A professional cleaner shared the most overlooked part of toilet cleaning that takes just 10 seconds but can help keep your bathroom more hygienic
Toilets are frequently amongst the filthiest spots in a household where bacteria can rapidly accumulate, but it isn’t the bowl you should be concerned about. The interior of a toilet will be teeming with germs and limescale, but since most homes scrub the bowl weekly, it typically remains fairly clean.
Katie Stepp, a cleaner who operates Katie’s Cleaning Service, has cautioned that numerous toilets aren’t being cleaned correctly because people aren’t wiping down the handle. She said: “The toilet exterior is often overlooked, yet it collects a lot of germs and dust. Neglecting to clean the tank, handle, and base can lead to bacteria build-up.”
Toilet handles are frequently crawling with more bacteria than the seat or bowl, but because they don’t appear dirty, people tend to neglect cleaning them, reports the Express.
Nevertheless, toilet handles are exposed to numerous types of germs daily as they’re touched by unwashed hands multiple times throughout the day.
The complete exterior of a toilet, including the handle, can also be splattered during flushing if the lid remains up.
Germs can accumulate over time and transfer to other parts of the bathroom through dust and moisture, which is why it’s so crucial to wipe down the toilet exterior weekly.
It takes fewer than ten seconds to complete, but ensure you don’t overlook the toilet handle when cleaning the bathroom if you wish to maintain the space as hygienically as possible.
When sanitising toilet surfaces, ensure you’re regularly swapping out your sponges, cloths or wipes, otherwise, you’ll merely be spreading germs around.
Katie said: “Using the same cloth to clean multiple surfaces can spread bacteria from one area to another.
“For example, wiping the toilet bowl and using the same cloth on the handle or seat can contaminate these areas.”
Always switch your cleaning materials when cleaning different toilet surfaces, and colour-coding cloths can be a helpful way to avoid cross-contamination.
Another common blunder is overusing bleach or other potent chemical products in the belief that it will make the toilet cleaner and eliminate more germs.
However, excessive use of cleaners doesn’t kill more bacteria, and you run the risk of damaging the toilet porcelain and the strong fumes can be hazardous in a confined space like a bathroom.
If you want to deep clean a toilet, let bleach sit in the toilet for the recommended time on the label, but you could also opt for a more natural cleaner like hydrogen peroxide if you prefer.
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