Experts suggest cleaning your toilet tank twice a year to avoid mildew, rust, and grime—and to prevent a buildup of minerals that can damage the parts. If left unaddressed, not only can bad smells permeate the bathroom, but the toilet's components might corrode and rust.
By cleaning your toilet tank regularly—twice a year, at least—you may extend the life of your toilet and all of its parts, freshen your bathroom's smell, and save yourself some elbow grease the next time you sanitize your toilet bowl.
If you happen to “abandon” your toilet's hygiene, then it will lead to some more significant problems down the road — such as the buildup of harmful bacteria. Additionally, your toilet may even have the potential to foster mold growth in some areas, if it's neglected for too long.
"The biggest don't when it comes to toilet tanks is bleach—do not use bleach or products containing bleach inside the tank, as it can corrode the internal parts of your toilet. If you are aiming to remove tough stains from the tank, I also recommend white vinegar diluted with water."
Green or brown stains in the toilet usually indicate lime buildup. Lime scale forms as hard water evaporates and leaves a mineral buildup behind. As it dries, it picks up any dirt particles along with it, and slowly the stain builds, layer by layer, on the inside of the toilet bowl.
Without draining out the water, pour white vinegar into the tank, stopping at least an inch below the top rim. Let the vinegar-water solution sit for 12 hours to dissolve mineral deposits, rust, and mildew. Flush the toilet a couple of times to remove the vinegar from the tank.
According to you plumbing of Clearwater technicians, all you need to do is remove the lid, pour in your cleaning solution and scrub the sides with a sponge or a toilet brush, taking care not to detach any tubes or chains.
The easiest way to thoroughly clean the toilet tank is to spray it down with a disinfectant cleaning spray such as Lysol or 409. Using a disinfectant spray will loosen much of the build-up, and kill most of the bacteria and germs.
These parts are the fill valve, usually on the left side inside the tank, and the flush valve, to which the rubber flapper attaches. When these parts begin to wear out and corrode, a black coating forms on the water.
The longer a tablet sits in a tank without a toilet being flushed, the quicker the damage to parts occurs. Homeowners drop these cleaning tablets in the toilet tank and leave, assuming the tablets are doing good work, but the cleaning tablets are actually slowly destroying the toilets they were meant to clean.
In general, plumbers caution against the use of any chemicals inside a toilet tank and suggest instead using bowl-based toilet cleaners. Adding anything but water to a toilet tank could result in potentially costly repairs, Abrams says.
Vinegar is a great toilet cleaning solution. Not only is it free of chemicals and naturally antibacterial, it's also an acid, so it will remove minor lime and calcium deposits. All you need to do is pour a couple cups of vinegar in your tank and let it sit for an hour or so, then scrub and flush to rinse.
Steps For An Expert Clean
Cleaning toilets and disinfecting toilet bowls is easier with these tips. Pour Pine-Sol® directly onto a sponge, rag or scrubbing brush. Wipe down the toilet tank, lid, seat cover and outside of the bowl, reapplying more cleaner as needed. Rinse each surface with water.
Putting a Mr.
Clean Magic Eraser in your toilet bowl tank doesn't work. “Many people assume that the eraser will dissolve and that the chemicals inside will eat away any toilet bowl stains.
Refillable Toilet Cleaning System
It injects OxiClean Stain Fighters into the toilet bowl with every flush, keeping it clean, even under the rim! Cleans with Every Flush!
The tank water will change color, while the toilet bowl water should be clear. Wait 10 minutes. Check to see if any coloration appears in the bowl. If so, then you have a leaking flapper valve.
Cleaning your toilet tank is pretty quick and easy with vinegar and baking soda. You only need to do it once or twice a year, and it can help get rid of bacteria, mold, and mineral deposits to keep you and your family healthy.
Do Not Use Much More Laundry Detergent in Toilet Tanks. Because the laundry detergent will clog, and even damage pipes before long. Experts said that neither your toilet nor septic system will be damaged by the trick, that it is safe to try directly.
Spray the substance on your toilet's interior and exterior surfaces, and scrub vigorously to remove debris. For more than just a surface cleaning, Amarco Plumbing recommends adding 3 cups of vinegar to your toilet's tank and letting it stand for 30 minutes before flushing to clean your toilet.
Dishwasher tablets are meant to dissolve hard water stains, so they're the perfect solution for cleaning toilets. Besides cleaning dishes and toilet bowls, you can use dishwasher tablets for a few more cleaning projects around the house.
However, it's important to keep in mind that all-purpose cleaners like Fabuloso weren't designed for toilet tanks. Because of this, Apartment Therapy warns that the potent chemicals can damage parts made of plastic and rubber, like seals and gaskets, so leaks are more likely.