How to remove yellow stains off a toilet seat — it’s easy when you know how

No matter how often you clean your toilet, and let’s face it, it’s a thankless task, there’s no denying that some stains are harder to remove than others.

While I’ve recently shared how I banish limescale from my toilet using an unusual tool, there’s another stain that had me equally perplexed — that is, until I tried this toilet cleaning hack that has it sparkling once more.

I’ve been fighting the battle against urine stains on my plastic toilet seat, and have finally won. So, now whenever anyone in my family leaves the seat up (they have no manners), I’m not faced with staring at a yellowing seat every time I step into my bathroom.

While in the past I’ve closed the seat and tried to forget what’s beneath, I now know how to clean those nasty stains and have a hygienic toilet.

How to clean urine stains off a toilet seat

Giving your toilet a regular clean will help prevent the build-up of limescale and other stains, but when the stains get set in, you’ll need to ramp up your cleaning game.

And although urine is a big factor in turning your toilet seat yellow, bleach can also be a culprit. If used undiluted on a toilet seat, or left for long periods, the gases released by bleach can degrade the plastic, and the subsequent chemical reaction can strip away the protective coating and change the plastic’s color.

1. Remove your toilet seat

Rather than cleaning your toilet seat in situ, where it might be difficult to reach into all the nooks and crannies, check to see if it can be removed. Mine has a quick-release button under the lid at the back, which, when pressed, releases the seat from the main bowl. Just be prepared for what you might find when you release it, and ensure you’re wearing a pair of cleaning gloves.

If you’re able to remove the seat, lay it on a flat surface and place an old towel or some plastic sheeting below. Otherwise, leave the seat in place and follow the same cleaning steps.

2. Make a paste

The trick to cleaning yellow stains off a toilet seat is to apply a paste containing a natural cleaning agent, which we recommend on repeat at Tom’s Guide. Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is the key to this cleaning hack, and it simply needs to be mixed with water to form a thick paste. The paste needs to be thick enough to stay put, rather than slide off, which is more prone to happen if the seat is sitting in a vertical position on the bowl, rather than lying on a flat surface.

3. Apply the paste

Once you’re happy with the thickness of the paste, apply it directly to the stains. You can use a microfiber cloth or a toothbrush specifically set aside for cleaning chores (it’s no time to take revenge!)

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4. Leave the paste to work

Allow the paste to work for about 20 minutes before doing a spot check. Take your microfiber cloth and remove some of the paste. If the stains have gone, rinse the paste off with water and brush off any of what remains with your old toothbrush.

If some stains still remain, reapply the paste and repeat the process until the stains have faded.

More from Tom's Guide

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• 5 bathroom cleaning hacks that will save you time and effort — use them right now
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