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Best toilet brushes: hard-working silicone and stainless steel brushes that get the job done
Your u-bend is due an update. Check out our roundup of the most hygienic, most effective and hardest-working toilet brushes to help you tackle everyone's least favourite chore.
By Poppy O'Neill | Last updated Apr 17, 2024
Cleaning the loo - it’s no-one’s favourite household chore, and the subject of toilet brushes is a controversial one here at Mumsnet. On one side, Mumsnetters find the idea of a poo-infused brush lurking in the corner of the lavatory too disgusting to countenance; while others see them as a necessary evil… and wonder how on earth you get your porcelain clean without one.
Whether you’re team toilet brush or not, you’ll be glad to know that there are now far more options on offer than the basic dribble-catching holders of yore. Antibacterial technology, hygienic materials and clever design have brought the toilet brush into the 21st century.
We’ve scoured the Mumsnet Talk forums to find out which toilet brushes are worth taking pride of place next to your loo.
Here are the best toilet brushes to buy.
1. Best overall toilet brush: Joseph Joseph Flex Plus
Price: £23 | Buy now from Amazon
"I ordered a Joseph Joseph one online and never told DH that it cost more than £20. It's so beautiful! And yes, it does things a regular toilet brush cannot. Elegantly" - recommended by Mumsnet user, Gazelda
"I have the Joseph Joseph flex plus with a slot at the back to hide the toilet cleaner/bleach. I absolutely love it, it is my precious! I have it for all the toilets and even have an extra one in case one of them is damaged and it's discontinued" - tried and tested by Mumsnet user, NoMoreMrNiceGaius
Precious and elegant aren’t words we’d usually associate with cleaning the loo, and yet here we are - the ultimate toilet brush that does the job excellently, looks the part and is easy to use. Joseph Joseph’s Flex Plus is a hit among Mumsnetters thanks to its clever design. The bristles are shaped to avoid drips and clogs, and the D-shaped head reaches all the nooks and crannies of your toilet bowl.
Key specs
Material: Plastic
Dimensions: 13 x 14.9 x 45.7cm
2. Best budget toilet brush: Wilko Stainless Steel Toilet Brush
Price: £3 | Buy now from Wilko
"I use Wilko or IKEA metal brushes with holder and change them regularly. I also leave the brush sat in toilet cleaner. The second the brush begins to discolour then it is binned" - recommended by Mumsnet user, AnnieOH1
Although less than environmentally friendly, some Mumsnetters dispose of cheaper toilet brushes on a regular basis, as a way of keeping their bathrooms hygienic. If you fall into this camp, or are just after a (excuse the pun) bog standard loo brush, this one from Wilko is a perfect basic. It comes without a holder, so makes a good replacement for a worn-out or slightly gross brush.
Key specs
Material: Plastic, stainless steel
Dimensions: 7 x 7 x 37cm
3. Best silicone toilet brush: Klinoo Bristle-less Toilet Brush
Price: £17 | Buy now from Amazon
"This loo brush is much nicer to clean than a bristle type one" - vetted by Mumsnet user, proofpoopsnagle
"It is good and cleaner than the old type, but I do think the old type are more effective at actually cleaning. Especially stains of the dried on variety. Deep joy" - recommended by Mumsnet user, N0tfinished
With its wavy silicone frills, this toilet brush from Klinoo is designed to be easy to use and thorough. The flexible surface is antibacterial and water-repellent, making it as hygienic as possible. The brush can reach all parts of a toilet bowl, and it’s sturdy enough to tackle a messy loo, but you do lose some of the scrubbing abilities a bristlier brush has.
Key specs
Material: Silicone
Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 30cm
4. Most hygienic toilet brush: Wunderbrush Toilet Brush
Price: £33 | Buy now from Nova
"This is what I use, as I too have a serious aversion to traditional toilet brushes. It's been brilliant so far" - tried and tested by Mumsnet user, Cyborgseadog
Another bristle-less brush, the Wunderbrush has a flexible, studded cleaning surface that sweeps around the toilet bowl, leaving it spotless. Both the handle and the head have a silver ion antibacterial coating, plus the handle’s really long, so you don’t have to get so close to the toilet bowl.
Key specs
Material: Silicone
Dimensions: Not stated
5. Best slim toilet brush: ASOBEAGE Toilet Brush and Holder
Price: £14 | Buy now from Amazon
"We have an asobeage silicone one from Amazon, rinse it after, seems much cleaner than the bristle one" - recommended by Mumsnet user, Ka147
With its ventilated holder, this compact toilet brush from Asobeage keeps germ-free and you avoid that horrible puddle that can form in the bottom of traditional toilet brush holders. The brush itself has a silicone head with plentiful flexible bristles, which will leave your loo sparkling. The holder can be wall-mounted or free-standing, so it’s a great choice if you have limited space.
Key specs
Material: Silicone
Dimensions: 11.4 x 6 x 40.6cm
6. Best stainless steel toilet brush: John Lewis & Partners Ceramic Toilet Brush
Price: £30 | Buy now from John Lewis & Partners
"I've got a lovely posh one - it's in an enclosed ceramic pot with a stainless steel lid. The brush bit can be replaced and new ones are cheap and widely available" - recommended by Mumsnet user, PlentyOfParsnips
A more traditional design than the others on our list, this toilet brush comes in a textured ceramic holder - you can get a matching soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and soap dish, if you’re that way inclined. The brush has a stainless steel handle and a bristly head, and it does the job. The holder is great quality and pretty heavy, so you won’t need to worry about it toppling over.
Key specs
Material: Stainless steel, ceramic
Dimensions: 11 x 24cm
7. Best twin-pack of toilet brushes: Hulameda Toilet Brush and Holder
Price: £16 | Buy now from Amazon
"This is what I’ve got and agree - definitely better and cleaner than normal loo brush!" - vetted by Mumsnet user, Keepmeawayfromthebuffet
If you’ve got two toilets, you can double up and save money by going for a twin-pack of brushes, like this one from Hulameda. The ingenious holder design draws water away from the brush and allows you to remove the base. It’s wall mountable - strong adhesive stickers are included - and the brush is made from flexible TPR. It’s also got an extendable handle, perfect for cleaning hard-to-reach areas.
Key specs
Material: Thermoplastic rubber
Dimensions: 6.35 x 39cm
8. Best toilet brush for stubborn stains: Maryton Pumice
Price: £9 | Buy now from Amazon
"I'd recommend a toilet pumice, super effective" - recommended by Mumsnet user, cheeseismydownfall
For water rings and those stains you thought you’d never get rid of, try a cleaning pumice. It’s a slightly different texture to the type you use on your feet, but it's the same principle - the stone gently exfoliates particles on your toilet bowl, leaving the porcelain stain-free. You can also use a pumice to remove rust and limescale from other appliances, but we’d recommend keeping a separate one for the toilet, for obvious reasons.
Key specs
Material: Pumice, plastic
Dimensions: Not stated
Which type of toilet brush is best?
A silicone toilet brush with a flexible head gives the best cleaning results, plus it’s more hygienic than a bristle brush. Traditional toilet brushes are prone to getting clogged with germs, dirt and loo paper, making them pretty unhygienic and horrible to use. Silicone brushes solve the majority of Mumsnetters’ qualms about toilet brushes.
How do you clean a toilet brush?
You can clean a traditional toilet brush by submerging it in a bucket of hot water and adding bleach or bicarbonate of soda, or by using your toilet bowl to soak it in toilet cleaner, then flush to rinse. Finish with a spritz of antibacterial spray.
Silicone toilet brushes can, in theory, be cleaned in the dishwasher, but there are obvious reasons why this might not appeal. Silicone can withstand much higher temperatures, so they can be boiled - as long as you remove any plastic parts. Most Mumsnetters find a rinse in hot water and an antibacterial wipe does the trick, and you can use the same techniques as you would with a traditional toilet brush too.
Are toilet brushes a good idea?
Opinion is divided on Mumsnet, but it’s pretty hard to get your toilet bowl clean without one. The biggest objection is to the thought of keeping a germ-filled brush in the house, so there is the option of disposable brushes, like Duck Fresh Brush, but there are environmental concerns around this kind of set up.
On the whole, we think toilet brushes are a good idea, especially if you go for a more hygienic silicone style. It’s more environmentally friendly than a disposable brush, and using a modern design keeps the ick-factor to a minimum.
What’s the best toilet brush to buy?
We think the Joseph Joseph Flex Plus is the best toilet brush to buy. It works well, is easy to keep clean and it even looks good too boot. Mumsnetters wax lyrical about this toilet brush, which is high praise indeed.
How we chose our recommendations
We first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which toilet brushes discerning Mumsnetters recommended and had bought themselves, noting their feedback about these brands. We then drew up a shortlist of those that were repeatedly mentioned.
From there, we did some research across the wider web, consulting independent review sites and taking into account what customer reviews said about the products featured. Having collated all that information, we picked the toilet brushes we thought were worthy of taking the titles in a number of categories.
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