How To Clean Your Toilet Tank

How To Clean Your Toilet Tank

You think to clean your tub, your sink, even your toilet bowl, but if you don’t make sure that your toilet tank is clean then the job isn’t really complete. Without cleaning your tank, your toilet bowl will continue to become dirty faster. A toilet tank should be properly cleaned at least twice a year in order to extend the life of the toilet and its parts. Follow these simple steps to make your tank clean again:

Empty Tank - locate the shut-off valve on the wall and turn off the water supply. Flush the tank until it drains completely.

Clean Tank - this step may require different actions depending on the dirtiness of your tank. Surface grime and dirt will only require light scrubbing to remove - if so, move to step three. If discoloration and residue build-up is noticeable, fill the tank with vinegar. This may require up to three gallons of vinegar and needs to sit for up to twelve hours without flushing. After twelve hours have passed, flush until the tank is empty again.

Disinfect - using your favorite disinfectant, spray the tank generously, but taking care to avoid spraying the metal parts. If your disinfectant contains bleach, the bleach will corrode the metal causing rust and forcing you to replace the inner workings of your toilet much sooner. Read the instructions on the disinfectant to see how long to let it sit (usually ten to fifteen minutes) before wiping and rinsing.

Scrub - find a scrub brush that is long enough with a flexible head to help you get into the deep crevices of the tank. Knowing now what the water in your toilet bowl has been run through, it might be best to buy a new scrub brush rather than using the one you had been using to clean your bowl.

Clean The Parts - dilute your cleaning solution and gently wipe down the inner workings of your tank such as the ball float and flapper.

Check It - while you’ve got your lid off and your bowl clean it’s a good time to check and make sure that all tank components are working properly. Perform any necessary maintenance you see needed.

Add Water - turn your water back on and fill up your tank. Give the toilet a few flushes to ensure you are happy with your results.
Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

But the job isn’t quite over yet. Once you’ve gone through the motions of cleaning the toilet tank, it is worth the small effort to keep the tank clean. You can purchase tank tablets (but check that they do not contain bleach) and do vinegar rinses more often to help keep your tank clean and working properly.

If your plumbing needs to be repaired, contact ASAP Plumbing today at 2280865-2727 or visit www.plumbinggultportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair, and full water heater replacement.