Maintenance Tips for Long-Lasting Floor-Standing Toilets

The humble floor-standing toilet, arguably the most essential of home appliances. How do you maintain a toilet? When it’s working well and performing as expected, the toilet is nearly ignored, much like the soundtrack of an excellent film. As with that soundtrack, however, when it fails, everyone notices and chaos ensues…especially if there’s only one bathroom. So how do I keep my toilet flushing properly?

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Cleaning your toilets regularly is the foundation of a good toilet maintenance checklist, but monthly is more realistic. Wipe down the entire toilet at least once a month, and don’t forget to clean the rim jets, located under the rim of the bowl. They’re a little tricky to reach. If these jets are clogged, your bowl has a tougher time staying clean, which in turn means it’ll be more likely to clog over time.

Try not to use harsh or toxic chemicals when you clean your toilet, as they can damage internal components or even your pipes. If the bowl is slow to drain, you’ve got a weak-flush problem, most likely due to a clog in those rim jets. It’s easier to eyeball them if you use a mirror, and you can force out stubborn clogs in these jets with a stiff wire, while carefully avoiding scratches to the porcelain.

Component awareness

If you want to improve your toilet maintenance skills, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with a toilet’s basic, universal components. These include the bowl, base, seal, tank, lid, handle and chain.  If your toilet is rocking, it’s time to take a closer look. Speaking of stability, as part of your regular cleaning and maintenance routine, you’ll want to check your tank-to-bowl bolts for signs of rust, which can lead to a precarious seating arrangement. If the caulk or silicone is looking dried out, broken or missing, it may be time to re-seal.