Just like other parts of your home, a toilet needs a Spring Clean! Every now and then you should do a deep clean of your toilet in order to stop mould, germs and stains collecting and to tackle parts of the toilet that your weekly clean just doesn’t reach. Also if you are faced with a very dirty toilet, perhaps one that has been neglected for a long time, then you will have to do a deep clean to knock it into shape.
A deep clean of a toilet involves a thorough removal of all stains, removal of the toilet seat and scraping away of all mould and limescale. – book yourself at least 2 hours, this is going to take a while…
To give your toilet a really thorough clean you should first remove the toilet seat from the top of the bowl: reach under the bowl and unscrew the wing nuts that hold the seat in place. Once you have fully unscrewed these nuts, you should be able to just lift the seat out and take it away for a thorough clean. Once you have removed the seat you will have clear access to all of the toilet bowl and be able to scrub it up into a shine, inside and out. Start on top and makes sure that all stains and dirt marks are removed with an abrasive sponge.
How to clean a dirty toilet bowl
Next concentrate on cleaning under the rim of your toilet bowl. This is where lots of germs can hide away and usually contains a lot of limescale deposits. To attack these effectively we recommend using Bref 10x Effect Descaler. This powerful Limescale remover targets limescale stains and removes urine stains very effectively. Squirt the liquid up under the rim, and leave it to soak in for as long as is required, then scrub thoroughly. Bref 10x Effect cleaner gets to work as soon as it is applied, but in cases where there are very hard on stains, this powerful cleaning agent should be left for longer periods of time: anything from half an hour to leaving it to soak over-night.
If a toilet is neglected for any considerable length of time, it may start to acquire brown stains at the bottom of the bowl, both above and below the waterline. These stains are calcium deposits that build up especially fast in areas that have heavier water. They can get very unsightly and are potentially unhygienic if left for a long period of time. The very best way to avoid these stains is to regularly clean your toilet! However, if you do have a messy toilet with brown stains on the bottom, all is not lost. With Bref 10x Effect Limescale remover and a bit of elbow grease, you can still bring your toilet to a shine. Depending on the nature of the stains, you can also try the other 10x Effect products: Bref Power does what is says, especially for very tough dirt like limescale, rust, soap residues, grease and burnt-in, bacteria and mould, Bref Power offers the strong solution.
With a toilet that has been long neglected, you may find that there are particularly hard-on brown stains below the water line. To deal with these, repeat the above process for limescale removal using Bref 10x products. In the majority of cases, this should shift the grime and leave your toilet bowl clean. If, after several attempts, you still have some deposits that won't shift, white vinegar may be able to help as well. To use vinegar you have to drain the toilet bowl by hand – literally scooping out the water from the bottom of your toilet until it is free of water. Next, pour white vinegar down the toilet so that it covers all the areas where you have hard-on stains. Then leave the vinegar to soak into the affected areas for a couple of hours before scrubbing clean.
How to clean a dirty toilet cistern
For the real cleanliness perfectionist, cleaning the toilet tank/cistern is also a good idea. The cistern contains a lot of moving parts and has sitting water in it for long periods of time. It also very rarely gets cleaned. All of this means that both limescale and algae usually builds up inside. Because this area of the toilet doesn’t really deal with any dirty water, it is not such a hygiene concern. However, if left for too long without a clean, these deposits could cause mechanical malfunctions. To clean your cistern, just lift off the lid, apply some Bref 10x effect and scrub out with a fresh brush (not the same brush you use to clean inside your toilet bowl!). For cisterns that are hidden behind wall panels this is a trickier job, but usually, it is still possible to get a brush inside and give the area a once over.
Keep your pan spick and span
Once you have completed all above steps, reassemble your toilet, stand back and admire your handy work. Then take steps to ensure that it doesn’t get that dirty again! Regular, weekly cleaning should ensure that you prevent the build-up of hard stains in your toilet bowl and don’t have perform deep cleans so often, if at all. Always hang a toilet rim block such as Bref Blue Active to ensure continual hygiene and cleanliness. In addition, making sure that you don’t let urine stains linger should help prevent the build-up of deposits and smells around the top of your toilet bowl and toilet seat. Make sure that you develop good habits and clean up whenever your toilet gets messy. This way, the need for deeper cleans, like this, should lessen.
Your loo needs a Spring clean too! Top tips for giving your toilet a deep clean.