Create Ventilation

• When preparing to clean the toilet, make sure the room is well ventilated. Most bathrooms have either a window or a ventilation fan. Also, have protective rubber gloves and eye protection handy to prevent germs or chemicals from coming in contact with your eyes or skin.
  
  

Prepare the Toilet Bowl

• To prepare the toilet bowl for cleaning, it should be flushed first. This wets the sides of the bowl, as well as flushes away any standing germs. Lower the amount of water in the bowl, which can be done by turning the water supply off and flushing, or by pouring a bucket of water down the toilet.
  
  

Add Cleaner

• Before using the brush, toilet bowl cleaner is added--chemical cleaners or homemade mixtures, such as baking soda, vinegar, and borax, infused with pine, peppermint, ylang ylang, lemon, or other essential oils that have antimicrobial properties. Getting the cleaner onto the sides will make it easier to reach under the toilet bowl rim.
  Make sure that a container for the toilet brush is nearby, so that the wet brush can rest in it, once you are done. This will also prevent the spread of any germs remaining on the brush, and it will support the brush as it drains and dries.
  
  

Scrubbing the Surface

• The toilet brush is then used to scrub the entire inner surface of the toilet bowl. It is designed to reach under the rim at the top, and down into the trap at the base of the bowl. Work from the top and scrub under the rim. Make sure to reach all the way around. Rinse the brush in the small amount of water in the bowl, and then continue to scrub around the bowl, working your way down to the trap. Scrub the inside of the trap as far as the brush will go, making sure to scrub thoroughly.
  
  

Storing the Brush

• To clean off the toilet brush, flush the toilet to rinse, and allow the water to flow onto the brush. Additional water can be poured onto the brush, and it should be sprayed with disinfectant before placing it in its container.
  The toilet brush is only used to clean the inside of the toilet bowl. It should not be used to clean the other toilet parts, as this may spread otherwise contained germs, onto the parts that others may touch. The rest of the toilet should be cleaned with a rag, to wash the entire outer surfaces of the toilet. Upon completion, the rag should be washed in the washing machine or discarded.