It sits next to every toilet, usually in a closed rack, and a Finnish cleaning expert says many people keep it on for far too long. In Scandinavia and Central Europe, home sites report that many households are now replacing the classic bristle toilet brush with a different model. Here’s what replaces it, why cleaning pros say it’s more hygienic, and what it still can’t do.
In brief
- The replacement is a silicone toilet brushoften with a flat or flexible head.
- Silicone is non-porous: it rinses and dries faster than packaged plastic bristles.
- A bristle brush that is only rinsed should be replaced approximately every 3 months.
- Silicone is weaker on stubborn, dried dirt than on stiff bristles.
What replaces it
According to the Norwegian website Dagens.no, many people choose a silicone brush over a traditional plastic brush. The reasons he gives: there are no dense bristles in which dirt can accumulate, so the head rinses clean; flexible head reaches edges and hard-to-reach areas; it tends to spray less; and it is often sold with a ventilated or wall mount which allows it to dry more quickly. The site quotes Finnish cleaning expert Mari Breilin, who says plastic brushes should be replaced much more often than most people do. The price, he adds, is about the same as many regular brushes.
Why hair is the problem
British testing site Expert Reviews sums it up well: the bristles are “so tight that it’s impossible to clean them perfectly”, so “bacteria build-up on the brush is inevitable” and they “need to be replaced much more often”. Cleaning expert Isabella Flores, of Sparkly Maid San Diego, told Tom’s Guide that silicone isn’t porous, so it doesn’t absorb bacteria and organic matter like plastic bristles can. It also dries more quickly and tolerates more severe disinfection, including boiling.
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How to Keep a Toilet Brush Clean
Silicone or not, routine is what maintains hygiene. Tom’s Guide recommends:
- After each use: flush it, spray it with disinfectant or hydrogen peroxide, and let it dry on the bowl.
- Once a week: soak the brush and holder for at least an hour in hot water with a little bleach, or for 30 to 60 minutes in white vinegar. Never mix the two: bleach and vinegar produce toxic chlorine gas.
- Choose an open or ventilated support, which dries better than a sealed one, and also cleans its base.
- Replace it on time: every 3 months if you only rinse it, 6-12 months with weekly deep cleaning, and immediately if you see mold.
The limit
Silicone is not a miracle. Expert Reviews notes that silicone brushes shaped like regular brushes “generally have weak bristles that don’t do a great job on stubborn dirt” and that flat, spatula-style heads handle grime better, although you have to get used to a different technique. And no brush, neither silicone nor bristles, is designed to dissolve the hard mineral ring at the waterline. And whatever your choice, a brush kept damp in a closed holder will always breed bacteria.
For this flotation ring, here is the best way to remove limescale from toilets. The bathroom is also evolving in other ways, such as the option to replace toilet paperand the ground around the base deserves attention: see why people are spray vinegar around the toilet.
A flat silicone head, an open holder and a date to replace it. That’s the thing.
Gn bussni
