How to clean your toilet the right way

The toilet is one of the most-used fixtures in any home, and one of the easiest to let slide. The good news: keeping it hygienic takes only a few minutes when you do it the right way, with the right product and a little consistency.

Start with the right cleaner

A good toilet cleaner should do three jobs at once — lift tough stains, tackle germs, and leave lasting freshness. A thick, clinging liquid is worth looking for, because it stays on the sloped surface of the bowl longer instead of running straight into the water. That extra contact time is where most of the real cleaning happens.

A simple daily routine

• Apply cleaner under and all the way around the rim so it coats the bowl as it runs down.
• Leave it for a few minutes — don't scrub immediately. Give the formula time to work on stains and germs.
• Scrub with a toilet brush, paying attention to the waterline and under the rim.
• Flush, and give the brush a quick rinse in the clean water before putting it away.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Scrubbing before the cleaner has had time to sit — you lose most of the benefit.
• Ignoring the under-rim, where build-up and germs hide.
• Waiting until stains are visible. A short routine a few times a week prevents the stubborn yellowish build-up that becomes hard to remove later.

Stay consistent and the job only ever takes a couple of minutes. Let it lapse and you end up scrubbing hard stains that could have been avoided.