You've Been Cleaning Your Toilet All Wrong

Cleaning your bathroom is one of the most disgusting and difficult chores to deal with on a regular basis, hence why most of us tend to leave it to the end of our usual routine. While trying to bleach every surface to death and simultaneously hurrying through the steps to get out of there faster, we might inadvertently be making the space more of a home for germs than we realize.

Cleaning the toilet, in particular, is the grossest of all gross chores, so we can't be blamed for wanting to get it over with as fast as humanly possible. It should come as no shock that your toilet is one of the most bacteria-ridden spaces in your entire home, but be wary of the fact that cleaning it incorrectly could actually be doing more harm than good. Grab your mask and gloves, because it's time to become intimately acquainted with your toilet.

Most people probably know how to clean a toilet without consulting YouTube, but plenty of us forget that the back of the unit also requires a good seeing-to. As Reader's Digest warns, urine and fecal matter can build up behind the toilet, too, leaving a gross residue that's tough to shift. You'll need to grab some paper towels, dip them in antibacterial cleaner, and give it a good "flossing" to clear out this tough spot before considering your bathroom completely clean.

Elsewhere, although nobody likes spending too long with their toilet brush, did you know that by not leaving it to dry properly, you could be creating a space for germs to multiply? As Family Handyman advises, it's important to leave your toilet brush to dry completely after use or it could become a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria.

The Sun elaborates further, noting the bacteria from your toilet is transferred onto the bristles of the brush and, if it's put back in the holder without drying out, the bacteria contained within will be in the perfect conditions to multiply. They build up over time, too. As one hygiene expert explains, "In order to minimize this risk, the toilet brush should be bleached after each use to kill germs, then left to sit over the toilet bowl until dry."

Funny enough, many cleaning experts advise against using a toilet brush in the first place. In fact, in their home tips guidebook, The Cleaning Bible, legendary hygiene experts Kim Woodburn and Aggie MacKenzie describe them as, "an unworthy compromise for strict hygiene." They recommend simply using rubber gloves and just scrubbing the bowl yourself instead, as horrifying as that might sound.