Hands down, my least favorite things to clean in my house are the toilets! Dare I say a big reason (or reasons, 2 of them) are the boys in the family…  However, since I AM fond of them (my boys), I’ve decided to keep them, and deal with the bathrooms.  😛  My children’s bathroom also just happens to be the one guests use, since we only have two (the other is off the master bedroom), so it’s important to keep that one extra sparkling.

So here are my quick tips for managing this chore:

I like to keep the area on and around the toilet as clutter free as possible,

no decor items, shelves or tissue boxes… the number one reason why, is that apparently, when we flush, germs are sprayed around onto whatever things are close by…ewwww, but another reason is the lack of clutter makes it quicker and easier to clean.

Another good start to keeping the toilet clean is pretty self explanatory:

Flush when you’re done.

I know some people are of the mind, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow…”  Not me.  If you’re concerned about water usage, there are lots of good toilets you can purchase that use very little water. In recent years, we have purchased two Toto toilets, and they work wonderfully!
Flushing afterwards keeps you from getting an ugly staining film, and washes down the “germy” bacteria too.

Encourage boys to aim.

I’ve seen flush-able targets, some use cheerios, and I’m not above bribing to encourage this…good aim helps loads in keeping the area around the toilet less icky.

Keep either disposable disinfecting wipes, and/or your favorite bathroom cleaner close by, and use often.

If they’re handy, you’re much more likely to grab them, and do a thorough once over when you’re in the area (but keep out of the reach of small children).

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

I like to start with the “cleanest” area first and work my way to the dirtiest.

So that usually means starting with the lid to the tank, the tank (including the handle), the lid to the toilet, then the top of the seat, the floor and baseboards around the toilet, the outside bowl of the toilet, then into the nitty gritty parts around the hinges to the seat and lid and behind, and then finally to the inside of the rim and bowl where I use my toilet brush with my favorite bowl cleaner.

After using the toilet brush, always make sure to rinse it well in a clean water flush.

I’m probably more obsessive than most, so I may switch to a new disinfectant wipe a few times while I’m cleaning the toilet, or if I’m using a bathroom spray cleaner, a clean rag or two, and sometimes it’s helpful to keep an old toothbrush handy for getting into some of the crevices better, without having to take things apart.

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful HomemakingTo me, it’s so convenient to keep the disinfectant wipes on hand, especially when you have little ones at home, and the toilet is getting lots of use.  I’ve found that some brands are definitely better than others in thickness and wetness, so shop around for your favorite.  It really makes daily once overs go quickly!

Here are some of my other posts with helpful bathroom cleaning tips:

Simple Shower and Tub Cleaner

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

How to Clean Chrome Bathroom Fixtures

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

More Bathroom Cleaning Tips

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

Getting Rid of Mineral Deposits Easily

How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, How to Keep Your Toilet Cleaner, Joyful Homemaking

Lots of helpful and time saving tips!

2 Comments

  1. I’m so glad to see I’m not the only one who has a plan of attack and is always willing to add strategies to the toilet battle!

    Enjoy the day 🙂

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