How to Keep Toilet Seat Bolts Tight

Loose toilet bolts are annoying because they cause the toilet seat to slip and move while you sit on it, giving you an uneasy feeling. They are also dangerous, especially for elderly and very young toilet users, because the sliding toilet can cause a person to slip and possibly suffer an injury when standing or sitting down. If you continually find that the toilet seat bolts are loose, don't endure the frustration of continually tightening them over and over, just follow a method to provide a long-lasting, tight fit around the bolts.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Adjustable wrench
• Rag
• 2 plastic toilet seat bolts and nuts
• Toilet seat tightening kit

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Instructions

1. Pop up the two hinge caps that cover the bolts on the rear of the toilet seat, using a flat-head screwdriver.

2. Grip the nut underneath the bolt with an adjustable wrench. Turn the head of the toilet seat bolt counterclockwise with the screwdriver, then pull the bolt up and out of the hole while sliding the nut off the bolt beneath. Remove both bolts.

3. Remove the seat from the top of the bowl. Use a rag to wipe any debris off the bowl lip and around the seat's hinge holes.

4. Hold a washer from the toilet seat tightening kit in your hand, the tapered side facing up. From below, push one washer up into each of the bowl's hinge post holes. Washers in the porcelain toilet holes provide a tighter fit and eliminate movement.

5. Position the toilet seat back on top of the lip of the bowl. Install two new plastic bolts down through the corresponding holes in the seat, continuing down through the bowl hinge post holes.

6. Thread a plastic nut onto the bottom of each plastic seat bolt, from below. Tighten each nut up onto the bolt until it's snug and tight, using the tightening tool included in the tightening kit.

Tips & Warnings

• As of 2011, a toilet seat tightening kit cost around $5 at home goods stores.