Under no circumstances should bleach be used in the tank of your toilet, as it could corrode the inside of the toilet. The corrosive properties of the bleach can wear away at the internal parts of your toilet, such as rubber seals, and cause leaks or other potentially permanent damage.
Yes. You should try and avoid using bleach in the toilet when possible, and opting instead to apply a non-chemical cleaner such as soapy water for cleaning purposes. In doing so, you'll avoid causing potential damage to the glazing on the porcelain surface of the toilet.
For white porcelain only, bleach can be used to remove stains; never use chlorine bleach in colored or vintage porcelain, as it can damage the finish. For both white and colored porcelain, liquid oxygen bleach (such as hydrogen peroxide) is a good alternative.
Clean and disinfect your toilet bowl with 1/2 cup chlorine bleach. Pour it into the bowl, and let it stand for ten minutes. Then scrub with the toilet brush and flush.
"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."
Cleaning vinegar is a natural sanitiser with 6% acetic acid, which makes it 20 times stronger than white vinegar. Like bleach, it can fight grime, kill bacteria and remove mould. It also works great for descaling the toilet and is even a better product than bleach.
Leaving bleach in a toilet overnight is fine, but you shouldn't leave it any longer, or else it might corrode your toilet. If you do decide to leave it in the bowl overnight, let other members of your household know so that they don't use the toilet and accidentally mix the bleach with ammonia from urine.
Simply measure out half a cup's worth of bleach and pour it into your toilet bowl, using your toilet brush to scrub it into the bowl and beneath the bowl's rim, also allowing five minutes to pass before you flush it all away.
Acid-based toilet bowl cleaners and bleach are also a very dangerous blend. Some people may add bleach to the bowl but the combination of bleach with the acid releases chlorine gas. Even at low levels, it irritates eyes, nose and throat and causes coughing and breathing problems.
Avoid Abrasive Cleaning Compounds
It may be tempting to use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and the like, but it's best to avoid these cleaning agents as much as possible. It's not likely that the chemical compounds above will crack your porcelain toilet, but they can damage the finish of the porcelain.
'While generally safe with straight porcelain and fireclay, chlorine bleach can oxidize the iron of an enamelled fixture to create terrible rust stains.
Do not use cleaning products that contain acids or ammonia (and other harsh chemicals) as these can damage grout and glazed surfaces of the tile. Choose products that are compatible with your grout to avoid damage or discoloration of the grout. Always dry your porcelain thoroughly after cleaning.
As a one-stop cleaning solution, pour one cup of bleach around the bowl. Then tackle every inch with a toilet brush or a handheld scrub brush. Let it sit for five minutes, then flush.
Pouring bleach down the drain is dangerous since it reacts with substances in your pipes, release toxic fumes when mixed with other household cleaners, clog or damage your drains and pipes, and kill the good bacteria of your septic system.
The best advice we can give you, though, is to never opt for a cleaner that requires you to pour it into the tank and let it sit. The longer the cleaner sits, the longer you're breathing those chemicals in, and the more time it has to literally rot your toilet from the inside out. Clean the bowl only, not the tank.
Can you clean with vinegar and bleach? You should never clean with these two ingredients combined. Mixing chlorine bleach, which contains sodium hypochlorite, with any type of acid like vinegar creates chlorine gas, a dangerous chemical that's deadly in high volumes.
Bleach solutions require a full 10 minutes of contact time to ensure complete disinfection. If bleach solution evaporates in less than 10 minutes, a greater volume of solution should be applied. 5. After disinfection with bleach solutions, surfaces should be rinsed and dried.
White vinegar and baking soda in equal parts is a cost-efficient and effective means of getting rid odors in a toilet. Add them to the tank, mix them in and then use the toilet brush to gently scrub the tank. Let it sit for a few hours, scrub the tank again and flush.
Baking soda and vinegar, when mixed together, can form a chemical reaction that looks sort of like an eruption. This chemical reaction can help clear your toilet and any pipe clogs that you might have.
If you want to really get your toilet tank clean, then you need to make sure you have the right cleaning products for the job. 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.
Unlike bleach, toilet cleaners contain several other ingredients that help tackle other issues common to toilets such as bacteria and limescale, whilst being safe to use on porcelain. Bleach and toilet cleaner are not interchangeable.
The most commonly recommended natural and non-toxic way to clean a toilet is with vinegar and baking soda. Simply poor two cups of vinegar into a toilet bowl, and pour one cup of baking soda. When the solution stops fizzing, spread it over the bowl with a toilet cleaner brush. Leave for 10-15 minutes and rinse.
Though popular for being gentler alternatives to harsh chemical cleaners, baking soda, Borax, and even salt can harm the finish of your porcelain fixtures. As gentle as they are, these compounds are still abrasive and will scratch your finish, especially with regular use.