What is Selleys Complete Clean Toilet Gel, and where should you use it?

Selleys Complete Clean Toilet Gel is a thickened antibacterial toilet cleaner that kills 99.9% of germs — S. aureus and E. coli — while its deep action gel helps remove tough stains and eliminate odours. It comes in a 700mL plastic bottle with an angled neck for reaching under the rim, and it carries a marine fresh fragrance.

The number that governs how you use it is 10 minutes. For the antibacterial effect the gel must be used undiluted and left on the bowl for ten minutes before you brush and flush. A squirt-and-flush takes the colour out of the water and does very little else.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Colour	Blue
Odour	Marine
Density	~1.02g/mL
pH	<3.5
Germ kill claim	99.9% of germs (S. aureus and E. coli)
Contact time for antibacterial effect	10 minutes, undiluted
Suitable surfaces	Ceramic and porcelain
Packaging	700mL plastic bottle

Indicative data only, not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the numbers mean in practice

"Undiluted" is the word that does the most work in the directions. A toilet bowl already holds water, so any gel that runs straight down into the trap is diluted before it can act. That is the whole point of a gel: it clings where you put it. Squeeze it under the rim, then use the brush to spread it evenly over the bowl surface, and the product stays where the staining and the germs actually are.

The 10-minute contact time then runs from the moment the gel is spread, not from when you first opened the cap. In practice the easiest way to get a genuine ten minutes is to apply it last thing at night, or before you leave the house, and brush and flush when you come back.

A pH below 3.5 puts the formula on the acidic side. Read the surface restrictions in that light: Selleys specifies ceramic and porcelain, and rules out cracked surfaces and worn plastic. The safety directions ask for gloves and eye and face protection, which is sensible advice for a product you are applying in a confined space at arm's length.

Where to use it

Selleys states the product is suitable for use on ceramic and porcelain surfaces. In a domestic bathroom that means the toilet bowl itself — the glazed ceramic the directions are written around.

The stated benefits are worth separating, because they are three different things: it kills 99.9% of germs, its deep action gel removes tough stains, and it eliminates odours. If your problem is staining rather than hygiene, the same ten-minute dwell applies — the gel needs time on the stain either way.

How to apply it

1. Lift the toilet seat.
2. Remove the cap by squeezing the two textured side surfaces and unscrewing it completely.
3. Tip the bottle to fill the neck, then apply the product.
4. Use undiluted. Squeeze and brush to spread the product evenly under the rim and over the bowl. Even coverage matters more than quantity — an untreated strip is an untreated strip regardless of how much gel went in elsewhere.
5. Leave for 10 minutes.
6. Brush the entire bowl and flush.
7. Close the cap tightly until you hear the click. The click is the confirmation that the child-resistant closure has engaged.

Do not mix the gel with detergents or other chemicals, and do not reuse the container.

Getting even coverage under the rim

The directions ask you to do two things with the product once it is in the bowl: squeeze, and brush. That second verb is the one people skip.

Squeezing the gel under the rim puts it where most of the staining starts, because that is where water runs and where a brush rarely reaches on a normal clean. Brushing it out from there spreads the same volume of product over the whole bowl surface, so the ten minutes counts everywhere rather than only under the rim. A bowl treated by squeezing alone has product on perhaps a fifth of the area you are trying to clean.

Tipping the bottle to fill the neck before applying is the step that makes the angled neck work. It loads the neck with gel so the product comes out where you point it, instead of arriving in a rush after a delay.

Limitations — where it should NOT be used

• Do not use on cracked surfaces or worn plastic. A crack in the glaze exposes the porous body underneath, and worn plastic — an aged seat, a degraded cistern fitting — is no longer the surface the product was specified for.
• Do not mix with detergents or other chemicals. This includes applying the gel over the residue of a different bowl cleaner.
• Do not reuse the container.
• Suitable surfaces are ceramic and porcelain; the product is not specified for anything else.

Safety directions

• Keep out of reach of children.
• Read carefully and follow all instructions.
• Wear protective gloves and clothing including eye and face protection.
• Avoid contact with eyes and skin.
• Wash hands after use.
• If in eyes, hold the eyes open, flood with water for at least 15 minutes and see a doctor.
• If skin or eye irritation occurs, rinse thoroughly with water and seek medical advice.

Warnings, first aid and shipping information are on the product's Safety Data Sheet, available through the Selleys website.

Storage

Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs and away from sources of heat or ignition. Keep the container standing upright and closed when not in use, and check regularly for leaks. Closing the cap until it clicks does both jobs at once — it seals the bottle and it re-engages the child-resistant mechanism.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Danger.

• Eye damage/irritation — Category 1. H318: causes serious eye damage.

The safety data sheet carries these precautionary statements with it: P102 keep out of reach of children; P103 read carefully and follow all instructions; P280 wear protective gloves and protective clothing including eye/face protection; P305+P351+P338 if in eyes, rinse cautiously with water for several minutes, remove contact lenses if present and easy to do, and continue rinsing; and P310 immediately call a poisons centre or doctor. It is not classified as Dangerous Goods for transport by road, rail, sea or air.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Alcohols, C12-14, ethoxylated	68439-50-9	1–10%
Lactic acid	50-21-5	1–10%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

This is the chemistry behind the pH below 3.5 in the specification above. The acid is lactic acid — the same acid that sours milk, and a milder one than the hydrochloric or phosphoric acids used in some bowl cleaners. The ethoxylated alcohol is the surfactant that wets the porcelain and gives the gel its cling under the rim. Nothing in the product is a bleach or a caustic.

The single hazard is the eyes, and it is at the top of the scale. Category 1 means damage that is not assumed to reverse — the safety data sheet's own first-aid entry says the product can cause corneal burns. That is a stronger statement than a lactic acid content of 1–10% might suggest, and it is the reason the directions above ask for eye and face protection rather than treating that as optional. The exposure this anticipates is specific and easy to picture: an angled-neck bottle squeezed under a rim inside a bowl, with your face above it, and a squirt that catches the porcelain and comes back.

It also gives a concrete reason for the instruction on this page not to mix the gel with detergents or other chemicals, and not to apply it over the residue of another cleaner. This product is acidic. Several other bathroom products — including Selleys Complete Clean Power Gel Drain Cleaner and household bleach — contain sodium hypochlorite. Acid poured onto a hypochlorite liberates chlorine gas, and a toilet bowl is a small, unventilated volume with your head directly over it. "Do not mix" is not a warranty clause.

Note that the product is stored away from oxidising agents for the same reason, and that its own container is not to be reused.

Protection

• Eye and face protection — required by P280, and the one item not to skip. The SDS lists safety glasses; for work under a rim, anything that also covers the sides of the eye is better.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber is suitable for intermittent contact. Glove construction and conditions vary, so make your own final assessment.
• Clothing — overalls and closed footwear. The SDS lists safety shoes.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal conditions of use, but avoid inhaling vapour or mist. In a small bathroom that means opening the window or running the fan.
• Wash your hands before smoking, eating, drinking or using the toilet, and wash contaminated clothing and protective equipment before storing or reusing it.
• Storage — cool, dry and well ventilated, out of direct sunlight, away from foodstuffs, oxidising agents and other incompatible materials, and away from heat. Keep the container upright and closed, and check it for leaks.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Immediately irrigate with copious quantities of water for 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open. Remove contaminated clothing and wash the skin. Urgently seek medical assistance and transport to a hospital or medical centre — the product can cause corneal burns.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing immediately and flush the skin and hair with running water. If swelling, redness, blistering or irritation develops, seek medical assistance.
Inhalation	Remove the person from exposure without becoming a casualty yourself. Remove contaminated clothing and loosen the rest. Let them take the most comfortable position, keep them warm and at rest until fully recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. If vomiting occurs, give further water. Seek medical advice.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys Complete Clean Toilet Gel

How long do I leave it in the bowl, and does it need diluting?

10 minutes, and no — for the antibacterial effect it is used undiluted. Squeeze it under the rim, brush it evenly over the bowl, leave it for the ten minutes, then brush the whole bowl and flush. Brushing spreads the gel; the ten minutes is the contact time the claim depends on. Selleys does not publish a longer dwell time, so there is nothing to gain from leaving it overnight.

What germs does the 99.9% claim cover?

S. aureus and E. coli.

How do I get the cap off?

Squeeze the two textured side surfaces and unscrew the cap completely.

Why won't the cap close properly?

Keep turning until you hear the click. That click is how you know the closure has seated.

Can I use it on the toilet seat or the cistern?

The product is specified for ceramic and porcelain surfaces, and Selleys says not to use it on worn plastic. A plastic seat is not a specified surface.

My bowl has a hairline crack. Can I still use it?

No. Selleys states it should not be used on cracked surfaces.

Can I mix it with bleach or another toilet cleaner?

No. Do not mix it with detergents or other chemicals.

Will it get rid of the smell as well as the stains?

Selleys states that the deep action gel helps remove tough stains and eliminate odours, and that the product carries a marine fresh fragrance.

Do I need gloves?

Yes — the safety directions call for protective gloves and clothing including eye and face protection, and for washing your hands after use.

What size is the bottle, and what does the gel look like?

A 700mL plastic bottle. The gel itself is blue, with a marine odour and a marine fresh fragrance.

Can I refill the bottle when it runs out?

No. Selleys says not to reuse the container.

What should I use for the rest of the bathroom?

Complete Clean Bathroom & Shower Spray covers showers, bathtubs and toilets, and Complete Clean Glass & Mirror Spray covers glass and mirrors. Each has its own contact times and its own surface restrictions.