Toilet bowl cleaners that sit in the tank help to disinfect a toilet and may ease the task of cleaning, but they don’t really eliminate the need for regular scrubbing. Always make sure to clean the outside of the bowl as well as the seat and cover with a disinfectant cleaner. Many toilet-bowl cleaners will get the job done. Undiluted chlorine bleach can work just as well. Pour about 1/2 cup of liquid chlorine bleach into the water in the bowl. After 10 minutes or so, swab the bowl and flush. However, never combine chlorine bleach with any other cleaning product.
Cleaning Techniques
You can use a toilet brush with synthetic bristles mounted on a bent-wire head, or one with a spongy ball of cotton at the end. The wire-head brush is a more effective scrubber but it can scratch the bowl. Replace it as it becomes worn. Scrub the whole bowl vigorously. Don’t forget the area under the rim where stains and fecal matter can hide. Allow the cleaner to stand in the bowl before you flush it clean. After you have completely flushed away the bowl cleaner, spray a disinfectant cleaner all around the outside of the toilet, including the seat, lid and handles. Spray behind the toilet and at the bottom where it meets the floor, the front of the bowl and the hinges. Let stand for a few minutes and wipe away with a rough cloth.
Toilet Bowl Ring
If your water is hard you may find a ring developing inside the bowl at the water line. If the ring is not severe, a toilet bowl cleaner and a stiff brush or a nylon scrub pad may clean it away. If the problem is severe and your toilet is made of vitreous chine, you can use a pumice stone to scrub the deposit away. However, if your toilet is enameled or colored, you’ll just have to keep scrubbing with a brush.
