When cleaning the toilet area, the cistern is often overlooked. Actually, it needs to be disinfected regularly to prevent bacteria or mold from developing. If you clean your toilet cistern regularly, you can also prevent rust and limescale deposits.
Clean the toilet cistern: This home remedy disinfects and neutralizes odors
The toilet cistern needs to be cleaned at least once a month. Otherwise, mold can form and dangerous bacteria can spread. Serratia marcescens are bacteria that multiply rapidly in the toilet. In hospitals, the pathogen causes wound infections, skin inflammation and pneumonia. Mold can cause allergies and limescale deposits can damage the parts in the cistern. Unfortunately, cleaning the cistern is a time-consuming and tedious job. With a homemade toilet bomb you can get the inside of the toilet cistern clean without scrubbing and can even neutralize unpleasant odors.
Before cleaning the cistern, find the shutoff valve or faucet and turn off the water. Then remove the lid and remove or dismantle all moving parts in the cistern. Schedule cleaning during a period when you use the toilet less often - for example late in the evening.
If there is mold, first disinfect the cistern with vinegar essence
In some cases, if the cistern has not been cleaned for a long time, additional disinfection is necessary. Otherwise, dirty water will flow into the toilet bowl. How to know whether you should also disinfect the toilet cistern:
- The flushing doesn't work or only works poorly.
- The rinse water runs longer than normal.
- You notice an orange streak of water in the toilet cistern.
- You notice mold in the cistern.
A vinegar essence solution or lemon juice is suitable for disinfection. It is environmentally friendly, does not damage the rubber seals and metal parts and reliably removes mold spores. Proceed as follows: Fill 100 ml of vinegar essence and 400 ml of water into a 1 liter plastic bottle. Shake the bottle so that the two mix well and pour some vinegar essence solution onto a kitchen sponge. Then gently rub the solution into the walls, floor, and seals with the kitchen sponge. Pour the rest of the solution into the empty cistern and leave it to work for about 40 to a maximum of 50 minutes. Then rinse them off.
DIY toilet bomb and air freshener in one
If there is no mold in the cistern, you can clean it regularly with a homemade toilet bomb. To do this, simply mix the following ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 50 ml citric acid
- 100 ml Backsoda
- 1/2 tsp liquid soap or dishwashing liquid
- 12 drops of essential oils such as lavender or tea tree oil
Accesories:
- Glass bowl
- Silicone muffin cups
- Spoon
- Rubber gloves
Preparation:
Add baking powder and citric acid to the bowl and mix. Add the fragrance oils and mix the mixture well. Slowly add the liquid soap to the baking powder mixture, stirring constantly. It should be moderately moist and easy to shape with your hands. Pour them into the muffin cups and let the bombs dry for about 12 to 14 hours. Then carefully remove them from the muffin cups and let them dry for another 2-3 days. Place the bombs in a jam jar with an airtight seal and store in a dry, dark place.
How to use the bombs correctly:
Place a bomb in the toilet tank (it should be full of water). If necessary, you can do some additional scrubbing with a clean, long-handled brush. Then flush the toilet two or three times to remove any remaining bomb residue. The essential oils will neutralize unpleasant odors and flavor the dishwashing water over the next few days.
These bath bombs clean and prevent limescale deposits. However, if the cistern is already calcified, then you have to add a cup of lemon juice to the rinsing water once a month and let it work for about an hour. Then rinse several times and you're done.Against limescalePumice stone also helps - you can simply rub off the deposits with it. Pumice stone will not damage metal parts or rubber seals and is a very effective alternative to lemon juice and citric acid. Both can attack metal parts and rubber seals if they are not diluted with water.
Cleaning the toilet cistern: the most important things summarized
Mold, limescale and bacteria can damage the cistern and pose a health risk. That's why everyone should clean the toilet cistern once or twice a month. It's best to use homemade toilet bombs, which have a short exposure time. You can also disinfect the rinse water and neutralize unpleasant odors.
However, if you notice mold and limescale in the cistern, you should first clean it with a solution of citric acid and water.
Also interesting:Brown deposits in the toilet: tips on how to get rid of them effortlessly and quickly!
