It’s the one thing in your house you probably don’t want to neglect when it comes to cleaning – but there are much more effective methods than sloshing bleach down the toilet, say household hygiene experts.
While bleach does clean and disinfect your loo, over time the bleach can damage the porcelain. It can also stain grout and it releases noxious fumes.
It’s also not as effective at tackling stubborn, hard to remove limescale as some natural cleaning products.
Instead, all you need to get your loo sparkling fresh again is some bog standard white vinegar.
“While effective for killing germs, bleach can etch the porcelain over time, leaving it dull and rough. It can also react with coloured grout, causing it to fade or discolour”, says Ryan McNicholl of plumbing supplier Spares Direct.
Bathroom suite makers Superbath also urge people to try using white vinegar.
They said: “When it comes to removing limescale, white vinegar is a killer.
“Heat up 1/2 litre of white vinegar, no need to boil. Gently pour it on the bowl rims and leave it for at least an hour. It would be even better if you could leave it the whole night. Now, use a brush, stains should vanish.
“Clean above and under the toilet seat with a mix of soapy water added up with white vinegar. Use a sponge or microfiber cloth.”
The experts say you should repeat this once a week to leave your toilet fresh and free of germs, and to banish limescale.
They even went one step further – and urged people to clean the flush button, a spot that unsurprisingly harbours a lot of germs given how you use it before you wash your hands.
They added: “We always wash our hands after using the toilet. However, between the moment we wash our hands, and the moment we are done using the toilet, we have already touched the flush button. It is then very likely that plenty of bacteria dwell there. Clean it regularly with a mix of white vinegar and two drops of essential tea oil.”
For really tough limescale you can also try adding baking soda. This universally useful powder, normally meant for use in cakes, can also lift away the hard water residue that sticks to porcelain, on grout, on showers, on taps and on toilets.
To use baking soda, pour half a glass of baking soda in the loo, then add half a glass of white vinegar. Leave it to mix for 30 minutes, then clean out the surface with a toilet brush, says Superbath.
