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If you have experienced difficulties while cleaning your toilet like me, you need to read on. Cleaning the body is not a problem until you get to the seat and try to remove it. It could be a toilet seat with hidden fixings and you might not know how to go about it. The good news is that you may not need to call in a professional fixer. With the help of this guide, you can know how to remove a toilet seat with hidden fixings and complete the task yourself.
Read more: How to choose a toilet for your bathroom: tips from experts
Things you will need:
Certain instruments and tools are handy for a DIY kind of person. If you want to remove your toilet seat hidden fixings, do stock the following necessary tools:
- Protective hand gloves
- Penetrating oil
- Drill with bits
- Hacksaw
- Masking or duct tape
- Putty knife
- Socket wrench
- Pliers
- Flathead Screwdriver
Steps on how to remove toilet seat with hidden fixings
When you have your tools ready, the next step will be to go into the removal process. Since your toilet seat bolts are hidden, you need to look at the fittings in order to remove them. Check to see if your toilet seat fittings are joined together with a couple of bolts.
Also, check if they are covered by plastic caps behind the toilet seat. After checking, follow the steps below to easily remove the toilet seat.
Step 1. Put on your hand gloves for protection and clean the toilet seat before working on it.
Step 2. You can now secure the toilet seat with the duct or masking tape. This step is necessary since removing the hidden fixings can jostle or push against the toilet seat. You can also tape the seat and the lid together in an open or closed position. If the placement of your toilet seat fixings requires that you drill or cut off the bolts before the seat removal, there is a need to tape the cover with material like cardboard. This will help to protect the plastic side of the seat.
Step 3. Then proceed with the removal of these caps with your flat head screwdriver. The design of the hidden fixings may require that you apply a socket wrench or its extension before you can reach the nut holding bolt. All you have to do is to turn the socket wrench counterclockwise. Add gentle but steady force on the wrench higher for a short period several times until the nuts loosen. When the nuts and bolts are loose already, you can always put in a screwdriver inside the head of the bolt. It will help you to hold down the bolt to loosen — that is if you are not using the plier.
Step 4. If the toilet seat is an old one, spray the penetrating oil on the two bolts. The oil will serve as a lubricator that will loosen the already corroded metal. Penetrating oil such as WD40 is used for rusted bolts and nuts. After the application of this oil, wait for about five to ten minutes for the oil to seep properly into tight spaces of the hardware. Then the bolts will become easy to remove. You can also make use of a solution mixed with 10% acetone and 90% vegetable oil in case you don’t have penetrating oil.
Step 5. Carefully work through the caps with your flat head screwdriver to remove them. After removing the caps, you can now see the top side of the bolt that is holding the seat in place. Under the toilet, you will find bolts that stick out. These bolts are tightened by wingnuts. Use the pliers to keep the nuts steady and then use your screwdriver to unscrew the bolt.
Step 6. In a situation where the hardware of your toilet seat proves resistant to the screwdriver, you can bring in the hacksaw. Use a wide knife such as the putty knife and place it so that it can cover the porcelain that is around the bolt head. This is for the prevention of accidental scratches as you saw. Then proceed to cut at the hardware with the hacksaw. You may need to cut through the bolt and hinges that connect the seat and the toilet. A mini hacksaw should be appropriate for an enclosed space, but if it is a wider space, you can make use of the regular one.
Step 7. If the pliers cannot get the job done, feel free to apply your drilling machine on the unmoving bolts as your final resort. Position your safety glasses. Put in a thin drill of about 1/16 thick. Apply steady and firm pressure on the connection between the bolt and the nut as you drill. Add larger bits to the drill to broaden the hole. When the hardware loosens, you can remove the nut. Always be careful when you are drilling the holes since it may cause damages.
Conclusion
The above steps, when followed carefully, will help you remove a toilet seat with hidden fixings easily without having to depend on anyone. Just detach the stubborn seat with a socket set, a hacksaw, or a drill. Once you get the hang of it, you can prevent any kind of corrosion and make the next removal easier. The trick is to maintain the seat through regular cleaning and by replacing worn out parts as and when required.
Read more: How to replace toilet water line in 6 steps
Written by Jennifer Branett. April 21, 2018
Hey I’m Jennifer Branett. I was born in Chicago, IL and in 2011 I graduated from Triton College with a degree in Communication. I’m an aspiring Entrepreneur, successful writer and blogger. The topics that I cover ranges from: healthcare, home improvement, personal finance, art, fitness and many more. I hope I can continue this journey of self-fulfillment and self-discovery and keep providing value to people’s lives.
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It is amazing tips to toilet seat clean and replace. i like the post. It is useful and effective.
Are you telling me that I can make wd 40 oil with polish remover and cooking oil? Totally worth it… Now, someone who knows how to homemade repair a smashed car door? Need to fix a dent