Germs and dirt can accumulate in toilets. Experts recommend cleaning them regularly. But poor cleaning can also make you ill.

Cleaning the bathroom, and the toilet in particular, should be one of most people’s least favorite chores. Yet experts advise almost daily cleaning. Regularity is worthwhile, otherwise infectious diseases could occur. What exactly do the experts recommend, and how should you clean?

Cleaning toilets: How often do the experts recommend cleaning?

To achieve basic cleanliness, toilets should be cleaned at least once a week. Experts even recommend daily cleaning – especially in households with more than one person. “It’s best to clean toilets every day or at least every other day”, With a little practice, cleaning takes no more than a minute. They recommend:

  • Pour the cleaning product into the toilet bowl.
  • Leave to act for a while
  • Run the toilet brush through the bowl
  • Rinse
  • Wipe bowl and rim with a cloth.

According to the same experts, what counts in cleaning is not particularly powerful products, but regularity of cleaning. “If you remove fresh dirt right away, before it has dried, you save time”, recommends the Marseille consumer centre.

Cleaning toilets: What happens if you don’t clean often enough?

If toilets aren’t cleaned often enough, germs and dirt remain on the toilet. Pathogens can then find their way onto hands through contact infection and be transmitted. They then find their way into the mouth or digestive system, for example, and can trigger infectious diseases. That’s why it’s so important to wash your hands thoroughly, and also to clean the toilet regularly. Thorough cleaning is particularly advisable for children, who often spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

Clean toilets properly: Germs can also be transmitted by careless cleaning

So how should you clean your toilet? Less is more, seems to be the motto. According to the Consumers’ Association, cleaning products containing vinegar or citric acid are sufficient for cleaning toilets. They sufficiently remove limescale deposits and urine scale, and are also environmentally friendly. Disinfection is not necessary for normal toilet soiling.

Toilet cleaning recommendations:

  • Toilet seat and inside of bowl lid: clean with a cloth (color-coded).
  • The rest of the ceramic (including the cistern): Clean with an additional cloth.
  • Cleaning cloths: wash at least at 60 °C; dry properly after use.

Aside from cleaning products, the experts share a few additional tips to avoid getting sick from toilet germs. To clean the toilet, use two different cloths (marked by color). One for the seat and inside of the lid, and the other for the rest of the ceramic. This prevents germs and dirt from spreading during cleaning. According to Jens J. Maron of the French Sanitaryware Association, “the edge of the flush or the flush button are particularly easy to forget”.

Nor should you forget the underside of the toilet seat. “It’s better to clean once more than not enough”, recommends the expert. When the surface is simply wiped, it is often neglected. Researchers recently highlighted what happens when you flush the toilet with the lid open.