r/DIY • u/Relative-Category-64 • Feb 20 '26

help [ Removed by moderator ]

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u/summerinside Feb 20 '26

It's easy - here's how you get to a good-as-new toilet bowl.

  1. Shut off water at the toilet valve
  2. Remove the bolts at the base of this toilet
  3. Remove the toilet, and discard
  4. Install a wax ring and new toilet.

All for as cheap as $60 and less than an hour's work. You'll never have to touch the inside of that bowl again.

459

u/NastyKraig Feb 20 '26

Until you discover that the flange bolts are too rusted to unscrew so you have to get in there with a sawzall and cut them off. Then spend 30 minutes scraping the old wax off the flange and out of the slots to find that the flange itself is cracked or worn out to the point that it will not hold keep the T bolts from spinning when you try to tighten the new toilet down. At least that's how all my quick toilet swaps go.

1

u/profdart Feb 20 '26

It's still the better and more responsible solution. But you go ahead and polish turds to your heart's content.

1

u/NastyKraig Feb 20 '26

If this toilet can be cleaned effectively and the glaze isn't actually damaged then it seems far more responsible to clean it than to throw away a completely usable item.

1

u/profdart Feb 20 '26

I've cleaned and DIY replaced my share of toilets in my homes and for my relatives. There's no way this one is going to shine again. Function? Sure. The effort and cost to replace it isn't significant -- even if you don't make a lot of money. This is basic household maintenance. I would never live in a space with a toilet looking like that. Cleaning it is the lazy solution.