We have a golf condo in the Pinehurst, NC area and visit our place about once a month. I clean the two toilets in the condo as soon as we arrive and right before we leave. What can I do to prevent mold/mildew from forming in the bowl while we are gone? I leave the toilet lid open but wondered if I can put some bleach, baking soda or something in the bowl while we are away to keep it clean? Thanks.
By BJ Hill from Fairfax, VA
Here's what works for us. We travel as snowbirds so we have to do the same thing to our toilet in Florida. Clean well. Put just a cap of bleach in the toilet. Cover the porcelain only with Saran Wrap very tightly. You'll come back to a clean and fresh toilet. Just flush and you're ready to move on to better things in your life.
Maybe vinegar? Don't use those drop in tablets, they are BAD for your tank if you flush it often, and leaving it in there with long times between flushes is even worse (coming from my hubby that is a plumber).
Get rid of mildew stains - Another one of many uses of vinegar is to clean mildew stains. You can apply full strength vinegar to heavy mildew stains or dilute half and half with water for light stains. You dont have to worry about ventilation and you can apply white vinegar to nearly any surface without worry.
Have you tried emptying the back of the tank? If you drain it and leave it empty and shut of the water to the toilet, it will stay dry and when you come back, it will fill up in a matter of minutes. But then again, I hate scrubbing toilets :)
One of the simplest ways to avoid mildew under the lid is to leave it open for air circulation Not the most attractive solution, but if no one is there, no one can see it.
Don't use bleach. I tried that in my condo and had to replace all the rubber in both toilets when the rubber seals literally started to disintegrate. All the rubber had a black slime that came off on my hands.
