What cleaners are you using? My toilet seats have lasted until the plastic cracked (mostly on the spacers on the bottom edge after 30 years. I had a soft foam one that cracked after several years.

-Babka

Scrubbing Bubbles.

If you've had a toilet seat for 30 years, wait until you have to replace it. My complaint about the finish applies to recently made seats. The 30-year seat doesn't exist anymore.

This post was edited by Jewel654 on Tue, Nov 11, 14 at 8:35

Scrubbing Bubbles is known to destroy finishes of all kinds. It's toxic, don't use it.

What do you use to clean/sanitize your toilet?

When I was younger I had to learn how to clean, over the years I found ways to make cleaning easy. Using electric stoves which are easier to clean and don't leave near as much residue on the cabinets as gas, cleaning as I go, putting away things when I finish with them.

Soap and water have kept my homes clean all of my life, they are like new when I sell them so are all of my appliances. The specialty cleaners women use do no better than soap and water, they go down the drain and end up in our rivers and lakes.

When I broke my upper arm in 3 places I hired a house keeper to clean my home. When he finished he said your home is the cleanest one I have ever cleaned. Similar comments about my bathroom from a plumber repairing a stool. All cleaned with soap and water.

Our Bemis toilet seats lasted 15 years before the plastic hinges cracked, but the finish didn't deteriorate. We just replaced them with Kohler because I couldn't find Bemis at the big box stores. I use Lysol or Clorox wipes in the canister. I lived in an apartment for two years and they had to replace the seat several times due to the finish. I was using a spray-on cleaner during that time, maybe Scrubbing Bubbles.

I used diluted Simple Green for years, but then discovered Holy Cow Cleaner which smells better. Sometimes for the seat I use just a wet cloth followed by a good wipe dry. You shouldn't need anything stronger on plastic. The water scale build-up in the toilet bowl is where you often need to use the stronger chemicals.

-Babka

Technically the bottom of the kitchen sink has more potentially harmful bacteria than the toilet seat according to some studies so I don't know how powerful the cleaning agent needs to be. We tend to also attend to any drips or whatever immediately--just wiping with water and a paper towel and I probably mist the surface with a little lysol at least once a day.

A school student had to do a project for school and he chose testing water. He found that the water in a toilet bowl was cleaner than the ice from an ice machine where you buy sodas.

In a microbiology class, we cultured multiple sites in our homes.
Much cleaner than expected - toilet seat and cats paws.
Worse than expected - telephone mouthpiece, TV remote, and keyboard.

I prefer washing with soap & water to remove germs, rather than using a disinfectant to just kill them. Who wants dead bugs (bacteria & viruses) on their surfaces???

:-)

This is frustrating. I can't be the only one that uses a bathroom cleaner like Scrubbing Bubbles, Pinesol, Fabulouso, Kaboom, etc..

If I were to consider other cleaning products, what kind of soap do you use?

Try cleaning with vinegar. One cup vinegar to a gallon of hot water.

I've heard that the Dr. Bronner's soaps are good. Here's their all-purpose cleaner. There's a store locator at the bottom--Walgreen's is one source.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Bronner

After I gassed myself in the bathroom using store-bought tile cleaner I decided to start making my own. There are recipes on the internet which work well and are very inexpensive.

For the glass I use rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, water, and some corn starch. For the stone I use rubbing alcohol water and a drop of castille soap. You can also infuse orange or lemon peels with vinegar for a degreaser. I like to add a couple drops of essential oils to make them smell nice.

That said, I still love the smell of a bleachy clean bathroom so I do cheat once in awhile...

I used to clean condos for a living. After breathing so many bad chemicals my customers had bought I asked them if I could use my own. The majority agreed. I used 30% vinegar and water on everything I cleaned from showers to toilets to mirrors, windows and glass top tables. I used Dawn and water to clean the countertops, refrigerator and stove.

I would never imagine using scrubbing bubbles for a toilet seat. More like soap scum. I'd not want to sit on those harsh chemicals afterwards and no wonder the seats got worn.

Method All purpose has been found to kill 98% of germs and is non-toxic. If I use wipes, I like to follow later with some vinegar or windex to wipe off the residual chemicals.

I have only used water for years for most of my bathroom cleaning except for the toilet bowl, sink, and tub. Recently I've been using Method bathroom cleaner for the sink and toilet exterior, and tub. Dish washing liquid, diluted, for the toilet bowl. The instructions for the Method state to rinse with water after using.

Though I often just use water, "the universal solvent".

Enduring said it....I agree! Mostly just a wet cloth followed by a dry towel to polish it dry. It's plastic and you don't want to put any chemicals that need to be rinsed off.

Even when I use my no-rinse Holy Cow cleaner, I rinse my cloth in a bucket of water and polish with a dry towel.

Those Toto seats are not cheap.

-Babka

I've always understood that soap breaks the soil/grease barrier that water alone doesn't do, so using just plain water doesn't appeal to me.

Thanks all for your ideas!

Yes, but good ole' plain water will remove any spots, and a polish with a dry cloth takes off any water residue. I don't think a toilet seat gets greasy, but if you are thinking it is skin oil, then a the same applies...a good wipe with a dry cloth on plastic will take that off. No one EATS off a toilet seat, and only if you have open sores on your thighs, do you need to worry about that.

I used a disinfectant cleaner on my loo just before I had chemo and was imagining that my head and hands would be right there. Not so with the anti-nausea drugs.

All this boils down to...this IS A TOILET SEAT. Stop trying to clean it as if it were a kitchen prep surface.

-Babka