The Best Way To Clean Behind Your Toilet

Cleaning your bathroom is a tedious but very necessary chore. Not only do you need to deep clean appliances like your toilet, sink, and shower, but a full deep clean requires you to tidy and disinfect the areas around those appliances.

While it may seem unnecessary to clean some areas like behind your toilet (out of sight, out of mind), this is where the most germs tend to live. According to Time, there are plenty of germs and bacteria circulating in bathrooms. Contrary to what you may think, though, those germs don't survive on the most obvious places like toilet seats or handles, which are too dry and bright for bacteria to grow. Instead, when you flush a toilet with the lid up, the germs spread to dark and moist areas. The most common area for bacteria to grow is your toothbrush holder, as well as your faucet. Another damp and dark area of your bathroom is behind your toilet, making it a very necessary area to routinely clean.

Cleaning behind your toilet is an awkward chore since it's part toilet and part floor. This is why Housewife How-Tos recommends first cleaning this area by hand and then with a mop. As they point out, most mops won't reach the narrow and awkwardly shaped area behind the toilet, so they won't effectively target bacteria. They also note how important cleaning this area is for people who may be potty training young children.

Keep in mind that your bathroom should be both cleaned and disinfected regularly. Temple Health notes that cleaning just removes surface debris, whereas disinfecting removes germs and bacteria, so both are necessary. Begin cleaning the back of your toilet by using a towel to wipe up any surface dirt or debris. You can use soap and water to get the floors clean enough for the disinfectant to work. Try using a scrubbing brush if there's a lot of built-up dirt and grime. Then, use a strong disinfectant, like bleach, and let it sit on the area for at least four minutes (spot test this to make sure it won't damage your floors). Dry off the area and mop with the rest of your bathroom floors.