A toilet brush is a domestic implement designed for the cleaning of the lavatory

Toilet

A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...

 pan. The modern plastic version was invented in 1932 by William C. Schopp of Huntington Park, California

Huntington Park, California

Huntington Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, down from 61,348 at the 2000 census.- History :...

, USA and later patented in 1933 by The Addis Brush Company.

Generally the toilet brush is used with toilet cleaner or bleach

Bleach

Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...

. The toilet brush can be used to clean the upper area of the toilet, around the bowl. However, it cannot be used to clean very far into the toilet's U-bend

Trap (plumbing)

In plumbing, a trap is a U-, S-, or J-shaped pipe located below or within a plumbing fixture. An S-shaped trap is also known as the S-bend invented by Alexander Cummings in 1775 but became known as the U-bend following the introduction of the U-shaped trap by Thomas Crapper in 1880. The new U-bend...

 and should not be used to clean the toilet seat

Toilet seat

A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...

.

In many cultures it is considered impolite to clean away biological debris without the use of chemical toilet cleaning products, as this can potentially leave residue on the bristles. By contrast, others consider it impolite not to clean away biological debris immediately using the toilet brush.

A typical toilet brush consists of a hard bristle

Bristle

A bristle is a stiff hair or feather. Also used are synthetic materials such as nylon in items such as brooms and sweepers. Bristles are often used to make brushes for cleaning uses, as they are strongly abrasive; common examples include the toothbrush and toilet brush...

d end, usually with a rounded shape and a long handle. Today toilet brushes are commonly made of plastic, but were originally made of wood with pig bristles or from the hair of horses, oxen, squirrels and badger

Badger

Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...

s. The brush is typically stored in a holder, but in some cases completely hidden in a tube.

An electric toilet brush is a little different than a normal toilet brush. The bristles are fastened on the rotor of a motor which works similar to an electric tooth brush. The power supply is attached without any metal contact via electromagnetic induction

Electromagnetic induction

Electromagnetic induction is the production of an electric current across a conductor moving through a magnetic field. It underlies the operation of generators, transformers, induction motors, electric motors, synchronous motors, and solenoids....

. In recent years, there has been a general shift in design with a new emphasis on ergonomically designed brushes. Further design enhancements have included innovative holders that snap shut around the bristled end, thereby preventing the release of smells, germs and other unpleasantries.

Ubu Roi

Ubu Roi

Ubu Roi is a play by Alfred Jarry, premiered in 1896. It is a precursor of the Theatre of the Absurd and Surrealism. It is the first of three stylised burlesques in which Jarry satirises power, greed, and their evil practices — in particular the propensity of the complacent bourgeois to abuse the...

, an 1896 French play by Alfred Jarry

Alfred Jarry

Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....

notably features a death by toilet brush. In 2010, it was widely reported that a woman died after a six-inch piece of plastic toilet-brush handle became embedded in her buttock after a fall.