How To Clean Toilet Tank Without Draining?

Cleaning the toilet is one of those jobs that no one really wants to do, but it is essential for keeping a clean and healthy home.

If you have been wondering how to clean toilet tank without draining, you have come to the right place! Read on, for our best tips.

How To Clean Toilet Tank Without Draining?

If you’re anything like me, you may not have known that your toilet tank even needed draining!

As well as cleaning the toilet itself, you should clean out the toilet tank once in a while – and it doesn’t have to be as big a job as you might think.

You don’t have to drain the entire tank; you can clean the inside of the toilet tank relatively easily without draining it.

1. Wearing rubber gloves, remove the lid of your toilet tank and place it on the floor (place a towel underneath to catch drips).
2. Pour white vinegar directly into the tank, until it is full to within and inch of the top. Leave this mixture to sit for 12 hours to allow the vinegar to dissolve mineral deposits.
3. After 12 hours, flush the toilet a few times to remove the vinegar from the tank, then turn off the water valve (this is usually found near the floor).
4. Flush the toilet again, which will remove some of the water from the tank so you can see how clean it is.
5. If necessary, take a scrubbing brush and scrub at any discolouration, grim and mineral build up.
6. Turn the water back on, then flush the toilet again to ensure that there is water in both the tank and the toilet.
7. You can repeat this procedure as often as you need to, though it is recommended that you only need to do this a couple of times a year.

What Is The Easiest Way To Clean A Toilet Tank?

Cleaning out the toilet tank may fill you with dread, but it really needn’t – you don’t even have to go all out emptying and scrubbing the tank!

• Choose your cleaning fluid. The best options are white vinegar, baking soda or Borax.
• Fill the tank with your chosen cleaner, until it is full to the brim but not overflowing.
• Leave the solution to sit for at least 12 hours, to allow the cleaning agents to do their work.
• Take a scrubbing brush and scrub at areas that are still discoloured, then flush the toilet several times.

And there you have it – it’s really that simple! Cleaning out the toilet tank a couple of times a year using this method is easy and effective – and you don’t even need to drain the tank.

You can maintain freshness in the area by regularly sprinkling in baking soda, or even using specialist drop-in tablets.

Here’s a good video, showing you how to clean your toilet tank effectively – it is drained, but you can see how simple that is to do. Also, an interesting comparison between bleach and natural products!

Is There Something You Can Put In Your Toilet Tank To Clean It?

There are cleaning products for just about every cleaning job there is – and cleaning out the toilet tank is no exception.

The things you can use range in harshness, from the mild and gentle products that you can find in your cupboards, to the chemical cleaners you can buy.

• White vinegar is just about the best cleaning product there is – it is chemical free and completely natural, and it really is a first rate cleaner.
• Baking soda is another store cupboard cleaning favourite – it is excellent at cleaning as well at reducing odours.
• Lemon juice, although not quite as efficient as the previous two, is also a very good cleaner, and has the advantage of making everything smell fresh.
• Bleach, although it is a pretty harsh chemical and should be used sparingly, is a very efficient cleaning fluid.
• Drop in tablets are available that you can just place into your toilet tank – again, these do contain chemicals, but the will get the job done.

As you see, whether you want to go down the natural route or you are happy to get chemical cleaners involved, you can just pop something into your toilet tank and know that it will get on with the cleaning in the background.

Should You Clean The Inside Of Your Toilet Tank?

Cleaning out the toilet tank, although not as essential as cleaning the toilet bowl itself, is one of those jobs that should be done sometimes.

Cleaning out the tank will prevent a build up of sludge, slime and bacteria in the tank, and will keep everything as clean as it can be.

When the water and bacteria build up in the toilet tank, it can cause unwanted odours and can make the toilet not function as well as it should do.

You don’t have to do this job too often; once or twice a year should be just fine to keep everything clean and odour free.

What Is The Brown Sludge In My Toilet Tank?

When water sits in an area for long periods of time, it can bring some unwanted, unattractive things with it.

The brown sludge in your toilet tank is not something completely unspeakable – it is a mixture of the minerals in the water, as well as some bacteria.

Although it is unsightly, you generally won’t see it until you decide to clean out your toilet tank!

• Brown stains on the side of the tank are likely caused by iron deposits – these can be hard to remove, but are nothing to worry about.
• Brown slime is generally more bacteria based, looks more disgusting, and may even smell – you will probably want to get rid of this!

Final Thoughts

Cleaning out the inside of your toilet tank is not a job that anyone really wants to do – but it should be done occasionally.

Now that you know how very easy it is to clean toilet tank without draining it, you can add it to the list of jobs that you can just easily get done with minimal effort.