Toilets

Cleaning the toilet is one of those chores that you want to get through as quickly as possible. Many toilet-bowl cleaners and deodorizers claim that they'll help you do this. Some products are truly helpful, some are not. Toilet bowls and tanks are usually made of vitreous china, which is nonporous and easy to clean.

Before you clean your toilet, read the label on your cleaning product to learn its exact chemical makeup and how it should be used. Be especially careful never to mix products that contain chlorine bleach with ammonia-base products. Always wear rubber gloves when you work with toilet cleaners. Be careful not to allow cleaners to remain in the toilet or to touch other bathroom surfaces.

Clean and disinfect your toilet bowl with 1/2 cup chlorine bleach. Pour it into the bowl, and let it stand for ten minutes. Then scrub with the toilet brush and flush.

Here are some other suggestions for cleaning your toilet quickly and efficiently:
  • Keep a long-handle brush for cleaning toilet bowls.
  • Disposable toilet brushes contain toilet cleaner and can make the job much faster.
  • Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sodium bisulfate (sodium acid sulfate) into a wet toilet bowl for a single scrubbing and flushing. Wear rubber gloves. Let it stand for 15 minutes and then scrub and flush as usual. Caution: Never combine bleach with toilet-bowl cleaners; the mix can release toxic gases.
  • Give your toilet an overnight cleaning by putting 1/4 cup borax in the bowl and letting it sit overnight. In the morning, scrub stains away.
  • You can achieve the same effect overnight by putting 2 denture cleanser tablets in the toilet and letting them sit overnight. Scrub the toilet in the morning.
  • Rust stains under a toilet-bowl rim sometimes yield to laundry bleach -- be sure to protect your hands with rubber gloves. Rub off truly stubborn stains with extra-fine steel wool or with wet-dry sandpaper (available at hardware stores).
  • Chemical toilet-bowl cleaners should never be used to clean the bathtub or sink; the chemicals will ruin the finish.
Once the toilet is clean, your work in the bathroom is done. But remember, you'll have to start the whole process over again in another week or so.