How To Maintain Your Toilet!

Are you ready to keep your toilet sparkling clean and avoid nasty germs and disease causing bacteria?

We use our toilets every day, so it makes sense to clean your toilet regularly to keep them hygienic.

Apart from the fact that a dirty toilet is unhealthy, it is also downright unpleasant for anyone needing to use what turns out to be a grubby loo. Whether you need an Ormond plumber, someone from Toorak, South Yarra, Malvern, or anywhere else in Melbourne, I am here to help.

I’m a qualified plumber, and while my Precision Electrical and Plumbing team gets called out to help many people who have allowed their toilets to deteriorate so severely they need professional help, I prefer to give good advice to my clients to prevent this from happening. So, let’s jump into our toilet and bathroom cleaning tips.

Best Equipment To Clean A Toilet:

Although harsh chemicals and toilet cleaners are easy, we suggest using a homemade version, such as baking soda. You can also purchase natural cleaning solutions from hardware and grocery stores.

• Good Toilet brush
• Gloves
• Baking soda, dish soap or other toilet cleaning solution
• Paper Towel
• Hot Water
• Wipes
• Spray Bottle

How You Can Keep Your Toilet Pristine Inside And Out

First and foremost, keep all parts of your toilet hygienically clean. But keeping toilet bowls and toilet seats clean can mean getting your hands dirty. So, here are our steps:

1. You must regularly wipe down the outside of the bowl or pan, the outside of the cistern, and the seat and its cover. There are many different household products that you can use to sanitise and disinfect, but when it comes to the inside of the bowl, make sure that you use a product that will not adversely affect the drainage system. This is particularly important if you have a septic tank.
2. Cleaning the inside of the bowl is not a particularly pleasant job. Still, getting rid of bacteria and preventing calcium from building up and staining the surface is essential. If you don’t clean regularly and adequately, you will have a discoloured bowl that may become slightly pitted and scarred over time. The bad news is that this WILL result in you replacing the bowl. To clean the toilet tank, use the toilet brush, gloves and toilet cleaner to do this.
3. If a toilet bowl is cracked, replace it (or have it replaced by a professional) immediately. There have been nasty accidents when people have sat on a cracked base that has broken under their weight.
4. And don’t forget the toilet seat. It is essential to keep the toilet seats clean and ensure that the hardware used to attach them to the toilet is maintained. If it comes loose, tighten it, and if it breaks, replace it.

That’s the easy part. Here are some common problems you may face at one time or another. Remember that if you cannot solve problems, your Ormond plumber from Precision Electrical and Plumbing can help you.

Common Problems Relating To Toilets

The most common toilet problems are related to blocked drains and faulty cisterns. Realistically, you need to realise that you will not always be able to solve these problems on your own without the help of a qualified plumber. For this reason, it is important to do all you can to prevent drains from becoming blocked and fix cistern parts before they fail.

While it is true that most blocked drains are caused by the roots of trees getting into the system, it is also true that grease, oil, hair, toilet paper and other foreign objects play a role. So don’t be tempted to flush unnecessary stuff down the loo. Instead, keep a small covered bin in the bathroom and ask family and friends to use this for items like tampons, disposal nappies and anything else they might otherwise be tempted to chuck down the drain.

Blocked drains will usually cause the water level in the toilet bowl to rise and possibly overflow. If the workings of the cistern are faulty, water might flow into the bowl or out of the overflow pipe and onto the floor. So if there is any flooding, you must assess the problem. Turn off the water at the mains and call a plumber if you aren’t sure. If you live in the Melbourne area, a plumber from Precision Electrical and Plumbing will be there to help you in double-quick time.

Sometimes the inlet valves in cisterns get stuck because there is dirt in the toilet water. To rectify this, you must turn off the water at the mains or a nearby stopcock. Then you will need to disassemble the unit, clean it, and put it together again. An Ormond plumber from our company will help you if you live; otherwise, we will send someone from your area.

Another problem is the valve stick and the cistern overflows. Lubricating the floater arm might help. The lever in the cistern can also break, and you won’t be able to flush. A damaged or worn diaphragm in a siphonic cistern will also affect flushing. In this event, the diaphragm will need to be replaced. You don’t have to do this; our Ormond plumber or someone from your area will help. The other plumbing part that sometimes causes problems is the float in the cistern, which might get stuck or even break.

Remember that some cisterns are easier to access than others, and if you aren’t sure what to do, call in a plumber. We at Precision Electrical and Plumbing are here to help.

Good luck keeping your toilet sparking clean and free from stubborn stains! Until next time!