Toilet Brushes

Wall-mounted toilet brushes are the tidy option: the holder fixes to the wall so the brush hangs off the floor, which means no manky cup sat on your tiles collecting limescale and a much easier mop round. The two sets picked out in the guide below are both wall-mounted brush-and-holder sets in matt black, at £29.99 and £34.99.

Brushed brass, brushed bronze or matt black, the finish should follow your taps. If you’re kitting out the whole room, it’s worth matching the brush to your toilet roll holder and the rest of your bathroom accessories so the finishes line up.

What to look for in a toilet brush

A toilet brush is a toilet brush, right? Mostly. But the bit people get wrong is the holder, not the brush, and that is what decides whether it looks tidy in two years or stains up and wobbles. Here is what actually matters.

Wall-mounted vs freestanding. This is the real decision, and it is about your floor and your cleaning, not looks. A wall-mounted holder fixes to the wall so the brush hangs clear of the floor. Nothing sits on your tiles, so when you mop you go straight under it, and the holder cup is not stood in a puddle growing limescale. The honest trade-off is the fit: you are drilling into a wall and you need to hit something solid or use proper fixings, so it is a slightly more involved job than plonking a pot down, and drilling tiles is the fiddly part. The Mono black wall-mounted toilet brush holder at £29.99 is a straightforward example, made for a clean, space-saving install, and it includes the brush and the holder cup.

A freestanding brush just stands on the floor next to the pan. No drilling, you can move it, and it suits a rented place where you cannot put holes in the wall. The downside is the one above: it sits in the splash zone and you have to lift it and clean around it. Worth knowing before you settle on a design: both sets in this guide are wall-mounted, so both need fixing to the wall.

Finish: brass, bronze or black. Match the finish to your taps, towel rail and roll holder. That is the whole game with accessories: get the metal right and a cheap-looking bathroom suddenly looks designed. Brushed brass is the warm, slightly gold look that has taken over UK bathrooms, and if your whole scheme is brass, browse the matching brushed brass accessories so everything lines up. Brushed bronze is darker and warmer than brass, more bronze-brown, and there is a brushed bronze range to match. Matt black is the safe modern one and goes with almost anything.

Both sets in this guide are matt black, and the difference is in the detail. The Litchfield Knurled matt black toilet brush holder at £34.99 has a knurled, textured bracket, the same kind of detail you see on higher-end brassware, plus a concealed holder design. The Mono black at £29.99 is the plainer and cheaper of the two, with a matt black finish made to match black bathroom accessories.

What is actually in the box. Read the product page, because “toilet brush” and “toilet brush holder” get used loosely. The Mono is a good example: it is listed as a toilet brush holder, but it includes the brush and the holder cup. The Litchfield Knurled is sold as a brush and holder. Fixings and spare brush heads are the two things worth checking on the product page before you order, so you know whether to pick up wall plugs at the same time.

Quick answers

What is the best toilet brush, wall mounted or freestanding? For most people, wall-mounted. The holder fixes to the wall so the brush hangs off the floor, which keeps your tiles clear for mopping and stops the holder cup standing in a puddle and furring up with limescale. Freestanding is the move only if you cannot drill the wall, for example in a rental, in which case you just accept lifting and cleaning around it. The trade-off with wall-mounted is the fit: you are drilling, and tiles are the fiddly bit.

Do toilet brushes come with the holder, or just the brush? Both sets in this guide give you the brush and the holder together. The Mono black includes the brush and the holder cup, even though its name only says holder, and the Litchfield Knurled is sold as a brush and holder. Names get used loosely, so check the product page for what is in the box before you buy.

What is a brushed brass toilet brush? It is a brush and holder in brushed brass: the warm, soft-gold finish, brushed rather than polished so it looks matt instead of shiny. It makes the most sense when your taps and accessories are brass too, so start from the brushed brass accessories and keep the whole room in one metal.

How do you fit a wall-mounted toilet brush holder? You mark the bracket position on the wall, drill, plug and screw the bracket on, then fit the holder to the bracket. Check the product page for which fixings are supplied, and pick up plugs to suit your wall if you need them. The only real catch is drilling through tiles: use a tile or masonry bit, go slow, and put a strip of tape over the spot first to stop the bit skating. If you would rather not drill at all, a freestanding brush is the alternative.

How much does a wall-mounted toilet brush and holder cost? The two sets in this guide are £29.99 for the Mono black and £34.99 for the Litchfield Knurled matt black. The Knurled is the dearer of the two and has the textured knurled bracket and a concealed holder design, while the Mono is the plainer, cheaper option. Prices can change, so the product page has the current figure.

Which finish should I choose for a toilet brush? The one that matches your taps and the rest of your accessories: brushed brass for a warm gold scheme, brushed bronze for something darker and warmer, matt black for a modern look that goes with almost anything. There is a matching brushed bronze accessory range if you want the whole room to tie together, alongside the brushed brass one.