logo
Hands-free ways to clean your toilet without chemicals: Video

Hands-free ways to clean your toilet without chemicals: Video

USA Today08-06-2025
Hands-free ways to clean your toilet without chemicals: Video
Show Caption
Hide Caption
How to clean your toilet properly
Cleaning your toilet doesn't have to be hard.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
No one wants to clean the toilet, but it needs to be done. The bowl is no stranger to hard water rings and other stains, but you don't have to get your hands dirty to get it clean. You don't even need to use store-bought cleaners, either. There are some easy ways to clean the toilet bowl using things you might already have.
While these methods clean the inside of the bowl, you also need to clean the outside, especially the seat, with your go-to household cleaner and a paper towel or microfiber cloth.
Watch this video for four tips for getting your toilet bowl sparkly and clean.
Clean toilet bowl
Ditch the store-bought toilet bowl cleaners and consider these alternatives instead:
Alka Seltzer tablets. Just toss two tablets in the bowl and let them do all the work. The tablets will fizz up and handle the stains, while you're free to handle other things. Let the froth sit for at least 20 minutes to fully dissolve. If needed, give the bowl a once-over with the brush.
Just toss two tablets in the bowl and let them do all the work. The tablets will fizz up and handle the stains, while you're free to handle other things. Let the froth sit for at least 20 minutes to fully dissolve. If needed, give the bowl a once-over with the brush. Distilled white vinegar. While many people reach for bleach to clean their bathrooms, including the toilet, it can be harsh. Instead, use white vinegar. Pour a couple of cups of it into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight.
While many people reach for bleach to clean their bathrooms, including the toilet, it can be harsh. Instead, use white vinegar. Pour a couple of cups of it into the toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. If there are stains outside the waterline, soak a paper towel with vinegar and lay it on the stain. This also works well for the area underneath the rim of the bowl. Let it sit overnight, then remove any paper towels before using and flushing.
Bonus, soak your toilet brush in the vinegar-filled bowl to clean it, too.
Shop top-rated related products:
How to clean a toilet brush
Your toilet brush does all the dirty work, so it needs to be cleaned!
To clean your toilet bowl brush:
Pour bleach into your toilet bowl and submerge the brush. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Flush and rinse the brush in the fresh water. Wipe the handle with a disinfectant wipe. Let it air dry by sandwiching the brush between the rim of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat. This will secure the brush end over the bowl to catch any drips as it dries.
You can also spray the brush with a disinfectant, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide after each use to keep it clean.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lawmakers want independent re-do of Air Force missile community cancer study
Lawmakers want independent re-do of Air Force missile community cancer study

USA Today

time15 hours ago

  • USA Today

Lawmakers want independent re-do of Air Force missile community cancer study

The Air Force started studying cancer rates in the nuclear missile community in 2023 due to pressure from ailing missile officers. Lawmakers may soon order an independent re-do of an ongoing Air Force study on possible cancer risk in personnel manning its nuclear missiles. A provision in the House's draft defense policy bill would, if passed, require the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to commission a study examining "occupational health and safety conditions" in Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile facilities. The sites include the underground alert facilities where Air Force missile officers spend long shifts prepared to launch in the case of nuclear war. The move comes after an independent researcher concluded there is an increase in cases of a rare cancer at an Air Force missile base in Montana, adding another wrinkle to a years-long push for answers. The new, congressionally directed research would also scrutinize the methodology and design of an ongoing Air Force study of the issue. The Air Force Medical Service and Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the service's nuclear-armed missile and bomber forces, began studying the missile community's cancer risks in 2023 after a Space Force officer compiled a list of cancer diagnoses at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The Air Force study's preliminary findings indicated troops in the nuclear missile community don't have higher cancer diagnosis or death rates than other active duty servicemembers or the general U.S. population. The official study's environmental surveys, however, confirmed the presence of polychorinated biphenyls − a likely cancer-causing chemical − in alert facilities at Malmstrom and at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. And an independent assessment of self-reported Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases at Malmstrom released in April found an increase in diagnoses among missileers. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, submitted the independent study amendment, which cleared a key hurdle when it passed the House Armed Services Committee on July 16. Bacon told USA TODAY that a meeting with one of his constituents − an ailing retired missile officer − moved him to author the provision. "Let's make sure that we have some outside experts working with the Air Force," said Bacon, who is a retired Air Force brigadier general. "We want to make sure there's credibility and, whatever results come out, that we've done total due diligence." The Omaha-based representative added that the Air Force needs to learn what's wrong in the aging Minuteman III launch facilities before it builds new ones for the planned Sentinel ICBM. Air Force officials defended the rigor and transparency of their ongoing study in a statement to USA TODAY. "We welcome the opportunity of scientific and medical professionals to review Air Force studies and to provide comments," said Alana Miller, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General. Miller emphasized the internal independence of Air Force epidemiologists conducting the study and their partnerships with external researchers who review their findings. The Torchlight Initiative, an advocacy group for missile community members, praised the independent study amendment in a press release. Torchlight has documented more than 800 self-reported cases of cancer and other exposure-related diseases among ICBM airmen and veterans. "There is an urgent need for ... thorough independent research, formal acknowledgement of likely exposures, and a sustained commitment to safeguard future personnel through enhanced environmental monitoring," the group argued. For the independent study to occur, the provision must make it into the final defense policy bill later this year. The House and Senate typically pass competing versions of the legislation before negotiating a compromise bill for the president's signature. Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

See where COVID cases are rising amid summer wave: New CDC data
See where COVID cases are rising amid summer wave: New CDC data

USA Today

time18 hours ago

  • USA Today

See where COVID cases are rising amid summer wave: New CDC data

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows activity of COVID-19 is increasing across a wide swath of the country. As the U.S. approaches the midpoint of summer, the CDC is reporting cases of the virus are growing or likely growing in more than half of all states, including many in the South and Southeast. The center's July 18 report shows at least 26 states plus Washington, D.C., are encountering a summer surge, according to its epidemic trend modeling, using data from emergency department visits. The CDC notes its modeling indicates trends in overall cases, not the actual numbers of current infections. New COVID variant is spreading: What are the symptoms? A familiar summer surge The rate of positive COVID-19 tests is increasing nationally, the CDC said of the last week in data, with emergency department visits for the virus are increasing among children 4 years old and younger. Though there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases in more than two dozen states, the CDC says the overall amount of people seeking care for acute respiratory illnesses is at a very low level. That's accompanied by low levels of seasonal influenza activity and very low levels of RSV activity, the CDC says. Overall, trends in COVID-19 cases continue downward as compared to the last few years, according to long-term data trends in deaths, emergency room visits and positive cases. The U.S. has seen a wave of higher COVID-19 cases every summer since 2020. COVID-19 in 2025: What's the latest vaccine guidance? It's complicated. COVID-19 cases are growing in 10 states: The CDC's latest report says cases are likely growing in more than a dozen other states, plus Washington, D.C. In one state − Montana − COVID-19 cases are likely declining. COVID-19 cases are likely growing in the following 16 states: Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.

Video shows moment officer saves toddler choking outside Texas gas station
Video shows moment officer saves toddler choking outside Texas gas station

Indianapolis Star

time18 hours ago

  • Indianapolis Star

Video shows moment officer saves toddler choking outside Texas gas station

A child is alive thanks to a police officer being at the right place at the right time. A viral video shows a Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center officer's training immediately kick in during a July 12 incident at a north-central Texas gas station, which was captured on his department-issued body camera. The dramatic encounter took place on duty while at a Quick Trip gas station to fill up his patrol car's tank, Cpl. Lee Higginbotham told USA TODAY on Tuesday, July 22. "Two people come running to my squad car," Higginbotham said in an on-air interview with KDFW-TV. "At first, I did not know who was choking," the 44-year-old Army veteran told USA TODAY. "When I realized it was a child, I noticed he was turning a blueish shade." What followed was less than a minute as the 2-year-old's family and bystanders watched what Higginbotham said the boy would later spit out − "a nickel-sized hotdog." "He was with his grandparents at the time of the incident," the officer said. "They were relieved and happy." Video shows Higginbotham rush to the child, beginning back blows and radioing for help. "I immediately grabbed the child and put him in a downward position and gave him several back blows to attempt to dislodge the item," Higginbotham said. When the back slaps did not work, the officer turned the child around and performed the Heimlich maneuver, which dislodged a piece of a hot dog. In the footage, a crowd of his family and others surrounding the child quickly cheered. "It was nerve-racking," the corporal told the local TV station. "I would hope that someone would do that with my child if my child was out there in danger and I wasn't there." Watch the video at the top of this story. Hot dogs have proven to be a serious choking hazard for young children because of their size, shape and texture, Dr. Tanya Altmann, author of 'Baby & Toddler Basics," previously told USA TODAY. While beloved by kids, hot dogs rank at the top of lists of foods to avoid giving young children. According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, children younger than age 4 should not consume the cylindrical-shaped foods unless they are chopped into tiny pieces. Because of their shape, hot dogs should be cut lengthwise into strips first and then cut again into smaller pieces. Contributing: Amy Haneline

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store