It can be embarrassing to talk about it, but it’s a reality for all of us; everybody poops. Whether you have children in the home or multiple people sharing a bathroom, poop stains on the toilet seat happen.
Poop stains on toilet seats can happen regardless of how careful you are. Sometimes all it takes is a quick wipe with some toilet paper to get them off, but sometimes, an older toilet seat can hide stains you don’t see until you lift the lid or look closely under the seat. Knowing how to remove them easily, from new to old stains, can help your toilet look brand new.
A clean toilet seat not only looks better but also helps keep your health in check so you’re not constantly exposing yourself to harmful bacteria.
The Importance Of Cleaning Poop Stains On Toilet Seats
Some poop stains might be so small or inconspicuous that you might think there’s no reason to worry about it. Even though poop stains happen to the best of us and it’s nothing to be ashamed of, the truth is that we want those stains cleaned off thoroughly to avoid any kind of bacteria that might loom in or around them.
We all wish we had the time to establish a more consistent cleaning routine to avoid letting these stains become permanent fixtures on your toilet. Unfortunately, it’s not a pleasant job, and a quick wipe here and there won’t do it. Even neglected toilets can be transformed with a little bit of ingenuity and scrubbing action.
Is It Poop Or Is It Something Else?
You may see a brown stain and assume it’s poop, and while it might be, it could also be something else. Some of these stains can be a little bit harder to tackle than your good old potty stains, but they aren’t impossible. They are also unavoidable, as things naturally occur in our water supply that can cause staining and discoloration on our bathroom fixtures.
If you try one of the easier ways to remove poop and it doesn’t seem to work, it could be something like rust or calcium that has built up in or on your toilet. As you know, our water can have a lot of different minerals in it, many of which can eat away at our bathroom fixtures over time.
How Poop Stains Happen
Anyone can get poop stains on their toilet seats. You don’t have to be a child, be messy, or have an accident for this to happen. Naturally, water containing even the smallest particles is able to fly up during a flush or a splash and you may not notice it until it’s had a chance to dry.
Over time, these small particles can lead to major stains that can be troublesome to tackle. Even something as simple as sitting a little too far forward or backward on your seat can lead to stains that you may not see right away.
Consider that you don’t replace your toilet, and even your toilet seat, for years. Even when you clean your toilet often, you might miss things occasionally. When multiple people use a toilet numerous times each day, stains are bound to build up.
How To Clean Poop Stains On Toilet Seat: Easy Stains
The good news is that a lot of the things that can clean away poop and similar-looking stains are likely already somewhere in your home. If not, you’ll be pleased to know that you don’t necessarily have to rely on harsh chemicals to do the job.
Distilled White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar should be a staple in every household. It’s inexpensive, can be bought in large quantities, and can clean your house in amazing ways without harsh residue or that chemical smell. It’s also powerful enough to wipe away stubborn stains, including poop and things that might look like it – like mineral stains.
There are a few ways you can use white vinegar to clean your toilet. You can soak a cloth or paper towel in some vinegar and use it to wipe down your toilet seat. You typically don’t have to rub too hard to get the staining removed. You can also pour it into your toilet to remove stains inside your toilet bowl.
You can also let white vinegar soak for a little bit longer if you’re cleaning an older seat that hasn’t been cleaned in a while. You can do this by setting paper towels soaked on your seat and closing the toilet, letting it sit for a half hour to an hour.
Mild Soap
A mild liquid soap can work just as well as your traditional toilet cleaner, but it allows you to stay away from chemicals if you’re trying to avoid them in your home. Mix your mild soap with a little bit of water and slosh it around your toilet as you would a cleaner. You can also rub some on your seat, concentrating a little bit harder on stained areas.
Let the soap sit for a few minutes and take a damp towel and wipe off the soap. You’ll also want to grab a dry paper towel to remove any leftover soap to avoid letting a sticky residue form.
Disinfectant Wipes
You likely have a few disinfectant wipes at home, but you might not realize that they are pretty efficient at taking off stains. You also get the benefit of eliminating the bacteria and germs that inevitably live around your toilet.
How To Clean Poop Stains On Toilet Seat: Hard Stains
Some stains will require you to use a little bit more elbow grease combined with some different products to get off. These suggestions can also help remove stains that have been festering for years outside of your newly discovered poop stains.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is another fantastic product that is cheap and cleans very efficiently. After you’ve done a general wipe-down of your toilet to disinfect it, you can take a paste created with baking soda and water and spread it on the stained areas. Dampen a sponge, and wipe away the baking soda solution. The poop stains and any subsequent stains should come off with ease.
Distilled White Vinegar
That trusty white vinegar doesn’t only work on newer or smaller stains. You can also use it combined with some water if you need to get off more stubborn waste stains. The water is going to help loosen up the stain and the vinegar will do the rest.
Warm water is typically the most effective to clean your toilet this way. You can wet the seat with the solution and use either a cloth or a sponge to rub the stains out. You can also try soaking some washcloths in vinegar and draping them over your toilet for at least an hour to attempt and lift more difficult stains off your toilet seat.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Both baking soda and vinegar can come together to make for an effective paste that can tackle even the worst stains that have made their home in or on your toilet. When you mix together equal parts of both products and spread them on your seat, you’ll want to let it sit to make sure all the staining has a chance to be lifted up.
Let the mixture sit for at least half an hour before you get a sponge or brush to start wiping off any excess solution. You’ll also need a damp cloth to clean off the rest of the toilet, which will likely look brand new once you’re done.
How Can I Avoid Poop Stains On Toilet Seats?
As you know, poop stains just happen with the simple use of a toilet. However, there are some ways you can try to reduce how often these unwanted stains can happen. Of course, regular cleaning is always the best way to avoid these stains, but sometimes we don’t have enough hours in the day.
One of the important things to remember no matter how you choose to clean your toilet is to let your chosen product have time to relax. You don’t want to apply the product to your toilet and then wipe it away right after. If you can let it marinate for a little bit of time, your cleaning is going to be much more effective.
Conclusion
Poop stains aren’t anything to be embarrassed by; it’s something that naturally comes with toilets. However, eliminating them is always a good idea as soon as you can. There are so many things you can use to clean your toilet, and there’s a good chance you already have those items.
You don’t have to simply rely on bleach and other harsh chemicals to get the job done well, either. Even the worst stains that have caused discoloration to your toilet seat and bowl can be taken off with some household items and some time. Just because poop stains on toilet seats are normal, it doesn’t mean you have to let them live there forever.