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How To Fix A Squeaking Toilet Seat? 4 Easy Steps

How to Fix a Squeaking Toilet Seat? 4 Easy Steps

Do you hear some weird noises coming from the bathroom? Are you wondering how to stop a plastic toilet seat from squeaking?

While you might try to avoid some of these sounds by turning the volume up on the TV or relocating to another room, you can still hear it whenever you’re inside as well. It’s the high-pitched squeaking sound coming from the seat like someone is grinding their fingernails on a blackboard.

How To Stop A Plastic Toilet Seat From Squeaking

How to stop a plastic toilet seat from squeaking? We are experts when it comes to fixing toilet issues and any other piping problems in your home.

A squeaky toilet seat can do more than just cause discomfort to your ears. It can lead to more significant issues for your toilet. Every component needs to operate at its best, and this goes for the seating as well.

So how do you stop squeaking noises from echoing throughout your bathroom? If you’ve grown tired of the sounds and want to fix this yourself, here are the steps you need to take to mute it once and for all.

How Does a Toilet Seat Begin Squeaking?

There are many different reasons why a toilet seat will start making unpleasant noises. Remember, it’s constantly getting opened and closed throughout the day. It’s perhaps one of the most used items inside your home.

The constant movement, as well as wear and tear, can cause a toilet seat to begin squeaking. It might have loosened the nuts that keep the seat together or impacted the material itself.

Age also plays a factor. The older the toilet seat gets, the louder the squeaking can be. While you shouldn’t need to replace the entire system, you should look at getting yourself a new seat that’s not as noisy as your current one.

What Problems Can a Squeaking Toilet Cause?

While it might seem like a squeaking toilet seat is only a superficial problem, it can lead to bigger issues. If the reason for the noise is because the seat is loose, then it could begin damaging your bowl.

The seat itself is connected and lined up perfectly with the rim of the bowl. If the alignment is off, then it could mean you’ll put unnecessary pressure on the inside and outside of the bowl. The longer you leave it, the weaker these points will get. Eventually, the ceramic will crack, and you’ll need to replace the entire toilet. So it’s a lot cheaper to fix it early and get yourself some new bolts or an entirely new seat.

What Do You Need to Fix a Squeaking Toilet?

Thankfully, repairing a squeaking toilet seat shouldn’t require you to empty out your entire toolbox. A lot of the bolts can be tightened and loosened using nothing but your hands. However, just in case, you should have a few items on standby if you happen to run into any trouble, such as:

  • A flathead screwdriver
  • Pliers
  • Ratchet wrench
  • Hacksaw
  • Washers
  • Old cloth

How Do You Fix a Squeaking Toilet Seat?

It’s so easy to fix a squeaking toilet seat that you’re going to be able to do it in four simple steps. Make sure you have all your equipment close by so you don’t have to travel far if you need to pick up a tool.

Expose the Bolts

Take a look at the bolts at the base of the seat. They may have a plastic covering over them that you’ll need to expose. Your screwdriver can help you remove it if you’re having trouble with it.

Investigate the Bolts

Try to tighten the bolts by hand to begin with. This will give you an indication if they just need to be secured to stop the toilet seat from squeaking. You should also look for any cracks in the screws or any other types of damage. If anything is broken, you’re going to want to skip straight to step four.

Tighten the Bolts

You shouldn’t rely on your strength to tighten the bolts. Otherwise, you’ll probably need to complete this step quite regularly. There are a couple of ways to approach this situation. The first involves using your pliers on the nut head and then turning the screwdriver until you can’t rotate it any further.

The other method is getting underneath the bowl and using a ratchet wrench to turn the bolt. Either way will tighten the bolts and ensure that your toilet seat stops squeaking. In this case, you don’t need to proceed to step four.

Replace the Bolts

Sometimes no matter how hard you tighten the bolts, you’ll still hear some unpleasant noises coming from the toilet seat. In this case, you’re better off replacing it entirely. You can try installing new bolts first to see if this stops the sounds. Many hardware stores will sell these separately from the seats.

However, sometimes it’s a good idea to get a brand new seat. This way, you know you’re getting the appropriate bolts explicitly built for the seat. If you purchase bolts on their own, you may need to shorten them with a hacksaw in order to make them fit to your toilet, which is just extra work that you shouldn’t have to worry about.

Who Can Help You Fix Other Toilet Problems?

No one wants a toilet that’s out of order, especially if it’s the only one in the house. Even though a squeaky toilet seat doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, if ignored, it can lead to other problems, specifically with the bowl. If you prefer to keep the sounds in the bathroom to a minimum, then you should make sure you get your squeaky toilet seat fixed as soon as possible.

If you discover other problems with your toilet when you commence your investigation, then you should leave those to All Day Plumbing. We’re experts when it comes to fixing toilet issues and any other piping problems in your home. Get in touch with us today to book an appointment or schedule a service call.