One of the things homeowners dread about bathroom maintenance is toilet cleaning. But you need to do the dirty work, right? Though, “dirty” might not be the appropriate word to describe a task done properly.
Proper toilet cleaning means going through the process step by step, working from the outside going in. In the interim, you tackle the toilet seat. Padded or not, these parts of your toilet aren’t immune to discoloration from urine “misses” and, well, “other stuff.” Even the best padded toilet seats get nasty over time, and that’s just the truth of it.
Today, we’ll look at the proven-and-tested ways to clean toilet seats, putting the spotlight on the popular padded toilet seat to ensure you clean the one in your bathroom efficiently.
Cleaning a Padded Toilet Seat
There’s no arguing how comfortable these are than the regular ones. Those can numb your backside if you sit on them too long.
The padded seat owes its comfort to the padding, which is designed into the seat in different ways. This difference in structure can translate to different care requirements, though all of them should be easy when done correctly. So, without further ado, let’s go over some tips for cleaning a padded seat.
1. Take Good Care of the Toilet Seat
General cleaning becomes easier when you don’t have to clean a lot off the toilet seat in the first place. Whether or not your aim is perfect, wipe down the toilet seat after every use if you pee standing up. You never quite know whether or not you leave behind urine droplets, so better do some wiping either way.
Wipe those seats down using sanitary wipes, which you should be able to purchase at the nearest store. That way, your weekly and monthly cleaning sessions won’t be as heavy.
2. Disinfect
It doesn’t matter what brand you use as long as it does its job. A quality disinfectant should kill off most of the bacteria and germs on your toilet seat and keep them from getting into your system through your skin.
Toilet seats can get nasty fast, so if you don’t disinfect them regularly, they can become a health hazard. Make sure not to leave any part of the seat unsprayed.
Let the disinfectant sit for at least 15 minutes so that it really gets to the tenacious bacteria. Then, clean the disinfected surface with an unused cloth, and you’re all done—with the disinfecting part, at least. To end on the perfect note, you’ll still need to wash the seat.
3. Wash After Disinfecting
Once done disinfecting, wash the padded seat with water. This ensures none of the disinfectants make it onto your skin, which is good because it’s strong and acidic and will easily irritate your skin.
Padding makes it easier for germs to latch onto the seat, so you need to clean padded offerings even more frequently. If your schedule doesn’t allow for regular cleaning, at least make sure to let a professional do it.
Can You Clean Your Toilet Seat Without Bleach?
There are a few unconventional toilet-seat cleaning methods you may want to try out, starting with bleach-free toilet cleaning.
With this method, you can rely on citric-acid-based products to be your germ-removing muscle in place of bleach. They’re not as strong as bleach, but they’re not as harmful, either. Plus, they’re effective enough to get rid of stains, which is the worst you’d be dealing with if you regularly take care of your toilet seats.
Some environmentally-friendly toilet cleaner brands include Waitrose, Eco-zone, and Ecover. Take your pick and have a guilt-free toilet cleaning experience.
That said, don’t expect these products to accomplish much in deep cleaning sessions. They simply lack the germ-killing power.
Is It True You Can Clean the Toilet Using Cola?
While this may not be a recommended option for a padded toilet seat, it should be effective enough for other seat types. The range of cola drinks contains phosphoric acid, which can break down limescale. Since limescale is a perpetual resident in our toilet seats, it’s safe to say cola should be an efficient toilet seat cleaner.
Just pour an entire bottle of cola into a bucket, soak a clean rag in it, then run it across your toilet seat. Let it rest on the surface for about half an hour, scrub, and witness magic unfold. That is if you aren’t using this for anything drastic and are simply relying on it for daily or weekly cleaning.
A Clean Toilet Seat Can Make All the Difference To Your Health
Many still underestimate how dirty bathrooms can get, toilets in particular. Since a toilet seat is mostly where direct contact between the toilet and your skin happens, you’ll want to make sure it’s germ-free. Wipe the seat down daily so that bacteria never has the chance to build up to an uncleanable degree, and weekly and monthly cleaning sessions become easier. Your health will thank you for it, for sure.
