How to clean a toilet bowl, including under the rim and stains

Step by step: how to clean a toilet bowl, including under the rim and stains

Safety first. Use one toilet cleaner at a time. Never mix bleach-based cleaners with acid cleaners (lime and rust removers, vinegar) or ammonia: the combination releases toxic gas. If you switch products, flush several times and wait in between. Keep kids and pets away while cleaner sits in the bowl, and run the fan.

1. 1

   Flush and put on gloves

   Flush so only clean water is in the bowl, and put on rubber gloves. Clear the tank lid and the floor around the base so you have room to work. Turn on the exhaust fan or open a window.

2. 2

   Coat under the rim

   Tip the bottle and squeeze the cleaner under the rim, working all the way around so it runs down and coats the sides. With a liquid like Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner, the label calls for about 6 ounces. Gels cling better on the sloped sides.

3. 3

   Scrub the whole bowl

   Brush the sides in circles, then push the brush up under the rim all the way around, where the water jets sit and dark streaks start. Finish by working the brush into the drain hole at the bottom. Scrub above the water line too, where rings form.

4. 4

   Let the cleaner sit

   Leave the cleaner in the bowl for the time on its label before flushing. Clorox’s bleach cleaners need 5 minutes to sanitize and 10 minutes to disinfect. This is also when to clean the seat and the outside.

5. 5

   Clean the seat, hinges and outside

   Spray the top of the tank, the handle, the lid, both sides of the seat, the hinges and the base with a disinfecting spray, working from the cleanest areas to the dirtiest. Wipe with paper towels or a dedicated cloth, and lift the seat to reach the hinge bolts.

6. 6

   Flush and rinse the brush

   Flush the toilet and, as it refills, swirl the brush in the clean water to rinse it. Let the brush drip dry over the bowl, held between the seat and the rim, before putting it back in its holder.

7. 7

   Check for stains in good light

   Look at the waterline, under the rim and around the drain hole. Gray, pink or black marks call for a second round with a bleach cleaner; orange, brown or chalky white rings need an acid cleaner instead (see the stain table below).

How to clean toilet stains by color

Match the cleaner to the stain: bleach handles organic stains such as mold, mildew and bacteria, while acids dissolve minerals and rust. Using the wrong type is why some rings never seem to budge.

Clorox’s stain advice is to scrub above the water line and repeat for tough stains, and to use its acid Lime & Rust formula for rust and lime scale. For heavy stains, Clorox suggests turning off the toilet’s water supply and flushing to empty the bowl, so the cleaner goes onto a dry surface at full strength. For mineral rings in detail, see removing hard water stains from a toilet.

Why a toilet bowl keeps getting a ring or mold

A ring keeps coming back because water sits still at the same line between cleanings, giving mold, bacteria and minerals a place to settle. Clorox says toilets should be cleaned at least once a week to prevent mold stains, and more often in humid homes or those with hard water.

• Flush a guest or spare toilet every few days so the water doesn’t stand.
• Run the bathroom fan during and after showers to cut humidity.
• In-tank cleaning tablets help between cleanings, but check your toilet maker’s guidance first; some warn that tablets can damage tank parts. Clorox also says not to use an acid cleaner in a bowl while a bleach tablet is in the tank.

Which toilet cleaners should never be mixed?

Never combine bleach cleaners with acids or ammonia, and don’t stack two different bowl cleaners. Many toilet cleaners are acids, and many others contain bleach, so the bowl is one of the easiest places to mix them by accident.

Clorox warns not to mix bleach or bleach-containing products with acids or ammonia because hazardous gases may be released. The American Lung Association gives the same warning about bleach and ammonia. If you switch from one type to the other, flush two or three times first so the bowl holds only clean water.

Mistakes to avoid

• Squirting cleaner only into the water, where it dilutes, instead of under the rim.
• Flushing straight away instead of leaving the cleaner for its contact time.
• Using a bleach cleaner on rust or mineral rings, which it won’t dissolve.
• Following a bleach gel with vinegar or a lime and rust cleaner without flushing in between.
• Scrubbing porcelain with a dry pumice stone or steel wool, which scratches it.
• Using the same cloth on the toilet and then the sink or counters.