkle in minutes
Photo: castenoid / Adobe Stock
Photo: castenoid / Adobe Stock
Written by Jacqueline Quach
Contributing Writer
Reviewed by Asya Biddle
Manager, The Dust Busters
Updated September 8, 2022
Difficulty
Easy
You've got this!
Time to complete
8 minutes
Cost
$10
Keep it wallet-friendly.
Need professional help with your project?
Get quotes from top-rated pros.
What you'll need:
TOOLS
- Rubber gloves
- Toilet brush
- Toothbrush
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
SUPPLIES
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Spray cleaner appropriate for the outside of your toilet
- Paper towels or rags
Apply Toilet Cleaner
Before getting started, you may want to take precautions by donning some safety equipment, says Asya Biddle, Angi Expert Review Board member and manager of The Dustbusters, a family-owned and operated janitorial company in Williamsport, PA. "Safety glasses and gloves should be worn dependent upon the type of cleaner utilized," Biddle says. "Many cleaners are acidic based and cause eye and skin irritation."
Place the tip of the bottle of your toilet cleaner underneath the rim and apply the cleaner generously around the toilet bowl. Make sure to apply enough so that the cleaner runs down the sides of the bowl, then close the bowl and let it sit for up to 10 minutes.
Clean the Exterior
Photo: andrey gonchar / Adobe StockWhile waiting for the cleaner to work on your toilet bowl, apply a spray cleaner all over the outside of your toilet and wipe it down with your paper towel or rag. If you have a toilet with a quick-release seat, you can also take the seat out and clean it separately.
Spray on your cleaner, paying more attention to areas on the toilet that get touched regularly, like the flushing handle and the seat. If the cleaner contains a disinfectant, leave it to sit for the amount of time recommended on the bottle.
For hard-to-reach areas like the toilet seat hinge, you can use a toothbrush to make cleaning easier. Once you’re done, wipe off the cleaner with a paper towel or rag.
Scrub the Toilet Bowl
Photo: Photographee.eu / Adobe StockUse a toilet brush to scrub the bowl, applying firm pressure to any areas that may have stubborn stains. Concentrate your scrubbing along the edges of the toilet bowl and in the drain. Once you’ve finished scrubbing, close the toilet seat and flush. Keeping the seat closed prevents any particles from escaping during a toilet flush into the air.
Clean the Toilet Brush
Keep your toilet brush clean by covering it with disinfecting spray and leaving it to sit for a few minutes. Then, rinse it with hot water in your shower or tub and spray the toilet brush basin to ensure your brush stays clean.
Maintain Cleanliness
For a sparkling clean toilet, clean it at least once a week. The number of times you’ll need to clean it depends on how much use your toilet gets, so you may need to increase it to twice or three times per week if you have a big family, frequent houseguests, or work from home.
Clean the exterior, handle, and seat once a day with a cleaning and disinfecting spray if more than one person uses the toilet. This regular cleaning ensures that your toilet stays looking and feeling clean.
DIY Cleaning vs. Hiring a Pro
While cleaning a toilet is a simple task, you can bring a professional on board if you’re having trouble keeping up with cleaning your bathroom.
For a DIY toilet cleaning, the supplies cost about $10. If you prefer to have a professional house cleaner do it instead, the average cost to clean a house is $180 for four hours of work. Of course, a house cleaning pro can tackle a lot more than your bathroom in that amount of time. You can get a more accurate estimate by finding a house cleaner near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can remove stubborn stains from your toilet by scrubbing with a store-bought cleaner appropriate for the toilet’s material. If you’re looking for a homemade solution, you can also use vinegar and baking soda—just pour 2 cups of white vinegar around the edges of your toilet. Once the bowl is wet with vinegar, sprinkle 3 tablespoons of baking soda, concentrating on the stains. Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush to clean the mixture.
Just a note: While combining baking soda and vinegar is OK, never mix that solution with any other cleaners.
You can pour bleach down the toilet as long as you dilute it since undiluted bleach can damage your toilet bowl. If you choose to use bleach to remove stains from your toilet, mix every cup of bleach with a gallon of water. You should also follow safety precautions when using bleach, like working in a well-ventilated area, wearing gloves, and never mixing it with any other cleaner.
Need professional help with your project?
Get quotes from top-rated pros.
The homeowners guide to Cleaning
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.