My husband thinks IABU for NOT allowing

[Nooneelseisallowedafergus]

Toilet brushes in the house.

I have a toilet duck one with disposable brushes which you flush after one use.
And strongly feel this is the only option for hygiene. I can't bear the thought of my toddler or baby getting their hands on a poo encrusted toilet brush, or god forbid coming anywhere near the poo water which is always to be found pooling in the bottom of the toilet brush holder.

In my opinion it is beyond minging to own them, especially if you have young children in the house.

My husband thinks I am an anal germ hater.

What say the wise users of Mumsnet?

[Nooneelseisallowedafergus]

Sorry amberleaf - I did explain a bit too much.

[CocktailQueen]

I can't stand the horrible chemical smell of products like Toilet Duck andf I couldn't stand to have one in the house tbh. Yuk yuk yuk.

I like my toilet brush. It's effective and better for the environment than chucking loads of unnecessary chemicals down the loo. And my children have never got hold of it, thank you.

[gordyslovesheep]

I use bleach - seems to work for us ...no nasty men poo to deal with mind I find toilet brushes very grim

[3monkeys3]

People are misunderstanding what the toilet duck is! It's like a disposable brush - it is fine to flush as it just breaks down like loo roll! It has stuff in it to clean but you can use bleach too. My dc have been known to find it and run around waving it though, so it isn't totally child proof!

[3monkeys3]

You clip the disposable brush onto a plastic thingame which is what my dc wave around. I have not done a good job of explaining the toilet duck.

[3monkeys3]

toilet duck

[LauriesFairyonthetreeeatsCake]

Never had a brush - I just use bleach and a hand scrubber which I wash and microwave after.

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

I don't like disposable anythings. Disposable toilet brushes are buying in to the same germ paranoia as those soap dispensers that you don't have to touch.

Bleach kills germs. Toddlers can be kept out of bathroom. A lot of things that say they are flushable really aren't.

[GinGirl]

We have one, I just keep it in the ensuite, out of reach of children. We have hard water and just chucking bleach down the loo wouldn't shift some of the limescale or stains. Always rinse it clean, no-one's caught anything from it yet...

[Nooneelseisallowedafergus]

But better they wave just a handle of a toilet brush 3monkeys3 than the whole thing complete with caked on loo roll and poo bits. Yuck.

[weblette]

Agree with Sidge, none of my four have chewed a toilet brush to my knowledge, the toilet brush in their bathroom is in the undersink cupboard, I rinse the brushes regularly in bleach and change them every three months or so.

3monkeys3 you may find your plumber disagrees with you about how 'disposable' they are, mine has to constantly unblock drains containing compacted 'flushable' toilet wipes.

[Nooneelseisallowedafergus]

Endoplasmic - they break up v easily. You'd struggle to make one brush clean two toilets before it disintegrated

[Pandemoniaa]

I guess the thing I find mystifying about the whole Plague of Poo Germs thing is that those affected by it tend to disassociate themselves entirely from the poo in question. Whereas actually, they are, at best, co-producers of the toxic substance. Unless they are the Queen Mother. Who my grandmother always assured me didn't need to do anything as unregal as a poo.

[McNewPants2013]

I use a toilet brush with bleach and the brush is cleaned after use. I use a seperate bowl for toilet cleaning.

[JustFabulous]

I have never had one and never would. Don't see the point when a bottle of bleach does a much better job and is much less puke inducing.

[FarrahFawcettsFlick]

www.johnlewis.com/150180/Product.aspx

This is mine. I know, I know, overpriced poo scrubber. They sit by the loo and scream "I clean your poo" so I thought I may as well have a naice one!

[Writehand]

Good grief some people live quiet lives! I don't think I've ever thought about this issue before. I don't think YABU, but you are perhaps a little unwise. Do you realise that kids from overly hygienic homes have weaker immune systems? Fact. Lots of research. Just Google. Here's one: health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/allergy-and-asthma/articles/2010/11/29/too-much-hygiene-may-affect-immune-system-study-suggests

I remember one study about some affluent community in the USA with such ridiculously high standards of cleanliness that their 18 year old students were coming down with preschool viruses when they went away to university because they had not been through the "catching things" stage as preteens. Some of those little viruses can be more serious if encountered for the first time as an adult.

[JustFabulous]

"If you don't have a brush, what implement do you use to scrub? It's all very well chucking bleach down there, but you need something to rub it around..."

No you don't. You squirt bleach under the rim and let it flow down and do its job.

[elfycat]

I taught my 3yo how to scrub using the brush (she leaves marks herself) and then do this thing called washing her hands with lots of water and soap. Leaving marks was distressing her so it seemed the best solution. I supervised her enough, stopped any imaginative play or improvisation (like cleaning the shower) until she became bored with it as a toy and will only use it for the intended use.

Mind you I dislike them and change them frequently.

[TheProvincialLady]

I get round this problem by installing a new toilet every 3 days. Anything to prevent my PFB from soiling his eyes by seeing a toilet brush, nay a toilet brush holder. In between times I just spray hot acid round the bathroom. I'm not bothered about the environment or my health.

[TheProvincialLady]

And it is a proven fact that more children die every day from sucking toilet brushes than any other cause.

[Nooneelseisallowedafergus]

I let my toddler get muddy and explore the world.

I just don't want him touching human poo if I can help it. And don't get me started on dog poo.

Also thousands of children die every year in the developing world by drinking dirty water.

Germs can kill.

[Heavensmells]

Toilet brushes are vile. My toilet is squeaky clean after a few squirts of bleach.

[TheProvincialLady]

And my guests can stick their bare hands down my toilet to clear their skids if necessary. Or I provide toilet paper for them to wrap round their hands ineffectively. or more likely use my toothbrush.

[Hulababy]

No toilet brushes in my house either. Hate the idea of them. I am capable of cleaning the toilets without.