Wondering how to clean a toilet plunger? Good question. Your toilet plunger does a dirty job — wanting to clean it is only natural.

You keep the rest of your bathroom clean and healthy, so why does your toilet plunger get a pass for being a bonanza for e.coli, salmonella, and other bathroom germs?

Cleaning your used toilet plunger is a pressing concern, but maybe not the most pleasant topic for dinner conversation. Hence, why you asked the internet — not your mother in law.

You’re disturbed by your “poopified” plunger and you will be until it’s clean and sanitary. You need some help. We can show you how to clean a toilet plunger— in fact, we can get your plunger so clean you could eat off it (horrible imagery, sorry). Learn three different ways to clean your dirty toilet plunger. As expert plumbers we can give you some advice to prevent all of these clogged toilets in the first place.

How to Clean a Toilet Plunger: Traditional Way

This a foolproof way to sanitize your “poopified” plunger. If you don’t care about taking your time and keeping organic, get to it right here.

What you’ll need:

  • Liquid chlorine bleach

How to do it:

  1. Pour 2 to 3 caps of bleach into your toilet
  2. Vigorously swirl the plunger in the bleached water
  3. Flush the toilet and clean the plunger in the fresh water.
  4. Let the now clean plunger dry and put it away

How to Clean a Toilet Plunger: the Organic Way

Want to get away from bleach and other cleaning products? Don’t worry — you too can have a crazy clean plunger.

Using the power of apple cider vinegar, you can clean your filthy plunger, annihilating that laundry list of poop germs. The acetic acid in 5% apple cider vinegar has a nearly identical germ-busting power to chlorine bleach.

What you’ll need:

  • 5% apple cider vinegar

How to do it:

  1. Pour in a large quantity of apple cider vinegar to match the water
  2. Soak and swirl your dirty toilet plunger in the water
  3. Flush the toilet and clean the toilet plunger in the freshwater
  4. Let the now clean plunger dry and put it away

How to Clean a Toilet Plunger: the Quick n’ Dirty Way

Let’s say you don’t like method one or two. We’ve got a third method.

What you’ll need:

  • Aerosol disinfectant
  • A plastic grocery bag

How to do it:

  1. Quarantine the used plunger in the plastic bag until it dries
  2. When dry, spray down every inch of the toilet plunger with your aerosol disinfectant
  3. Store your disinfected toilet plunger

Frequent Toilet Clogs?

You know what’s even better than learning how to clean a toilet plunger? Not having to clean it at all.

If your toilet clogs too frequently, the problem is either with your toilet or your plumbing.

  1. A toilet that is calcified with hard water sediment has a decreased flow of water. That means your toilet struggles to flush even basic stuff.
  2. Your pipes or sewer line is blocked. Your toilet is fine but the pipes that flush the waste away from your home are blocked. That can lead to frequent toilet clogs or even worse a sewer line backup.

How to Clean a Plunger: Wrap-Up

Sure, you appreciate your toilet plunger, but you want to look at it, much less have to touch it.

After all, that plunger just went toe-to-toe with a nasty clog of toilet paper and #2. Safe to say it’s contaminated. Now you know what to do to kill the germs and clean your toilet plunger. Follow these tips and your toilet plunger will be so clean you could eat off it (sorry, again)!

Forward this article to the germaphobes in your life, and help them clean their plungers and keep their peace-of-mind.

Remember if your toilet clogs frequently, something is wrong! Contact the experts of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to diagnose and solve your toilet clog problem.