How to Make Your Toilet Bowl Sparkle

Cleaning a toilet is no one’s idea of a good time. But it has to be done.

Otherwise, your toilet will breed life forms of its own that, if left long enough, will learn to talk.

Supermarket shelves house a huge variety of products that clean your toilet very effectively. There are foams, sprays, tablets, cages, stick-on buttons and ducks. Yes, they work, but they are also expensive. All in the name of hygiene, and minimising the gross factor of cleaning your toilets. But there is a better way. A cheaper, greener way. And while it’s no easier, it’s definitely not harder either.

If you have Limescale – that is a whole other different method (which I’ve also covered, see my article on How to Remove Limescale from the Bottom of The Toilet).

More Reading:

How To Clean Your Toilet Bowl

You’ll need:

• Bicarbonate of Soda (about 1/2 cup)
• White vinegar in a spray bottle
• Good quality cloths
• Rubber gloves

Method:

1. Flush your toilet so that the sides of the bowl are wet.

2. Sprinkle the sides of the bowl liberally with the bicarb powder.

3. Spray the inside of the bowl with vinegar, making sure to thoroughly wet the bicarb (it should fizz).

4. Spray the rest of the toilet with vinegar.

5. Leave for 15 minutes or while you clean the rest of the bathroom, watch a bit of Dr Phil or make yourself a coffee.

6. Using a damp, clean cloth, wipe over the toilet itself. Any marks should lift straight off once the vinegar has done its magic. Wipe clean the seat and the rim of the bowl.

7. Then, using the same cloth, give the inside of the bowl a quick scrub, making sure to reach under the rim. Finish by scrubbing the bottom of the bowl well.

This will leave the toilet sparkly, fresh-smelling (the vinegar smell doesn’t linger) and just as clean as any supermarket-bought toilet cleaner. With the added benefits of being cheap, homemade and green!

How to get the gunk off the bottom of the toilet that sticks like cement

They always say ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down. And yes, it is true to save loads of money on water. However, the urine reacts with the calcium in the water and makes a brown crust on the bottom of the loo that looks like horrible skiddies. Ick.

So I have a few methods, some work better than others, it really depends on the ‘hardness’ of your water.

1. Use Denture Tablets

Grab a buck of hot water (not boiling) – and dissolve 2 -3 denture tablets into the water and pour it into the toilet bowl before going to bed at night. In the morning, give it a quick scrub with the brush, and flush. If the brown marks are still there, do it again that night. It may take a few goes to get it all!

Hint – grab the whitening denture tablets – they work better on ceramic!

2. Using Coke

Not the stuff you snort, the good ole Coca Cola from the can. Just before bed, pour an entire can of Coke into the toilet bowl water. Close the lid and let it sit overnight. Give it a brush in the morning and flush. Just goes to show how strong the chemicals are in the stuff you drink!

3. Using The ‘Scooping-Out-the-Water’ Method

A bit more fucking around in this method, but it probably works the best out of all the ways I have tried. Put on some heavy-duty gloves and grab a small cup that you never plan on drinking out of ever again. Scoop out the water from the toilet and place into a bucket. Try and get as much water out as you possibly can.

Pour some limescale cleaner or even just use Gumption, and scrub the hard brown crust on the bottom. If it still won’t budge, grab something like a screwdriver and very carefully (so you don’t break the toilet), scrape it away. Then pour the water back in, flush, give it a good clean and disinfectant, and your loo is gorgeous again!

4. When Nothing Works and You are Tearing Your Hair Out

Okay, here is my secret.

I get one of those strongly coloured toilet cages (I like the Bref brand, only because it smells nice, not like the others that smell like public toilet and cheap perfume). When the colour is very strong, you can’t actually SEE the brown stuff down the bottom, outta sight, outta mind!

Got any hot toilet tips?