Your new house is bound to get real dirty and dusty, especially after renovation works have been completed. Thus, before settling into your new home, the toilet is definitely one of the places that you’ll want to include in your move in cleaning list.
To make this process as easy as can be for you, we’ve put together a simple step by step guide on how to clean a toilet thoroughly and remove tough stains while you’re at it!
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Cleaning supplies needed to clean a toilet
Before you begin scrubbing the toilet, it’d be a good idea to prepare these essential items so you don’t have to run back and forth looking for them while cleaning:
- All-purpose disinfectant spray
- All-purpose cleaner
- Toilet cleaner
- Toilet brush
- Sponge / cloth
- Paper towels (if necessary)
- Rubber gloves
Step by step guide to cleaning a toilet
The toilet is one of the most frequently used places in the house. Make sure to disinfect and give it a good scrub at least once every week to keep bacteria at bay!
If someone at home is unwell, it’s best to disinfect the toilet two to three times a week to prevent the germs from spreading.
Step 1: Apply the toilet cleaner to the bowl
To begin, turn off the water supply to the toilet and flush. Apply the toilet cleaner as close to the toilet rim as possible.
If you’re using a gel cleaner, let it sit for five minutes while you proceed with the next step of this process.
If you’re using a liquid cleaner, make sure to scrub immediately as the solution will flow down the sides of the bowl really quickly! In this case, you can skip Step 5.
Tip: Baking soda can clean the toilet too!
For a gentler alternative to a toilet cleaner, you may want to consider using baking soda instead.
It’s easy—just pour some baking soda into the toilet and leave it to sit for 30 minutes!
Step 2: Disinfect the exterior surface
While you’re letting the cleaner soak, it’s time to move on to the exterior of the toilet. You may not come into contact with it as much as the toilet seat but it’s best to disinfect every inch of it!
Start by wiping the toilet exterior quickly with a disinfecting wipe. If the toilet is especially dirty, you may want to use some paper towels first. Next, spray it with an all-purpose disinfecting solution and give it a wipe down.
Note: In order for the disinfectant to work its magic, all scum has to be removed first. Hence, it’s important for you to clean the exterior with a wipe before spraying the solution!
Step 3: Clean the exterior of the toilet
Now that you’ve disinfected the toilet exterior, you can move on to cleaning it and removing any stains.
Spray the exterior with an all-purpose cleaner and use a sponge or cloth to clean the surface.
Note: Work from top to bottom! You don’t want to be doing double work by dirtying the surfaces that you’ve already cleaned. This means moving from the tank down to the lid and to the exterior of the bowl.
Tip: Use baby oil to polish the flush handle
Since you’re cleaning, why not get that nice shine on the flush handle as well?
Simply polish the handle with some baby oil and a cloth. You’ll be amazed at the results!
Step 4: Clean the toilet seat
Here comes one of the most important parts of the toilet—the seat! Since it’s the part that you come into contact with the most, it’s crucial to do a thorough cleaning job.
Spray some all-purpose cleaner on the inside of the toilet cover, the top of and under the seat and the rim of the toilet bowl. Use a cloth to wipe these areas as well as the hinges.
Spray the seat with clean water to get rid of any chemical residue that could be left on the surface.
Note: After cleaning the exterior surfaces and toilet seat, do wipe them with a dry cloth to prevent bacteria growth!
Step 5: Scrub the bowl
Finally, you’re at the last step! All that’s left for you to do is to scrub the bowl.
Begin by scrubbing under the rim to get rid of any grime and stains. Move downwards to clean the sides of the bowl before ending off at the bottom.
Once you’re satisfied with your sparkling clean toilet, cover the lid and give it a flush.
Tip: Use pumice stones to remove water rings
Since your toilet is new, you’re unlikely to run into the problem of water rings. However, if you do notice water rings that haven’t gone away after completing these 5 steps, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Grab a pumice stone and dampen it with some water. Start scrubbing the water ring gently and then flush the bowl with water. You’ll see that the water rings have vanished completely!
Note: Pumice stones are slightly abrasive so make sure to protect your new toilet from any scratches by dampening the stone before use. You can also try it on a hidden corner of the bowl first to determine if it’s too harsh.
How to clean a toilet water tank
When you think about cleaning the toilet, the water tank isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind. Yet, it’s an incredibly important part of the toilet that shouldn’t be neglected, especially when you first move into your new home!
Cleaning the water tank will get rid of any mineral deposits that may damage the inner components of the tank over time.
All you’ll need are these three supplies:
- Rubber gloves
- Sponge / scrub brush with a long handle
- Distilled white vinegar
Note: After doing this during the move in cleaning, you can repeat this process again 6 months later. On average, you only have to clean the toilet water tank twice a year!
Steps for cleaning a water tank
Step 1: Remove the lid of the tank.
Step 2: Add four cups of distilled white vinegar and allow the water-vinegar solution to soak for a maximum of one hour.
Step 3: Turn off the tap that’s supplying water to the toilet and flush to drain the liquid from the tank.
Step 4: Scrub the walls of the tank with a sponge or scrub brush.
Step 5: Once you’ve cleaned the tank sufficiently, turn the tap back on and watch as the water fills up. Rinse the tank by flushing the toilet a couple of times.
Note: You can help to save some water by cleaning the water tank before cleaning the toilet bowl since you’ll have to flush the toilet to rinse off the cleaner from the bowl!
How to clean the bathroom floor
For those of us who are using floor-mounted toilets, this fixture comes into contact with the bathroom floor. Since the floor may be dirty or wet after cleaning the toilet, you may want to give it a quick clean as well.
These are the tools that you’ll need to clean the bathroom floor:
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop and mop bucket
- Floor cleaner
- Towel / cloth
Steps for cleaning the bathroom floor
Step 1: Get rid of dirt and dust by sweeping the bathroom floor.
Step 2: Grab the mop bucket and fill it with warm water and some floor cleaner solution.
Step 3: Mop the bathroom floor!
Step 4: Use clean water to rinse the floor and dry it as much as possible with your mop.
Note: A spin mop would be extremely helpful in this case since you can determine how dry you want your mop head to be!
Step 5: Once you’ve removed as much water as possible using a mop, it’s time to use a dry towel or cloth to absorb the remaining moisture. This will prevent any mould or mildew from growing on your new bathroom floor!
Toilet cleaning made easy
Toilet cleaning doesn’t have to be a weekly chore! With these simple steps and expert hacks up your sleeve, you can be sure to get this chore done quickly and effectively.
Please note: The efficacy of the tips provided may vary depending on skill, quality of tools used and the build of machines involved (if any).