Journal · October 31, 2026

How to choose a toilet brush and holder

Measure the gap beside the toilet, pick floor or wall, then a bristle brush or a silicone head. A short guide with sizes from our listings.

NOVSIX round toilet brush holder in brushed gold on a dark stone floor beside paneled walls

The short answer: measure the floor beside your toilet first, then decide between a holder that stands on the floor and one that hangs on the wall, and only then choose the brush head and the finish. A floor-standing steel holder needs a spot about 3 to 4 inches wide; a wall-mounted one needs none, but it needs a drill.

Below is how we would choose, with the sizes taken from our own Amazon listings.

Measure the gap beside the toilet

Most bathrooms leave a narrow strip between the toilet and the wall, a vanity or a shower panel. Measure its width and check what else needs that spot (a trash can, a plunger). Then compare it with the footprint of the holder.

Holder	Footprint	Height	Where it suits
Square	about 3.1 in wide (gold) or 3.5 in (silver)	gold: 15.5 in with the brush in; silver: brush 15.7 in long	the tightest gaps
Round	about 3.5 in wide	15.7 in with the brush in	most bathrooms; seven finishes
Squircle	about 3.5 × 3.5 in	15.7 in	square lines with soft corners
Partially rounded	about 3.9 in wide	gold and black: holder 10.7 in, brush 14.1 in; silver: holder 10 in, brush 14.5 in	a slightly wider canister
Wall-mounted	none on the floor	about 15.7 in	a clear floor; needs a drill
Silicone set	cup about 3.5 in wide	cup 4.1 in; about 15 in with the brush in	small bathrooms and RVs

NOVSIX square toilet brush holder in gold standing in a narrow gap beside a glass shower

Floor-standing or wall-mounted?

A floor-standing holder is the simplest choice: you set it down and move it whenever you like. It also works in rentals where you cannot drill.

A wall-mounted holder hangs beside the toilet, so you can vacuum and mop without moving it and nothing sits on a wet floor. The trade-off is installation: our wall-mounted holder comes with screws and anchors, and you need a drill. If your wall is tiled, plan the holes along a grout line or use a bit made for tile.

NOVSIX wall-mounted toilet brush holder in silver fixed to a dark tiled wall

Bristle brush or silicone head?

Both clean a bowl; they feel different in use.

Bristle brush in a steel holder. Our steel sets use a brush with dense bristles that reach under the rim and around the curves. The holder is a steel canister with a plastic inner cup.
Silicone head in a compact cup. The silicone set has a flexible silicone head that follows curved surfaces, a plastic handle and a rounded plastic cup in one color. It is lighter and smaller, which suits a small bathroom or an RV.

Two NOVSIX silicone toilet brush sets, blue-black and white, on a dark stone floor

Details that make cleaning easier

A removable inner cup. It catches drips and lifts out for rinsing, so you don't have to wash the whole canister in the sink. All our steel holders have one.
A guard on the handle. A flat disc above the bristles sits over the opening and keeps spray off your hand.
A screw-in handle. Tighten it fully before first use and re-snug it now and then, so the joint stays firm.
A head that detaches. On some of our holders (the squircle holders, the white and graphite round holders and some of the sets), the brush head detaches, so the head can be swapped while the holder stays. Check the listing of your holder. Spare heads aren’t sold separately on Amazon at the moment.

For a weekly routine, see How to clean a toilet brush and holder.

What the holder is made of

Read the material line on the listing, not only the color. Our holders fall into two groups:

Steel canisters. The round holder is listed as 304 stainless steel; the wall-mounted holders are 304 stainless steel, with a silver coat or in brushed gold. Square, squircle and partially rounded holders are steel canisters with a plastic inner cup. Plain brushed steel and the finishes on steel (matte black, white, graphite, bronze and the golds) are all wiped clean the same way.
Plastic. The silicone brush set has a plastic handle and a plastic cup; the brush and plunger set has a plastic stand with a rubber plunger cup.

Steel suits a bathroom where the holder stays out on show next to a metal faucet or shower trim; here is why stainless steel suits a humid bathroom. Plastic is lighter and simpler when the holder lives in a small corner or an RV.

Which holder suits which bathroom

A powder room or a narrow gap: the gold square holder, about 3.1 inches wide (the silver square is about 3.5 inches), or a wall-mounted holder if you can drill.
A family bathroom: the round holder with a removable inner cup, in the finish of your faucet.
A bathroom with black fixtures: the squircle or partially rounded holder in black, or the round holder in matte black.
A rental: any floor-standing holder: nothing to drill, and it moves with you.
A small bathroom or an RV: the silicone set, with a cup about 4.1 inches high.
A bathroom where the plunger needs a home too: the brush and plunger set, with both tools in one upright stand.

Choose the finish last

Once the size and type are right, match the finish to what you already have: the faucet, the shower trim or the towel bar. Our round holder comes in seven finishes: brushed gold, matte gold, silver (brushed stainless steel), matte black, white-coated steel, graphite and bronze. Each product page names its tone in words, and shades can vary between product lines and screens.

A NOVSIX matte black squircle toilet brush holder in a dark bathroom

Not sure which metal to pick? Read Bathroom finishes: gold, black, silver or white.

One bathroom or several?

If you are outfitting more than one bathroom, a set keeps the same holder in the same finish in every room. Our sets of 2 and 3 use the same round holder as the single set.

A quick checklist

Gap beside the toilet: 3.1 in or more for the gold square holder, 3.5 in for the silver square, round or squircle, none for wall-mounted. Measure before you choose: a holder half an inch too wide ends up in front of the toilet instead of beside it.
Can you drill? If not, choose a floor-standing holder.
Bristles or silicone: dense bristles for under the rim, a flexible silicone head in a compact cup for small spaces.
Removable inner cup and a guard on the handle: yes.
Finish: match the metal you see most in the room.

Where to buy

All NOVSIX holders: Steel toilet brushes and Silicone toilet brushes. Orders, delivery and returns are handled by Amazon.

Questions

How much space does a toilet brush holder need?

Our steel floor-standing holders need a spot about 3.1 to 3.9 inches wide, depending on the shape. A wall-mounted holder takes no floor space.

Can I put a wall-mounted holder on tile?

Yes, if you can drill. The holder comes with screws and anchors; a tile bit and a hole along a grout line make the job easier.

When should I replace the brush?

When the bristles splay and stop reaching under the rim, when stains stay after a wash, or when the head wobbles even after you re-snug the handle. See the care guide linked above.

Does a silicone brush need a separate holder?

No. Our silicone brush comes with its own rounded cup in the same color.

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