How to clean a toilet seat?

March 2, 2006 10:55 AM

How do you clean a toilet seat?

I'm a bit of a neat freak. Now that both my boys (3 and 5) are potty trained, I've had a little trouble adjusting. The problem? Neither one of them is the best aim. I clean my toilet religously, but the toilet seat part, especially around the hinges, is tough to clean. I've thought about removing the seat and sticking it in the dishwasher. Any other suggestions?

posted by patrickje to home & garden (17 comments total)

100% bleach in a spray bottle. Just spray it on and your problem is solved.
posted by lois1950 at 11:07 AM on March 2, 2006

I use the wipes made by Lysol or Clorox for surface stains. Scrubbing Bubbles kicks ass for all-around porcelain cleaning.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 11:07 AM on March 2, 2006

I clean around the hinges with an old toothbrush. I use Soft Scrub with bleach, which has a pasty consistency, as though it were toothpaste--then I rinse off the excess cleanser with a damp sponge.

The other surfaces of the seat I wipe with a sponge and the same cleanser.

I also have a recently potty trained child who doesn't always get it quite right (and she's a girl), so I've become a little more conscious of this stuff, lately.
posted by padraigin at 11:08 AM on March 2, 2006

Workers at a McDonald's restaurant in Sweden cleaned their toilet seats in the dishwasher. Allegedly.
posted by iviken at 11:23 AM on March 2, 2006

I've taken the OSHA Basic Precautions as a requirement for my job. Here's what they taught us for sanitizing surfaces:

Clean the surface with soap and water first to remove any organiz material. To sanitize, spray the surface a 10% bleach solution. Saturate the surface. Don't wipe it up immediately, but allow it to soak for 10 minutes.

100% bleach solution is extreme overkill, and wiping it up immediately doesn't allow enough time for all the microbes to be killed. It needs to soak.
posted by mullingitover at 11:48 AM on March 2, 2006

Overkill, perhaps, but there's hardly any downside to it. I don't wipe it off at all. It doesn't damage the porcelain or the toilet fittings and you can be assured that it's clean...
posted by lois1950 at 12:26 PM on March 2, 2006

You could also teach them that sitting down is an option, even for boys.
posted by alms at 12:27 PM on March 2, 2006

Teaching them to always sit down will also keep you from having to worry about them making a mess when you're guests at someone else's place.
posted by driveler at 12:46 PM on March 2, 2006

I don't think it needs to be clean enough to eat off, just clean enough to set my ass on. I've put my ass on some filthy seats and haven't died yet. So I usually spray it with window cleaner.
posted by JJ86 at 1:08 PM on March 2, 2006

However, seriously, do you want to train them to always sit down? I mean, seriously? I don't mean that as a wisecrack, but if you're setting up their toilet habits now ...
posted by WCityMike at 1:09 PM on March 2, 2006

Urine is sterile. Obviously you still want to clean it up, but bleach etc. is totally overboard.
posted by Aknaton at 1:19 PM on March 2, 2006

Urine is not sterile once it's been sitting out in the air long enough to smell.

I second the Scrubbing Bubbles, and I use paper towels rather than a sponge. Less environmentally friendly, but I always find them cleaner to use in weird-shaped spaces.
posted by occhiblu at 1:27 PM on March 2, 2006

For heaven's sake, don't teach your boys to sit down to pee. That is insane. Why give them one more thing to trouble them in their adolescence?
posted by Faze at 2:04 PM on March 2, 2006

Teach the kids to wipe the seat with paper if they miss the target. Teach the kids to wash their hands. You get sick from hand to mouth contact not arse to seat contact. At least not in my experience.
posted by firstdrop at 2:08 PM on March 2, 2006

Thank you, an old toothbrush will be earmarked for this.

And no...my boys will pee standing up! How else will they put out the campfire?
posted by patrickje at 3:15 PM on March 2, 2006

Teach them to wash their hands before using the toilet. After is optional. If they keep their equipment clean, it is not necessary.
posted by yclipse at 6:41 PM on March 2, 2006

Urine is sterile. Obviously you still want to clean it up, but bleach etc. is totally overboard.

Urine actually isn't sterile, as it picks up bacteria as it leaves the body. :)
posted by SuzySmith at 9:38 PM on March 2, 2006