How to Clean Toilets
Before moving on to toilet cleaning, let’s first talk about the causes of toilet contamination.
According to a Harris Interactive study of 3,130 Americans, dirty or sticky flooring is the No. 1 turnoff for those using public restrooms.
Grimy floors were cited as a significant indicator of uncleanliness by a staggering 93% of respondents, followed by unflushed toilets (90%), scents (89%), and overflowing garbage cans (88%). Other top grumbles about using public restrooms are as follows:
80% of floors have paper towels or toilet paper on them.
Insufficient toilet paper 67%
55% of soap dispensers are empty.
Water in the vicinity of the sink is 42%
Ineffective or aged soap dispensers 29%
Broken toilet seats and doors, dim lighting, graffiti, filthy fixtures, soiled toilet seats, and water or urine on the floors also contribute to users perceiving a restroom as unclean, according to the survey.
Female respondents were more sensitive to restroom issues than men, with 96% of women surveyed citing smudged floors as a contributor to a dirty restroom, compared to 90% of male respondents. Older people were also more likely than younger respondents to indicate cleanliness issues. For example, 94% of adults aged 55 and older showed that odor contributed to their perception of a dirty restroom, compared to 83% of adults aged 18-34.
The Importance of Creating a Homelike Experience in Facility Restrooms
Bathrooms might not always be top of the list during remodeling, but they should be. It is why restrooms might not always be at the top of the list when designing or remodeling a space, but they should be.
Giving customers a friendly, cozy, homelike experience may improve your company’s reputation and make visitors and building inhabitants feel at home. However, conventional commercial hygiene dispensers and goods can occasionally readily sabotage a creative design for a facility washroom.
Investing in chic washroom dispensers and premium goods will help you achieve your goal of giving customers a memorable restroom experience in a classy way.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Restroom dispensers, which are frequently disregarded, significantly influence the mood and general ambiance of the restroom. Consider installing chic, high-quality washroom dispensers to improve your restroom experience and lend an upscale appearance.
Several materials and finishes draw natural inspiration that may enhance a bathroom’s distinctive style. Consider bamboo for a cozy, stylish, and relaxing atmosphere. Marble is an intelligent choice for a traditional, classy appearance. Lava rock is a lovely finish if you want quick texture and drama.
In addition to dispensers, consider the caliber of the goods you provide. Products that radiate quality and elegance, such as those used in luxurious retail establishments and residences, may make a lasting impression and affect how satisfied a user is with their bathroom experience. Consider improving your soaps, lotions, air fresheners, toilet paper, and facial tissues. Think about soaps and air fresheners that have mild, calming scents.
Commercial Convenience with High-Quality Attraction
It’s crucial to make sure toiletries are constantly available while designing a memorable restroom experience. According to a recent poll, 85% of those 65 and older indicated toilets with empty hand soap, toilet paper, and paper towel dispensers would make them think less favorably of a company, compared to 56% of people aged 18 to 34.
Consider collaborating with a service provider who routinely refills and replaces conventional hygiene items with appealing design and premium product alternatives if consistently filling the washroom is too time-consuming or burdensome. The service should routinely replace soap and lotion dispensers, air fresheners, hand towel dispensers, countertop display facial tissues, toilet tissue dispensers, caddies, and toilet paper dispensers. With fewer trips to the shop for restocking and less time spent maintaining restrooms, this ensures the bathroom is constantly stocked and increases the efficiency of your business.
Offering upscale yet functional dispensers and hygiene items in a facility washroom may improve its appearance, creating a homey experience and realizing your design concept. You may easily amaze your consumers by working with a company that offers high-end, exquisite items with a customizable program tailored to your needs.
Now! How can filthy toilets be clean?
First and foremost, you have to ensure that cleaning won’t harm your toilet. While certain cleaning supplies might cause discoloration, others can erode your toilet’s interior components, such as the flapper. For each piece, review the manufacturer’s instructions. You might be able to locate the manufacturer’s instructions online if you don’t have them.
Few household tasks may make you sigh more than cleaning the toilet. While no one likes getting near their toilet, it is a vital step in a thorough bathroom cleaning program. The toilet is one of the most often used bathroom fixtures. Thus, it needs regular cleaning to prevent the growth of bacteria and challenging stains.
The best means to clean toilets is to thoroughly disinfect all of its surfaces, including the bowl, seat, rim, handle, and outside, to get rid of any mold and mildew development, as well as viruses and microorganisms that may still be present. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be an unpleasant or disgusting chore. We’ve created a few techniques to simplify toilet cleaning; most of them use everyday items and involve little to no contact with the toilet itself. Depending on how often it is used, you should aim to clean and disinfect your bathroom and toilets once a week or more frequently if someone in your home is sick. Follow these easy steps to learn how to clean toilets and eliminate difficult toilet stains.
Steps to Clean Toilets
Defend yourself
As with any cleaning operation, the first goal should be to protect oneself. You may save yourself from unpleasant microorganisms and harsh cleaning agents by wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). When cleaning toilets, especially, gloves and safety glasses are a requirement!
The Wipedown
Use a foamy toilet cleanser to start by thoroughly cleaning the tank, handle, seat, rim, and base of the toilet. It’s critical to give the cleaner ample time to work effectively. It’s time for the wipedown after a while. To complete the task, I advise using a microfiber cloth. It’s unpleasant but true; cleaning the toilet from top to bottom will guarantee the removal of any stray pee residue. Remember to work your way down the toilet after beginning at the top. Make sure to place the microfiber in your dirty linen bag once you’re through using it. This cloth shouldn’t be used again until adequately cleaned to stop the transmission of bacteria and germs.
Cleaning the Toilet Bowl
You may use distilled white vinegar and your toilet brush for basic cleaning. Give your toilet a few minutes to soak up around 1/2 cup vinegar. Then scrape with your toilet brush. You may also use vinegar to clean the rim. Just mist some vinegar over the edge and let it a moment to settle before wiping it clean with a microfiber towel.
If you’re in a hurry, you can swiftly clean the inner surface of your toilets by popping a denture tablet or two into the bowl. The effervescent action will deliver a quick clean in minutes—no brush required. You’ll need to empty the water bowl before disinfecting for deeper cleaning. Pour a bucket of water into the toilet bowl before coating the inside with a toilet bowl cleaner. It will flush the toilet without triggering a bowl refill. The lowered water level lets you put cleaner directly on the bowl for a deeper clean. You can also switch off the water valve near the toilet’s base and flush to drain the bowl.
While you wait for the disinfectant to take effect on the handle, seat, tank, and outside, empty the toilet bowl and add the cleaner to speed up the cleaning process. The toilet bowl cleanser will have soaked in when you are wiping off these areas. Use a toilet brush to clean it before flushing.
Cleaning the Toilet Tank
When cleaning a toilet, the tank is frequently forgotten, which may cause corrosion, mold, mildew, and other debris. It’s essential to clean this region at least twice a year since a dirty toilet tank can lead to unpleasant bathroom odors or even damage to the toilet. Turn off the water valve and flush the toilet until the water empties from the tank before cleaning the interior. After that, fill the tank with distilled white vinegar to the overflow valve, let it sit for 12 hours, leave it overnight, and then flush. To get rid of any lingering debris, use a scrub brush. Reopen the water valve and flush the tank several times to clean and refill it.
If you find it impossible to wait 12 hours between trips to the bathroom, add vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap for more powerful cleansing. After emptying the water tank, fill it with a few squirts of dish soap, two cups of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda. Mix the solution and scrape the sides and bottom with a brush. Fifteen minutes later, rub it, turn on the water, and flush it to rinse.
Cleaning Toilet Stains
You’ll have to work a bit extra to get toilet bowl stains out. Hard water, mildew, and mold are the three primary causes of discolored toilets. What to clean each of these with:
Hard water: To remove hard water stains from a toilet, mix a paste of borax and vinegar and scrape the bowl with a scrub brush. Tip: Always be aware of the cleaning items you shouldn’t combine when producing your cleansers.
Mildew: First, flush the toilet to get the most water out. Then, scrub mildew stains with distilled white vinegar until no more streaks or waterlines are visible. The flushing and cleaning procedure might need to be repeated several times.
Mold: While some molds are harmful, many are not. You should thus leave mold removal to professionals.
Mold, mildew, and hard water can produce ugly rings or stains around your toilet bowl. Empty the water bowl first before attempting to erase toilet stains. Add a cup of vinegar, then wait a minute. After adding two more cups of vinegar, sprinkle baking soda over the discolored areas. Use a brush to remove loosened stains after allowing the liquid to bubble and soak for about five minutes.
If stubborn stains persist, use a pumice stone to clean the interior of the empty bowl. It will remove hard-water stains without damaging the porcelain’s finish. To prevent getting too near the toilet, get a pumice stone with a handle. Use vodka to clean your bathroom to avoid developing stains. (A low-cost vodka bottle will do just fine.) Add 1/2 cup of vodka to the toilet bowl every month to prevent ring formation.
Take care of the toilet bowl lid.
You don’t want to ignore those toilet bowl lids since they may also become nasty while cleaning a filthy toilet. Before applying any cleaning chemicals on a colored toilet seat, test them on a small area first. You may buy many items at the grocery store to clean the toilet bowl lid, but you can also manufacture your cleaner using baking soda. If not, you can find yourself in the market for a new toilet bowl lid. Sprinkle baking soda over the affected areas and clean them with a moist sponge to remove the stain.
Clean the grout in the toilets
Either toilet grout or caulk will seal your toilet base into the floor. These two materials both have a propensity to harbor stains and mildew. They may be cleaned as follows:
Toilet grout: Use a toothbrush, homemade grout cleanser, or oxygenated bleach to remove any soiled toilet grout from your porcelain. However, removing stains and mildew from toilet grout is worth the effort required.
Toilet caulk: To clean the caulk around your toilet foundation, use a toothbrush and other basic kitchen utensils. Scrub the stains by dipping the toothbrush in lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
Get Professional Help for Your Commercial Properties
There’s a lot you can learn in cleaning toilets and restroom facilities, but if you want the best clean, professional cleaners are the best. Affiliated Building Maintenance offers comprehensive commercial maintenance services for all your needs. Contact us today!
