It’s no secret that toilet brushes get one of the worst jobs in the house. Their only purpose in life is to clean the inside of your toilet, after which they go straight back into their holder until you next need them.
While it can be tempting to just ignore your toilet brush until its next use, it’s best to clean it regularly. Of course, part of this involves cleaning the toilet brush holder itself.
So, what to put in toilet brush holder? Let’s find out.
What to Put in the Toilet Brush Holder
There’s no need to store the toilet brush in liquid when you’re not cleaning it. After all, it could present a safety risk if you just leave a pot full of bleach next to the toilet, especially if you have kids.
The other risk is that prolonged exposure to bleach could degrade cheap plastic items, which could reduce the lifespan of your toilet brush.
Ideally, you’ll want the toilet brush to dry out between uses, as this’ll help keep down bacteria growth. For general storage, therefore, it’s best to not put anything in the toilet brush holder.
When it comes to cleaning it, though, bleach will be your best option. No household product kills bacteria quite like bleach, so it’s the obvious choice for cleaning your toilet brush and holder.
The easiest way to do this is to stand the holder somewhere contained, such as a sink or shower, and pour bleach into it. Use a small amount of bleach (10-20 ml) and top it up with hot water. Leave the holder and brush to soak for 10 minutes before rinsing.
Alternatively, you can wash both the toilet brush and holder with hot water and washing up liquid. Get the water as hot as you can, pour it in, and leave it to soak. Then, rinse it out with cold water and let both parts dry.
If you want to put some kind of liquid in your toilet brush holder, a few drops of essential oils will be more than enough. As mentioned, you don’t want the brush to sit in liquid. However, some tea tree or citrus essential oil will do wonders to mask any unpleasant odours.
How Often to Clean a Toilet Brush
You should aim to clean your toilet brush once a week or so, depending on how often you use it.
Some sources might suggest cleaning it after every use, but this isn’t really practical. For example, if you pour bleach into the toilet and then scrub it with the brush, cleaning it after won’t really do much.
If you do want to clean it after every use, spray it with disinfectant. This should be enough to deal with the worst of the problem, especially if it’s just going back into its holder until you next need it.
Another option for a quick clean is to simply rinse it in the toilet. Scrub the loo down, flush it, and then dip the brush in the clean water a few times. Although this won’t do the same as a deep clean, it’s enough to get rid of the worst issues.
How Often to Replace Your Toilet Brush
It’s important to clean your toilet brush, but no amount of cleaning will mean you don’t need to replace it.
As a rule, aim to buy a new toilet brush every 6-12 months. This is quite a large window, but it depends on how often you actually use it.
For example, the brush in your main bathroom will probably need replacing more regularly than one in, say, an ensuite.
There are obviously warning signs that your toilet brush is reaching the end of its life, but there’s no need to cover these. Just aim to replace it every 6-12 months and you’ll know that it’s always fresh and ready to use.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that nothing should really go in your toilet brush holder other than the toilet brush itself.
It should be kept as clean and dry as possible to reduce bacteria growth between uses. Of course, you can put a few drops of essential oil in there, but that should be it.
Provided you clean the toilet brush regularly, there isn’t any need to put anything in it, as the brush will be pretty clean.
Replace it once a year, too, and you’ll never have to worry about having a skanky toilet brush!
Jacob is a writer based in Wales, where he lives with his partner and two dogs. All his work is fuelled by extensive research and buckets of coffee.
