One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to cleaning their bathrooms, particularly their toilets, is using a bleach product.

According to the experts at PlumbingSupply.com, bleach can be problematic on some types of porcelain and toilet systems.

"Bleach, among the most revered of cleaning products and one that most people have readily accessible, can wreak havoc on your enamelled fixture," they say.

"While generally safe with straight porcelain and fireclay, chlorine bleach can oxidise the iron of an enamelled fixture to create terrible rust stains. With coloured porcelain enamel, the effect can be even worse – in addition to rust, the colour will fade."

One mum agrees with the experts and recalls her experience with using the cleaning product, sharing how bleach destroyed their toilet so badly it became "uncleanable" and had to be replaced.

"I'll never use it again. It DOES damage the porcelain and the scoring is impossible to clean after that," she added.

Ashlee cleaned her toilet with store-bought products and a mixture of bicarb soda and white vinegar. Credit: Instagram/@ashleejayinteriors.​

Luckily, there are still several ways to have a sparkling clean toilet in your bathroom without having to use harsh bleach.

Here, a mum-of-four shows us how!

Ashlee Durand, who works as an interior designer in Victoria, recently revealed on her Instagram account how she gets her toilet clean and sparkling white using only a combination of store-bought products and a homemade mix.

Here are the products she used:

• The Pink Stuff bleach-free toilet cleaner
• Bicarb soda
• White vinegar
• Boiling water
• Surface sanitiser

And here's how she deep-cleans her toilet:

1. First, apply The Pink Stuff bleach-free toilet cleaner to the inside of your toilet bowl.
2. Then add bicarb soda into the base of the toilet and pour white vinegar directly on top until bubbles form.
3. Scrub the bowl thoroughly with a toilet brush then push the flush button to remove the cleaning mixture.
4. Place the toilet brush beneath the lid and clean it with boiling water to remove the remaining germs and bacteria.
5. Finally, spray the brush and toilet with a surface sanitiser to disinfect the area and finish the cleaning with a complete wipe down to reveal a spotless surface.

Aside from the classic bicarb soda and white vinegar cleaning mixture, the toilet cleaner from The Pink Stuff is also known to use gentler ingredients to leave your toilet sparkling and hygienically clean not only above but also below the waterline.

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Several users commented on Ashlee's Instagram post, commending her for the wonderful toilet-cleaning trick.

"Going to clean my toilet now, thanks for the motivation!" wrote one user, while another added that they are definitely trying that bicarb and vinegar trick.

Are you looking to try this method too, members? And do you have more toilet-cleaning hacks to share? Let us know in the comments!

 

[goodmorning]

there must be a lot of people with shitty loos as there are a lot of toilet cleaners out there nearly every week there is one on this page

 

[Ricci]

Best loo cleaner yet - hubby!!!

 

[Possum Lover]

For those of us with septic we need to be very careful what we put down the toilet, for those of us with sewerage we, too, need to be very careful what we put down the toilet.