How often do you get embarrassed by the color of your urine-stained toilet seat? Because the toilet is one of the most patronized areas of a home, it’s not surprising to see the porcelain seat discolored. While an average homeowner spends considerable amount of time washing the powerhouse, stains from urine can make your effort fruitless.
Stained toilet seat is more pronounced in a home with little kids below the age of 13 because these children do not really understand the effort it takes to keep a toilet seat sparkling.
Whether you are using Toto Toilet or have a preference for a portable toilet, this comprehensive guide will show you how to clean a toilet seat properly using different proven techniques.
Why Take Time to Keep the Toilet Seat Sparkling?
If you’re the whole area of the toilet is clean with only the seat dirty, your toilet may not be smelly and will not breed germs either.
However, the stains on your toilet seat can say a lot about how much effort you put on your family hygiene.
Some parts of the toilet seat especially the underside, are often victims of consistent urination and defecating. Over time, they will build up stains that will defy the use of ordinary detergents and water, becoming extremely difficult to remove.
Also, stained toilet seats are an eyesore that you may find hard to ignore with time. This might prompt you to replace the seat without any cracks on it.
However, if you take time to go through this article on how to clean a toilet seat, you will save yourself some money that would have gone into changing the toilet seat.
You will find this video useful, as well.
Materials Needed to Give your Toilet Seat a New Sparkling Look
Here are some of the items you need to remove stain from your toilet seat:
- Baking Soda
- Bathroom Cleaner
- Bleach
- Bucket/Container
- Old Toothbrush
- Paper Towel
- Rubber Glove
- Sanitary Wipes
- Toilet Brush or sponge
- Toilet Cleaner
- Towel
- Vinegar
Different Methods of Cleaning the Toilet Seat
There are several ways through which you can keep your toilet seat clean. However, we have come up with the three best methods.
Before we proceed, you need to gather the tools and items you will need for this task.
To prevent calling out for a particular bleach or scrub, gather every item you need and ensure they are within arm’s reach, perhaps you can have them organized in a handy bucket.
Method 1: Toilet Seat Cleaning with Bleach
Bleach is an excellent sanitizer and disinfectant. It’s particularly recommended for cleaning the toilet seat.
- Step 1: Pour ¼ of the bleach into a measuring cup.
- Step 2: Lift the lid and carefully pour the measured bleach into the edge of the seat and the toilet bowl. Wipe any spills on the floor with a rag or towel.
- Step 3: Fill a bucket with water and add 1/3 of the remaining bleach to form a solution.
- Step 4: Remove the toilet seat and dip into the solution. Allow it to soak for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Step 5: After that, scrub the seat with a toilet brush until the stains fade.
- Step 6: Repeat the process of soaking and scrubbing until all the stains disappear.
- Step 7: Use the scrub to brush the bowl and other stained parts in the flushing toilet, then flush with water.
- Step 8: Rinse and towel-dry the seat cover.
- Step 9: Carefully replace it on the toilet seat.
Safety Tips
Bleach can irritate the eyes, skin and other parts of the body. Be careful to protect yourself by using glove, eyewear, nose guard, and other protective wears.
Avoid using bleach on rusty surfaces as it can cause further damages.
Wipe off any spills with a towel
Method 2: Toilet Seat Cleaning with Baking Soda Paste and Elbow Grease
Although bleach will help remove some stain and discoloration, it requires a massive effort to derive the best result. Thus, the need for a subtler method.
Here, we will be using baking soda and elbow grease paste to eliminate the unattractive sight of our toilet seat and create a sparkling clean appearance.
- Step 1: Get a germ-killing cleaner and apply it to the surface of the toilet seat. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes and wipe off with a wet towel.
- Step 2: Measure one-quarter of baking soda and pour it into a bucket. Add about 50ml of warm water and steer to form a paste. Smear the paste on the stained surfaces and leave to sit for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Step 3: Scrub the seat with a scratch-free scouring sponge or a toilet brush in a circular motion. Sprinkle water occasionally to keep it damp.
- Step 4: Add the paste to the stained area repeatedly and scrub until the stain disappear. Rinse with clean water and towel-dry.
- Step 5: Apply disinfectant or spray to the surface again and wipe off with a damp towel. You will see that your toilet seat is sparkling with a fresh smell.
Method 3: Toilet Seat Cleaning with Vinegar
Hard stains on the toilet can be really irritating, and they won’t go quickly.
Vinegar contains some organic materials that react with stain and render them powerless for easy removal. These are the steps to remove the stain on the toilet seat with vinegar.
- Step 1: Get a bottle of distilled white vinegar from the local market or an online store. Pour a little volume of vinegar to a paper towel until it is damp enough.
- Step 2: Cover the entire toilet seat with pieces of damp paper towel.
- Step 3: Allow it to sit for 1 – 2 hours, and then remove it.
- Step 4: Scrub the toilet seat with a soft sponge or toilet brush.
- Step 5: Pour more vinegar and scrub until the stains are completely removed
- Step 6: Clean with a damp cloth and apply disinfectant and freshener.
Any of the three methods above will work, so you are free to choose whichever are comfortable with. Ensure there is ventilation when you want to do the cleaning.
For the easiest stain removal, clean the toilet seat every couple of days. This will prevent the accumulation of stain and will require minimal effort. If all else fails, it may be necessary to replace the toilet seat.
Unconventional Methods of Cleaning Toilet Seat
While the three highlighted methods are proven to be effective, there are other alternative means of cleaning the toilet seat.
These methods are eco-friendlier, and the materials used can easily be bought in a local store.
1. Bleach-free Toilet Cleaner
Many products made from citric acid as the core ingredient are highly effective in removing stain from toilet seats. Not only are they eco-friendlier, but they also offer similar effectiveness when compared to strong synthetic products like bleach.
Notable brands include Eco-zone Toilet Cleaner, Waitrose Ecological Toilet Cleaner, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, and Eco-zone Toilet Cleaner. Their only downside is that they don’t exert the same effect on add stains compared to the other three methods we have explained earlier.
If your toilet is characteristically stained brown with urine, you might consider one of the previous methods.
2. Toilet Cleaning with Cola
Cola drinks whether branded or un-branded have phosphoric acid as their major ingredient. It easily breakdown limescale, which makes them ideal for removing limescale from a toilet seat.
To make use of cola, add a bottle of cola drink to a small bucket. Soak a small piece of cloth or towel in the cola. Place the damp cloth on the seat cover and let it rest on it for 10 – 20 minutes. Scrub and leave with a toilet brush.
Note: Cola is not suitable for toilet cleaning because it doesn’t function as a disinfectant. There are several instances where bacteria feed on the leftover bacteria to grow, so we don’t recommend this method. You can only make use of it if other methods are not possible, but ensure to use disinfectant after.
Cleaning the toilet sit is not supposed to be an extreme sport; it’s easy.
- Grab your supplies; this makes it easy to reach out for them when you need anything.
- You can either use a stain remover; we highly recommend the Instant Mold and Mildew Stain Remover. You can use bleach, baking soda, or vinegar. They all work fine.
- For the bleach, you remove the toilet seat from the toilet and soak in bleach and water solution, after a few minutes, scrub until the stains are removed. Rinse and fix it back to the toilet.
- For the stain remover, spray it on the affected part; leave for a few minutes before scrubbing. Clean with a damp piece of cloth once all the stains are removed.
- If you are using baking soda and vinegar, mix the two to form a paste. Apply on the stains, leave for a few minutes then scrub. Clean with a damp piece of cloth after the stains are removed.
Feel free to ask any questions about this article or any other related topic.
