Alternatives to Toilet Bowl Cleaners

Create your own cleaner for scrubbing your toilet.

Commercial toilet bowl cleaners contain an ingredient called hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid not only causes irritation to your skin and eyes, but it can actually cause pulmonary edema, and damage to the esophagus, throat and mouth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fortunately, several homemade all-natural toilet bowl cleaners are a safe alternative to store-bought toilet cleaners.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

Baking soda works as a natural abrasive cleaner and offers the benefit of odor removal. Vinegar is acid based, and works well in conjunction with the baking soda to remove any buildup inside your toilet. The website Ecocycle recommends sprinkling 1/4 cup of baking soda around the inside of the toilet. Then, drip or spray vinegar on the baking soda. Wait 30 minutes before scrubbing and rinsing clean.

Ammonia

Use the all-purpose cleaner ammonia to clean toilets instead of resorting to traditional toilet bowl cleaners. Add 1 pint of water for every tablespoon of ammonia. Alternatively, add 1 tbsp. of laundry detergent to every pint of water. Squirt the cleaner inside the toilet bowl and scrub with a toilet wand. Ammonia full-strength can produce strong, unpleasant odors.

Borax and Lemon Juice

Borax is an ingredient used in many homemade cleaners, and it works well when used with lemon juice to clean toilets. The borax solution works much the same way that baking soda and vinegar does. Mix 2/3 cup borax in a bowl with 1/3 cup lemon juice. Smear the borax/lemon juice mixture inside the toilet bowl and let it sit for a total of two hours. Scrub with a toilet wand and rinse clean.

Oxygen Bleach

Chlorine bleach irritates skin, causes whitening and is harmful when mixed with other cleaners. It is much safer to use oxygen bleach, which is non-toxic. To clean toilets with oxygen bleach, dilute it with water based on the directions on the product label. Spray the oxygen bleach in the toilet and let it sit for half an hour. Scrub and rinse.

References

• Ecocycle: Alternative Cleaners-Toilet Bowls
• Organized Home: Pantry Cleaners: Recipes for Homemade Cleaning Products
• Stain Removal 101: Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner Recipes

Resources

• CDC: Hydrogen Chloride