This is a gross job but it is extremely important to keep your house clean and smelling fresh. Most people believe that the job requires cleaners that you buy at the grocery store, but those contain harsh chemicals and can cause skin and lung irritation. If you’re looking for an alternative solution, these Homemade Natural Toilet Cleaners are great options. Save some money and avoid potential caustic chemicals in your home.
Problems with Toilet Cleaners
Are you educated on how many harsh chemicals can be found in toilet bowl cleaners? My mind was blown once I researched it. According to MSDS online, toilet bowl cleaners have chemicals that include phosphoric acid. Yikes! Even when you’re just using them casually you should be using a mouth cover and eyeglasses and operate in a well ventilated room. Those warnings make me nervous, especially when you have small kids in your house.
This is why the best way to clean a toilet is to use a homemade, natural toilet bowl cleaner.
What are Natural Cleaners?
Natural cleaners are just like they sound. They’re ingredients that you use that don’t put you or your family at risk. They’re made using natural ingredients that don’t have the health hazards that the store bought versions do.
There are a lot of great natural toilet bowl cleaners out there but I really like to use vinegar and baking soda as my natural cleaner of choice. It’s a simple way to make a fast DIY toilet cleaner that does a great job of making that toilet shine.
What are the Common Ingredients and Why are They Used
- White Vinegar – Used to eliminate smells and take away stains.
- Pickling Vinegar – Another way to eliminate scents and clean easily.
- Borax – I’m not a fan of this ingredient but it does a great job at breaking down stains.
- Citric Acids – Breaks down water stains and residue build up.
- Baking Soda – An abrasive that can get rid of harsh stains as well as absorb odors.
- Tea Tree Oil – Great way to give your bathroom a calming, clean scent.
- Pumice Stone and a Towel for Hard to Clean Stains – Sometimes, you have to scrub and this is a chemical free way to do it.
- Essential Oils – When it comes to essential oils, there is a study showing that using cinnamon and cloves together can be used for bacteria issues. Tip: Don’t add essential oils to plastic containers as it may eat away the plastic.
- Castile Soap – Great olive oil-based soap to scrub away the grime.
Tools Needed for Cleaning
When you’re cleaning your toilet, you’re going to need a few tools. Gather up the items below before you get started:
- Disposable gloves
- Empty glass spray bottles
- Scrub brush
- Caddy to hold everything
- A bottle that has a sprinkle top
How to Remove Dark Toilet Rings
If you notice dark toilet rings where the water meets the side of the bowl, or at the water refill area, let your natural toilet cleaners sit a little bit longer to soak in before scrubbing.
You may also sprinkle extra baking soda and spray vinegar on the affected areas and let it sit for a few extra minutes before scrubbing.
How to Clean the Toilet Seat
Cleaning the toilet seat is as simple as spraying your natural toilet cleaner on the seat and then wiping it off. Both the top and bottom of the seat should be scrubbed.
I spend extra time making sure I clean the tabs that cover the seat connection bolts. If it gets too grimy, it is easy to replace the toilet seat, but it is super easy to keep clean.
How to Clean Hard Water Stains
Hard water stains can be a pain. They’re going to take patience and time and you’re just going to have to let your cleaner soak in and scrub hard. If you keep up on the maintenance and it won’t get too bad.
Organic Alternatives that Can be Purchased
Sometimes, you just don’t have time to make your own natural cleaners. In that case, here are a few natural cleaners you can purchase.
- Cleans and Deodorizes tough bathroom odors
- A unique blend of live enzyme cultures, lavender and lime extracts
- MAXIMUM CLEANING EFFECTIVENESS: Bac-Out safely cleans and deodorizes soap scum, build-up, and unpleasant odors and urine stains to keep your bathroom looking great and smelling fresh.
- MULTIPLE USES AND SURFACES: Clean and eliminate grime using the aromatic joy of Lavender Lime on floors, showers, tubs, tile, toilets, sinks and countertops.
Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Here are simple homemade natural toilet bowl cleaner recipes that will save you money and keep a lot of caustic chemicals out of your home.
Tea Tree Oil + Vinegar + Baking soda
- Combine ½ cup of baking soda and ¼ cup of vinegar in small glass bowl.
- Add 10 – 15 drops of tea tree oil.
- Add to your toilet. Let sit for a few minutes to react and then scrub. The vinegar and baking soda will react, bubble and force its cleaning power into the toilet. Let it sit for a little while to do its work and then scrub.
Borax + Vinegar
- Combine one quart of warm water and 2 TBSP of Borax to a glass bottle and shake to combine the ingredients. It is important to use warm water to dissolve the borax first.
- Add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the mixture.
- Pour the mixture in the toilet and let sit for five minutes before scrubbing.
- For heavy duty stains, you can increase the amount of Borax to ¼ cup.
Spray Vinegar + Sprinkle Baking Soda
- Sprinkle baking soda in the toilet. Make sure to get the sides where the dark ring may appear.
- Add vinegar to a glass spray bottle.
- Spray the baking soda with the vinegar and let the acidic vinegar react with the base baking soda.
- Scrub the toilet.
As you can see, there are options for homemade toilet bowl cleaners that you can easily make on your own. The choice is yours on what you want to do!
Do you have any tips for natural cleaners for your toilet?
