Every fortnight, Laura de Barra brings her home maintenance expertise to the Glenveagh Home Magazine on TheJournal.ie – and this week she’s sharing some insights on that most widely ignored of household items: the toilet brush.

Laura de Barra Laura de Barra

HOW OFTEN DO you clean your toilet brush?

Chances are it’s not enough – especially considering the job it does and the amount of bacteria it’s likely harbouring. Oh, and the fact that it’s an item that’s on display to anyone using your bathroom.

Despite being one of the more feared items in the home, the toilet brush is one you need to keep on top of. It’s time to learn how to deep clean – and not repeatedly replace – your toilet brush, not just for yourself, but for the environment.

There are plenty of ways to clean a toilet brush. Yes, you could have at it with a basin of hot water, long armed rubber gloves and a scrubbing sesh that could possibly alter you as a person forever (fans face furiously to keep back the tears) – but there are easier ways.

A couple of day-to-day guidelines to remember first…

Firstly, when you use your toilet brush in between deep cleans, hold it in the toilet bowl after and use the flush to clean off any *cough* debris.

Secondly, you should also make sure it is dry when you pop it back in its holder. You can do this by sitting it between the toilet seat and the toilet rim so it is held in place over the bowl and can drip dry. Of course, it’s not always possible to leave it like this (imagine guests arriving, scream!) – so at the very least, tap as much water off as possible before putting the brush back in the holder.

And finally, in terms of frequency, you should be cleaning your brush whenever you clean your bathroom. That way you’re not going to be left with any build up (ew).

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How to clean a toilet brush properly

Right, glove up. Here are three levels of toilet brush cleans, varying from “I want this done as fast as possible” to “cleaning kween”.

1. I’m the faint-hearted type (20 mins)

• Lift your toilet seat and lid up, hold your brush over the bowl and put the seat back down so it’s holding the brush in place over the water.
• Spray your brush with antibacterial spray (use a natural disinfectant spray if you can) twisting as you do so, to saturate every bristle. DRENCH IT.
• Spray your handle and holder too, especially inside. Leave for around 20 mins for the disinfectant to work its magic.
• Now, with the brush still over the toilet bowl, pour hot water over it, twisting as it pours. Leave this to sit over the bowl until it is dry before returning it to the holder, which you will have wiped dry with tissue. Well done, you did it.

2. I’m just about coping (1 hour)

• Clean your toilet as you would normally, applying toilet cleaner (a natural toilet duck is a good shout) under the rim and leaving it to sit for up to an hour.
• This time place your brush in the toilet while the cleaner is doing its thing. It will allow it to disinfect and loosen anything that is stuck to it *weeps*.
• After, brush down the bowl of the toilet and flush the water over the brush to remove any product.
• Finally, pour hot water over the brush, clean its handle and leave to dry as above.
• Spray your holder with an antibacterial spray, and run hot water over it while holding it over the toilet. Dry with tissue paper.

3. Oh, she’s hardcore (overnight)

• Okay Miss Thing (or Mr Thing), I know you have all of the bits you need and that you also know how to disinfect everything you use afterwards, so let’s go.
• Fill a bucket with hot water and a multipurpose anti bac cleaner. Leave the brush and holder to soak in this overnight.
• In the morning remove the holder and swirl the brush around to remove any loosened residue. Then rinse both thoroughly with hot water, ensuring they are free of all product and dry as above.

Buying and replacing a toilet brush

Like any household item, wear and tear will occur over time. When the brush’s bristles start to look and feel less effective, that’s when it’s time to replace your brush. However this takes a long time to happen, and with regular cleaning your brush can last several years. 

The main reason toilet brushes get binned is because people panic about how to clean them, and figure it’s easier to buy a new one. The above should lengthen the life of your brush as you’ll hate its presence less – but it should also prevent build up and rusting.

More: How do I keep my bed fresh and clean (aside from just changing the sheets)?>