How to Make a Toilet Bowl Deodorizer
Toilet bowl odors typically result from bacteria or molds clinging to mineral deposits, stains or other debris on toilet surfaces. Regular cleaning, disinfecting and deodorizing to remove the bacteria and molds, and any materials that promote continued growth, removes the odor's source and adds other more pleasant scents to your bathroom. Easy-to-find household items can serve as the most effective and health/environmentally friendly ingredients to use to make toilet bowl deodorizers. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Baking soda
- Borax
- Water
- Scratch-resistant scrubbing pad or brush
- Soap
- Grater
- Glass container with seal-tight lid
- Lemon juice
- Mouthwash
- Fragrant oils
- White vinegar
- Spray bottles
Instructions
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Deodorizing Cleaning Pastes
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1
Make a basic, non-scented deodorizing cleaning paste for use with a scratch-resistant scrubbing pad or brush.
Mix equal parts baking soda and borax. Slowly add water as needed until you have a thick paste. The baking soda (a natural odor neutralizer) and borax (a natural antifungal) destroy the causes of your toilet's odors and remove any existing smells.
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2
Create an unscented deodorizing soap paste. Purchase a bar of all-natural non-scented soap. Grate the soap using a vegetable or cheese grater that can grind items into fine- to medium-sized pieces. Pour the grated soap into a glass container with a seal-tight lid to use as a general-purpose cleaning soap and/or deodorizer.
Mix 2 to 3 tbsp. of your grated soap with the non-scented deodorizing paste when you're ready to clean and deodorize your toilet bowl.
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3
Substitute natural tea tree oil soap or your favorite fragrant soap to make a scented paste or add fragrant oils or mouthwash to unscented soap or soap-free paste.
Add and mix 1 to 2 tbsp. of lemon juice or mouthwash, or two to three drops of lemon, orange, eucalyptus or tea tree oil, to the paste.
Spray Deodorizers
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4
Heat 2 cups of water, pour in a spray bottle and add 1 tsp borax to make a spray antifungal deodorizer. Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice or two to three drops of fragrant oil if desired. Spray toilet surfaces, saturating any stains, and scrub with a scratch-resistant pad or brush. Rinse with warm water.
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5
Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar to make a mold killer that also descales mineral deposits. Follow Step 1 cleaning instructions.
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6
Pour undiluted mouthwash into a spray bottle to make a disinfecting, odor eliminating spray. Follow Step 1 cleaning instructions.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To deodorize without pastes or sprays, sprinkle 1/2 cup baking soda on your toilet bowl surfaces, then pour 1/2 cup warm vinegar on the baking soda. Wait at least 5 minutes, scrub, then rinse.
Never use harsh chemicals as many chemicals not only cause skin, eye or upper respiratory irritation, but serious injury if accidentally ingested---especially when ingested by small children or pets.
Always empty your toilet bowl before cleaning as the extra bowl water can make homemade pastes and sprays less effective.
Always check the rest of your bathroom to determine if any odors within the room originate somewhere other than your toilet bowl. A wide variety of areas can house odor-causing bacteria and molds---between the toilet tank and wall, wall surfaces, around and in showers, any metal surfaces or cabinet hinges, grout, inside shower, bath or sink drains.
