Why Your Toilet Seat Is Turning Blue – How to Fix It

The mystery of the blue toilet seat has confused and frustrated homeowners for many years now. Why does it happen, and what can you do to fix it? 

Since the first blue toilet seat appeared, many have suspected pregnancy to be the cause. While a lot of the claims of blue toilet seats have come from pregnant women, not all have been so. Blue toilet seats have been reported by men and women alike, pregnant, and non-pregnant – it’s a phenomenon that seems to affect households indiscriminately.

In the paragraphs below, I am going to explore the blue toilet seat mystery to help you identify the reason it happens and what you can do to fix it. 

2 Reasons Why Your Toilet Seat Is Turning Blue

Although a woman’s body does some pretty odd things during pregnancy, there is no scientific proof that being pregnant causes a toilet seat to turn blue. With that said, here are a couple of proven reasons your normally white toilet seat might be turning a blue hue. 

1. Demin Jeans or Clothes Dye

Sometimes the dye in new or dark clothing can stain your skin and anything you sit on until it is washed a few times. Take jeans, for example. Jean dye, especially the darker hues, has been known to stain skin and furnishings. This could be what is happening to your toilet seat. 

It’s possible that the dye from your clothing has rubbed off on your thighs, and when you sit on your white toilet seat, the dye transfers to the toilet seat, thus turning it blue. 

If you notice blue stains on your toilet seat and you’re wearing a new pair of jeans, attempt to wipe the stain(s) off. If they do not come off easily, there may be another reason for the discoloration. 

2. Chromhidrosis

Chromhidrosis is a rare disorder that turns body secretions into different colors. Green, yellow, black, brown, and yes, blue are all possible colors of sweat coming from a person suffering from Chromhidrosis. 

This uncommon disorder isn’t physically detrimental, but it can cause mental and emotional strife as colored perspiration can be easily seen by others. While Chromhidrosis can continue into adulthood, it is usually most prevalent in teenage children, which is when the apocrine glands begin their secretions. 

The good news is that sweat discoloration may lessen as a person gets older because the body produces less lipofuscin, the pigment thought to be the culprit behind this condition. There are three different types of Chromhidrosis: apocrine (explained above), eccrine (artificial staining of sweat by dye or heavy metals that have entered the body’s internal systems), and pseudochromhidrosis (sweat comes out the right color but turns a different color when it reacts with something on the skin). While the last two types of Chromhidrosis are treatable by figuring out the outside cause that’s affecting the change, apocrine Chromhidrosis has no cure. 

To sum this section up, Chromhidrosis tints body sweat with color, which can transfer to a toilet seat during use. 

Blue Toilet Seat Myths

Now that you know the science behind a toilet seat turning blue, you might be interested to know the myths surrounding this crazy phenomenon. While some of these myths seem to make sense, others might sound downright silly. 

Pregnancy Hormones Cause Toilet Seats to Turn Blue

During pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through a lot as hormone changes cause some crazy symptoms. Having said that, turning a toilet seat blue isn’t likely one of them. 

The truth is the jury is still out on this subject as many pregnant women claim their toilet seats are turning blue for no other reason than they are pregnant. There simply just isn’t much research done on the subject to determine its validity, and as such, many experts call the myth this one.

A Blue Toilet Seat Is A Sign Of Diabetes

Although the internet is full of information on blue toilet seats as they relate to pregnancy, I had a hard time finding any real scientific data on whether being diabetic can cause a toilet seat to turn blue. Some people speculate that it could be a cause when the person reporting the issue says they aren’t pregnant, and they aren’t wearing any new clothing, but at this point, a toilet seat turning blue due to diabetes is just that – speculation and not fact.

Blue Toilet Seat Indicates Potential Cancer

Again, there is no scientific information to back the claim of a toilet seat turning blue due to the user having cancer. It just isn’t possible for this to happen. 

However…According to the smart folks at Stanford University, a ‘smart toilet’ now exists that can detect potential diseases by analyzing urine and stool deposits in the bowl. Created by Saniv Gambhir, MD Ph.D., this precision health toilet is outfitted with technology that can detect markers for various types of cancer and other illnesses including urologic and colorectal cancers.

Vitamin B12 Cobalt Turning Toilet Seat Blue

There is no evidence that taking Vitamin B12 Cobalt will turn your toilet seat blue. With that said, if you are taking B12 supplements, you will likely notice that your urine is a brighter yellow than normal. This is nothing to be concerned about as it’s just how the supplement reacts in your body. 

How To Fix A Blue Toilet Seat

Depending on the cause of your toilet seat turning blue, you may have to try different cleaning methods to find one that works for you.

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol can dissolve a wide range of stains, so try this method first. Dampen a cloth with rubbing alcohol and place it over the blue stains. Allow the cloth to sit for 10-15 minutes, so it has time to soak in and lift the blue stains. Rinse thoroughly once the stains are gone. 

Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda and white vinegar combine to form a powerful stain remover. The combination creates a fizzing action that gently encourages stains to lift and disappear. To remove blue stains from your toilet seat using this method, pour a cup or two of white vinegar all over the seat. Follow it up with a thin layer of baking soda. Allow the mixture to soak for a few minutes and then scrub the seat using small, circular motions. When the blue stains are gone, rinse the toilet seat until no residue remains. 

Diluted Bleach Solution

Bleach is used a lot in toilet cleaning, and for good reason. Its whitening and brightening powers are virtually unmatched, and it kills bacteria to boot. As great as bleach is for cleaning toilets, however, it’s a good idea to put some plastic down to protect the floor before beginning this method as it can damage other surfaces. 

Begin by diluting the bleach with equal parts water. Pour the solution over the toilet seat and let it sit for several minutes. The blue stains should disappear as if by magic. Once they are gone, wipe the toilet seat with a damp cloth and allow it to air dry.

FAQs Toilet Seat Turning Blue

I’ve covered this controversial subject from the reasons a toilet seat can turn blue to myths surrounding the phenomenon and what you can do to fix the issue. If you still have questions about blue toilet seats, check out the frequently asked questions below.