Using bleach in the toilet - do people actually do this?

[EyepatchOfTravis]

Genuine question. I've always been a bit wary of using bleach (I suffer from a type of OCD where I get very anxious around certain chemicals), so have always used toilet cleaners that aren't bleach based. However, my toilet is looking pretty stained and there's lime scale too and I'm thinking that actually, a bleach based product may be a good idea for a while. However, I was looking at the bleach toilet cleaners today and the bottles of all of them (from super duper extra lime scale removal ones to bog standard thick bleach) say you should use protective gloves, clothing and eye protection, which given my anxiety around bleach has put me into a bit of a tailspin. Do people actually change into protective gear and don goggles and rubber gloves? I just assumed you picked up the bottle and squirted it round the rim with minimum fuss...

[EineKleine]

I just squirt it round but for limescale use the black bottle cleaner, which is not bleach based. It works well but seems to smell of urine to me, so I don't use it all the time.

[dontcallmelen]

Yy harpic in the black bottle, shifts limescale like nothing else brilliant stuff.

[specialsubject]

No bleach down the bog in this house due to septic tank and no one has died. The fish will thank you not to use it.

As above,white vinegar ( from wilkinsons, pound a bottle) on the limescale, ideally with the water sponged out first. Then rubber gloves and scrub after a while.

Less harmful for you as well.

[muttrat]

I use black harpic. I scoop most of the water out, put the harpic in and leave for an hour. Voila

[kel1493]

I just squirt it round and pour a bit into the bottom as well. I also pour it down the plugs and things like that.
I can't stand rubber gloves, I literally only use them for cleaning the toilet.

[rabbit123]

No bleach in this house, it's pointless stuff. Whilst bleach is a good bacteria killer, there is no cleaning agent in it. To get the most out of bleach, you need to wash the surface first and then bleach it. Also it's really easily desensitised so the smallest things can render it totally useless.

For the toilet, I use bog standard toilet duck. Leave it to sit over night and then scrub round with the loo brush in the morning and flush away

[Medeci]

I never use bleach in the toilet since we had our new bathroom installed . The cleaning instructions for the new toilet said not to use bleach as it would take the shine off and make the surface more porous and harder to clean.
So just use any toilet cleaner without bleach and it still looks like new.

[cuddlebug]

I never use bleach. I just use milton (cheaper brand in Poundland it smells like chlorine).

[EyepatchOfTravis]

Thanks everyone

[PickAChew]

Spirit of salt is hydrochloric acid. That's definitely the nuclear option (though, incidentally, the acid you have in your stomach!)

[PickAChew]

Hazy memories of chemistry lessons about 30 years ago lead me to believe that this is because limescale is calcium related, and coke contains phosphoric acid. I think phosphorous is a 'stronger' alkali metal than calcium. Is this true, readers?

Hopefully someone has already picked this up, but your memories are very hazy indeed!

It's a simple acid base reaction. Limescale is calcium carbonate (same stuff as limestone, chalk and rennies!)
Acid + carbonate = salt + water + carbon dioxide, which is why you get lots of fizz if you squirt vinegar onto limescale.

I tried the coke trick, when I had a flat half bottle to dispose of. It just stained it all even browner. I've given up on the black harpic because it's just not as good as it used to be and the smell gives me a headache. That's why I just periodically bleach the fucker, now! It's never looked better, particularly since I no longer have to manually wipe away the disgusting biofilm that the bog brush and harpic would never touch, in a particularly awkwardly angled bit of the bowl.

[celeste84]

Its just the bleach companies way of legally covering themselves if anyone hurts themselves with the bleach. In the real world not much can wrong if you are squirting the bleach around the rim. The only things getting harmed by the bleach is the germs and nasties hiding under the rim of my loo I don't even wear gloves with it. I'm not going to physically touch the bleach but i will of course wash my hands after as you would after lifting the toilet seat, touching the flush handle, etc. One thing though is this advice of the dangers of bleach should hit home how dangerous it is to leave around the home in reach of little hands. I hate to think of a child playing with it and getting it in their eyes. Thats why it always annoys me when i see people leaving a bleach bottle next o the loo within reach of children

[scoobydoo1971]

Whether you use bleach or not, be careful not to use it alongside other cleaning products as there can be a chemical reaction that can be harmful to your toilet, and your lungs and skin. For example, mixing bleach and vinegar gives you chlorine...stingy eyes, burning skin, respiratory health issues. My poor late father was once seen running wildly through our cold Victorian house clutching his nether regions. Turns out my mothers over-zealous cleaning had left a rather toxic combination of chemical warfare on the toilet block under the rim...burned him somewhere you would rather not put a plaster during a little visit...

[e1y1]

[avamiah]

e1y1,
I know it's ridiculous.😫.
My friend( who does not have children)said she does the Bleaching clean in her underwear . 😮
Lucky for you I said.
If I walked around the house cleaning toilets and the kitchen in my bra and big knickers I could guarantee their would be a knock at the door with a delivery from Amazon.😬

[hellokittymania]

My personal assistant uses spirit of salt and some other product which she put out of my reach and I don't know what it's called, but apparently it is very very strong.

[RelentlesslyPositive]

Actually, forget I said that - I was thinking of potassium, which also starts with a P. I should have paid more attention in school all those years ago. I was never a scientist!

[RelentlesslyPositive]

Bleach does get rid of the stains, but I agree about the limescale (I live in a hard water area and everything gets caked in the stuff ).

Vinegar does work, and so does coke as a previous poster said. Worrying really, because I have drunk about half a litre of diet coke this evening. Hazy memories of chemistry lessons about 30 years ago lead me to believe that this is because limescale is calcium related, and coke contains phosphoric acid. I think phosphorous is a 'stronger' alkali metal than calcium. Is this true, readers?

[DJBaggySmalls]

Bleach doesnt remove limescale, it just bleaches it white. Use white vinegar or citric acid crystals instead.
Open the bottle with the nozzle facing away from you and you'll be fine.

[e1y1]

avamiah - YY, the amount of clothing I have damaged through bleach :( you'd thought I would have learnt

[Hidingtonothing]

Yes I use bleach for some household jobs and no I don't wear gloves or goggles. But I agree bleach won't remove limescale from your toilet, best product I've found for that is Harpic power in the black bottle.

[SafeToCross]

I use the harpic clean and shine one with baking soda in that is excellent for limescale - I also dilute it and use it to clean without putting gloves on, its fine. I can understand people's environmental concerns, and am interested in what people say - however, it would be a shame if this thread fed your worries.

[avamiah]

e1y1,
Me to, I use bleach everywhere but agree with you about the toilet as it will remove anything but not limescale.
A very good limescale remover is required first .
The only negative is that if you get a drop on your clothes they will be ruined.
I have learnt my lesson as I used to come home from work and start cleaning up then the next day I would see my black dress had a tiny orange mark on, that's bleach and it won't come off.

[Highmaintenancefemalestuff]

I use a bleach based spray and give it all a good scrub then squirt ordinary bleach round the rim with no gloves. I clean the rest of the bathroom then flush and brush. I do this once/twice a week. Every night after everyone's used the toilet before bed I put toilet duck around then brush and flush in the morning. I love how sparkling my toilet looks.