A toilet is three cleaning jobs, not one: the bowl, the seat and the outside, and the floor around the base. Most people scrub the bowl and stop — and the smell stays, because the smell lives under the rim and around the base. Clean in the right order, let the cleaner sit, and the whole job takes 15 minutes.
Bowl first, then rim and jets, then seat and outside, then floor. The bowl cleaner needs 10 minutes to work — put it in first, then clean the outside while it sits. Cleaning the floor last keeps you from stepping in the mess you just cleaned. Hard water leaves its own marks — the hard water stain guide covers removing them without ruining the surface.
Put the cleaner in the bowl. Squirt toilet bowl cleaner under the rim and around the bowl, and let it sit for 10 minutes. The dwell time does the work — scrubbing a cleaner that has not sat is scrubbing water. Do not mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia: the fumes are toxic.
Scrub the bowl. Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush: under the rim first, then the waterline, then the bottom. The ring at the waterline is mineral buildup — a pumice stone takes it off, but only on porcelain, never on fiberglass. Flush and check: the bowl should be clean before you move on.
Clean under the rim and the jets. Clean under the rim and the jets — the holes under the rim where the flush water comes out. A small brush or an old toothbrush reaches them. Clogged jets make a weak flush, and a weak flush is often just dirty jets, not a plumbing problem.
Clean the seat and the outside. Wipe the seat top and bottom, the hinges, and the outside of the bowl and the tank. The hinges collect the most grime — lift the seat and clean under it. Use a disinfecting cleaner and a fresh cloth, not the brush.
Clean the floor around the base. Mop the floor around the base, including behind the toilet where the mop never reaches. The smell that survives a clean toilet usually lives on the floor around the base — urine splashes dry there and the bowl cleaner never touches it.
Rinse the tools and wash up. Rinse the brush under the flush, let it drip dry in the bowl holder, and wash your hands. A brush left wet in a closed holder grows mold — let it dry with the lid open. A clean shower head helps the whole bathroom — the shower head cleaning guide covers getting the spray back.
Once a week for the bowl and the seat, once a month for under the rim and the base. A toilet that gets cleaned weekly never needs a deep clean — the stains that need a pumice stone are the stains that sat for months. Ventilation keeps the bathroom dry between cleans — the bathroom exhaust fan cleaning guide covers why yours is so loud.
Never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia, or any other cleaner — the fumes are toxic and the mix can kill. Never use an abrasive pad on the seat — it scratches the plastic and the scratches hold grime forever. Never pour drain cleaner into the bowl to clean it — it does not clean, and it damages the wax seal under the toilet.
Once a week for the bowl and the seat, once a month for under the rim and the base. A toilet cleaned weekly never needs a deep clean.
Usually the floor around the base or under the rim. Urine splashes dry on the floor where the bowl cleaner never touches, and grime collects under the rim where the brush rarely reaches.
Yes, alone — never mixed with vinegar, ammonia, or any other cleaner. The fumes from mixing bleach are toxic. Let the bleach sit for 10 minutes, then scrub and flush.
It is mineral buildup at the waterline. A pumice stone takes it off on porcelain — wet the stone, rub gently, and flush. Never use pumice on fiberglass or colored fixtures.