It had never occurred to me – nor the environmentalist interviewed – that there might be another way to clean a toilet. But MacKenzie says this is an issue that needs to be addressed. She would never let a toilet brush enter her house. “Toilet brushes give me the heebie-jeebies. I think they are vile”. Bloomfield agrees they are unhygienic. Crombie owns a silicone one without bristles. “There is a fetid liquid bacteria soup at the bottom of every toilet brush holder.” MacKenzie points out. 

Until now, I have always accepted toilet brushes as one of life’s necessary inconveniences, but MacKenzie says she “Would much rather get a pair of thick gloves on and use my fingernail under the rubber gloves to get any bits”.

Even though she has said the words “Thick rubber gloves” twice, they are still not putting a thick enough layer between me and the image of the fingernail on the toilet bowl. Crombie also advocates donning the rubber gloves for “A sweep around any sticky bits with some toilet paper”

Cleaners Verdict: Toilet brushes are not to be trusted.

“Until now!”