Your toilet seat might not be a super high priority to upgrade unless you are remodeling your home or the toilet seat itself breaks. Neither of these events are that frequent, usually, but if you find it’s time to change out your toilet seat for a new one, or if you just want to clean your toilet more thoroughly, here’s some tips on how to do it, featuring a video.
Gather your Tools to Replace your Toilet Seat
Replacing a toilet seat usually doesn’t require more than a flat-bladed screwdriver and sometimes a pair of pliers. You might want some disinfectant wipes as well, and if you grab them with your tools, you might save yourself a couple of minutes on the project.
Is Replacing a Toilet Seat Difficult?
Luckily, replacing a toilet seat is pretty easy. Unless the nylon screws that hold your toilet seat on are stripped, or if someone tried to use metallic screws and they rusted in place, replacing a toilet seat should only take a few minutes.
If the nylon screw is stripped in the middle, find something wide like a coin to get the leverage you need to loosen the screw. If, for some reason, you find someone has previously used a metallic screw and the screw is rusted into place, use a penetrating oil to break down the rust.
How Do You Remove a Toilet Seat?
Most toilet seats have little levered covers over the mounting screws. They usually open from front to back. Open them up to access the top of the screw. If you can’t see the bottom of the screw, feel around for it with your hand. The screw will probably be a few inches longer than it needs to be, and have a nylon nut that tightens it down.
To loosen the screw, use pliers or your fingers to hold the nut in place while you turn your screwdriver to the left. It might be easier to hold the top of the screw in place and take the nut off first, especially if the nut has a flange or two to help with this process.
Then, simply lift off the toilet seat, clean around the mounting holes with disinfecting wipes and put the new seat on using its instructions.
Or, if you would rather watch someone do it, here’s a video:
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