Disposable Toilet Brush vs Silicone Brush: Which Is Better for Your Bathroom

If you've been down the cleaning aisle at Target or Walmart lately, you've probably noticed two main options competing for your attention: disposable toilet brushes and silicone brushes.

Both claim to be better than the old-school nylon bristle brushes. Both promise to make cleaning less gross. But they're actually pretty different tools.

Here's a direct comparison to help you decide.

Hygiene: Who Stays Cleaner?

This one's pretty one-sided.

Silicone brushes. They're non-porous, which means [see where see where bacteria really hide bacteria really hide](https://clowand.com/blog/where-toilet-bacteria-hide) bacteria can't sink into the material the way they do with nylon bristles. That's a real advantage. But here's the problem: the brush head stays in your bathroom between uses. Even with silicone, bacteria can sit on the surface. And the water that drips off into the holder is still dirty.

Disposable brushes. The used head goes down the toilet after every clean. There's no brush sitting in your bathroom growing bacteria between uses. From a hygiene standpoint, fresh head every time is unbeatable.

Image: Side-by-side comparison of silicone brush and disposable brush head — alt: Silicone brush vs disposable brush hygiene comparison

Winner: Disposable. It's hard to beat "brand new every time."

Cleaning Power: Getting the Bowl Clean