1. Empty the tank by locating the water valve, usually on the wall behind or near the toilet’s base. Shut it off, lift the lid from the tank and flush until it drains completely.
  2. If there’s just grime and dirt, start cleaning. If there’s discoloration from residue, fill the tank with cleaning vinegar to the overflow valve (about three gallons in a standard toilet) and let it sit for 12 hours. Then flush. You can also use dish soap to help clean. “But do not use more than a couple of drops of dish soap on the sponge or it will create a flood of bubbles,” says Geambasu. “Just a couple of drops will do and scrub the scum and mildew away and you will be fine.”
  3. Put on rubber gloves and spray the inside of the tank with disinfectant. Let the disinfectant set for 15 minutes.
  4. It might be tempting to clean it with bleach, but don’t do that because it’s corrosive.
  5. Scrub the inside of the tank thoroughly with your scrub brush.
  6. If your toilet’s internal parts need maintenance or replacement, now is the time to do it. Here is how to stop a running toilet and fix flush problems.
  7. Wipe off the internal parts to remove any slime or dirt.
  8. Turn the water back on and allow the tank to fill. Go ahead and flush it a couple of times. If it’s working, you’re done!

How to Maintain Your Toilet Tank

There are drop-in tablets you can add to a toilet tank that help keep it clean. However, you have to be careful with those because they contain bleach. The problem is that, over time, the bleach will eat away at the parts inside your toilet tank, and then you’ll have a different problem to deal with, replacing the toilet’s parts in the tank like the flush and fill valves.

You can put vinegar in the tank, let it sit overnight, and flush it. That will help, but the reality is that there’s just no easy substitute for cleaning your toilet tank. But at least you only have to do it twice a year.

FAQs

What happens if you don’t clean your toilet tank?

One common problem, especially if you have hard water, is mineral buildup that leads to scaling. If left for too long, scaling can be difficult to clean and even block the flushing mechanisms.