I like to think I’m thorough when it comes to cleaning the toilet. I start with the lid, scrubbing both inside and out, then move on to the seat and finally, the rim and sides of the bowl itself. The handle gets its own wipe down and I’ve even gone to the effort of removing orange limescale and bacteria by hand with a pumice stone.
But when I needed to deep clean my toilet last weekend, I discovered another area that had been missed entirely – and it was disgusting. Here’s where it is, how you can reach it and the best way to clean it.
What area gets missed when I clean my toilet?
I found this area when I tried to remove some of the disgusting ‘residue’ from under the toilet seat. No matter how much bathroom cleaner I spritzed and how hard I scrubbed with my microfibre cloth, you could still spot the stain on the plastic. So, to give it more power, I removed the seat from the bowl entirely to invert it and focus my efforts. And that’s when I spotted the filthy hotspot that had been hidden from view.
Bacteria collect under the fittings at the back of the toilet seat. It’s the area you generally can’t reach with your cloth – in fact, you’re more likely to push more hair and residue under there as you clean. You don’t see it, so you don’t know it’s there, but in the end, you’re left with a black and orange (if you have hard water) bacteria hotspot that lines up perfectly with the back of the seat.
I will admit, I’d seen this mess once before but, since last cleaning, I’d completely forgotten about it and it had years to build up.
How to get to this filthy hotspot
As mentioned before, you ideally need to remove the toilet seat entirely for the best access to this stain. Most modern seats now feature a release mechanism in the form of two buttons, found at the back of the seat between the adjacent fittings. You simply press each button outwards (towards the outer edge of the seat) and then lift to remove the seat. When the time comes to refit, you just lower it back into the same position and click it into place.
Older toilet systems may need the seat manually removing with a screwdriver. While this will require more effort, it’s still worth the time in my opinion, especially if this is an area you haven’t cleaned before. Just make sure you’re extra careful with the screws so they don’t fall down the toilet!
How to clean this filthy hotspot
Depending on how long the residue has been sitting here, you may need a little or a lot of elbow grease. Start by spritzing with your everyday bathroom cleaner, letting it sit for a few seconds, and then scrubbing away with a microfibre cloth. If there’s still residue remaining, you could try repeat applications, coupled with an electric cleaning brush for extra power.
If there’s lingering orange limescale, you may want to try giving it a gentle scrub with a wet pumice stone. While this makes an awful noise that sets your teeth on edge, it won’t scratch porcelain. Do not use a pumice stone on enamel or plastic, though, as that will scratch.
If the stain survives all that, once rinsed, you can clean it directly with a solution of diluted bleach, while wearing gloves and a mask. Just take care not to touch the fittings or the seat (if it’s still in place). Use cold water for best effect and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes, if necessary, before wiping away with a damp cloth. And that’s it, the stain should be gone – for me, it only took a few seconds to remove! Remember to check it once a month or so to stop it from building up again.
GHI Tip: For residue on the underside of a plastic toilet seat, you can soak a bicarb paste on the stain for 20 minutes before scrubbing away with a toothbrush. Repeat if the stain remains.
