How often to replace toilet brushes in work place?

sumstyle, Apr 29, 11:24am
I work for a big organisation, corporate building has 7 toilets per floor, 4 floors of offices, 70-100 people per floor. We moved in here 4 years ago.

The toilet brushes are stained. I want to suggest that they are due for replacement and that they should have a plan to do so on a regular basis, like checking smoke alarm batteries. They already have posters up about reminding staff to wash their hands.

Do you think it is reasonable to ask for them to be replaced every 12 months? they are so tight with their budgets that I struggled to get the H&S people to agree to restock the contents of the first aid kits when they ran low on supplies such as plasters.
dreamgirly, Apr 29, 12:05pm
Could they be cleaned. Nothing like 10 mins in a bucket of strong janola every month or so. Are they actually damaged? Or just stained. Who cleaned the toilets as they should be cleaning the brushes and holders. Very wasteful to biff anything not damaged just because its short of a clean.
kitty179, Apr 29, 2:01pm
I googled this and found an article about household items which said plastic toilet brushes should be replaced every six months, and that's for DOMESTIC use. So maybe OP has a right to be concerned.
dreamgirly, Apr 29, 3:12pm
Likely a manufacturers opinion. Just how often does a toilet brush in a home get used? In ours it wouldn't be more than once a week. Keep in mind most NZ water supplies are also chlorinated (where other countries in fact may not be) and therefore if rinsed properly a brush should be slightly self sanitizing.
kitty179, Apr 29, 4:44pm
No it wasn't a manufacturer's opinion. It was just a general article about replacing various household items. Probably no science behind it, agreed. I have never owned a toilet brush. Find them a bit gross which is no doubt unfounded. I just squeeze in the cleaner, leave it for a while, put on my rubber gloves, rub it with a wad of toilet paper then flush the lot. Any sploshes or smears get dealt with straight away so no need for a brush.

[I do recall an old thread about someone who cleaned their toilet brush in the dishwasher - we were all hoping it was a wind-up!]
phoenix22, Apr 29, 4:47pm
I would have thought toilet brushes would be the territory of the cleaning company that comes in to clean the office building?
andyb2, Apr 29, 4:53pm
Just swap them around
morrisjvan, May 3, 9:39pm
just be thankful that you have toilet brushes !
hammer23, May 3, 11:31pm
throw them away and being such a big organisation they will just think some one gave the order for their replacement
tygertung, May 4, 8:20am
Pour bleach into brush receptacle.
marte, May 4, 3:18pm
You'd be able to fit 30+ in the dishwasher at a time.
sumstyle, May 6, 8:20pm
This appeals to me, but I'm concerned the cleaners (who are our staff too) might get the blame for it.

Well, I shall have to make a request and see if anything gets done, or if they fob me off I will be interested to see what excuse they give.

Thanks for all who replied, even the toilet brushes in the dishwasher advocators made me realise that things could be worse.
tegretol, May 7, 11:01am
I googled this and found an article that said plastic toilet brushes should never be used and that ivory handled ones should be used as they would not hold the stain.

Do I believe that sort of information?
tygertung, May 7, 2:11pm
But really, if you pour bleach into the toilet brush "bucket", it will sterilise the brushes and remove any stains.
sla11, May 7, 7:39pm
Same as brush to wash dishes - new ones at beginning of each 4 seasons of the year/earlier as necessary. They don't cost a fortune and better to be sure than sorry.
shanreagh, May 7, 8:02pm
Now those ones I do put in the dishwasher and wouldn't see the need for replacing 4 times a year? I also put the dishcloths in every now and again. I wash dishcloths and tea towels by soaking then soaking in sard or napisan then washing in the machine.

I think you are far more likely to come down with something if these are not washed properly than using an old toilet brush. Cleaners should clean the handles of the toilet brushes frequently as if needed, people use them before they have washed their hands.

I put the thick toilet cleaner in the bottom of receptacle for the toilet brush and always after using it to clean the toilet I flush clean water over them, then return to the receptacle
biscuitd, May 9, 12:02pm
I don't understand the concern. I would think a bit of bleach (or something a little more eco friendly) and Bob's your uncle! You're not eating off the toilet, are you? The brush is to scrub the toilet - obviously. What do you think will happen with a new toilet brush, the first time you use it? Oh. will you rush out and have to buy a new one, because it will be surely filled with bacteria? I doubt it! As long as it is doing the job, why be wasteful of resources?

Dishbrushes etc - yes, put them through dishwasher.
biscuitd, Jul 26, 7:11pm
New dishbrushes 4 x yearly? Mmmmm. where did you get this information from? Why not just put them through the dishwasher, with your dishes and save resources? You could do this each day - if that is how often you might turn your dishwasher on. I'm sorry, but people are really wasteful these days and thanks to the likes of tv advertisements, we all seem to be scared of germs! Of course, if the brushes are worn and not doing their job, by all means, replace them!