Costco's Bizarre Toilet Scrubber Has The Internet Up In Arms. Here's What The Reviews Have To Say

There's no reason to reinvent the wheel, and arguably little reason to reinvent the toilet brush. But that's not to say it can't be done. The question in this situation is whether or not it can be done well. If you were to ask Costco customers for their take, the answer seems to be no. The brush in question is the Joseph Joseph Toilet Bowl Brush Set that earned an impressively low 1.8 out of 5 star rating on the Costco website. Generally, people tend to review products that they particularly like or particularly dislike — in this case it wasn't difficult to determine which of those led customers to leave their two cents. 

Despite a design that was intended to be more hygienic and function as a top toilet-cleaning hack, this toilet brush is also specifically shaped to get in all the nooks and crannies. Instead of a typical brush head, it has a flexible silicone head that is supposedly hydrophobic, resistant to clogs, and drains easier than typical bristles to keep it from dripping when bringing it to and from the toilet bowl to the holder. But just because it was designed to be better than a typical brush doesn't mean that it actually is, and with majority negative reviews, this toilet cleaner has gathered attention for all the wrong reasons. While you can actually use some common kitchen products to clean your toilet instead of bleach, you really do need a sturdy brush to get the best result. 

Despite their best efforts, customers were quick to decree this brush more of a 7-2 offsuit than a royal flush. Though the bristles were intended to be more durable, customers found that they were overall ineffective. One even stated that a toothbrush would have worked better, and noted that rather than cleaning the bowl, the rubber bristles seemed to give it a nice  — and unnecessary — massage. The silicone also seemed to fail in the sturdiness department, as it was too flexible to provide adequate pressure for aggressive scrubbing. On the other hand, another customer complained that it was too firm and the nubs needed to be softer. It seems that no matter which side of the spectrum they were attempting to hit, they were off on both. 

The most common complaint, however, was the scrubbing power. One Costco customer wrote, "Terrible product. Not good at scrubbing. I had to use way more strength to clean the bowl compared to standard brushes. Metal rod made it scary and deafening to click on the side to shake water off before drying. Not nice to use." While the adjectives may be a bit extreme there, one final review on Costco's website said it best — "Useless, the ones from the dollar store are better." So if you are looking to purchase some new cleaning supplies and get your toilet shining bright, you may be better off sticking with the tried and true. If you're struggling to get it sparkling, try this easy hack to get stains out of your toilet.