Are there natural ways to clean your toilet? There are a lot of cleaning products for your toilet. Unfortunately few of them are natural.
Check any cleaner section at a grocery store and you’ll find all kinds of chemical ingredients that you can’t pronounce. The work well but they may be harmful to our families and the environment.
Why can’t we use products and ingredients that are natural?
Every day people are looking for ways to clean their toilet. We don’t talk about it much but our toilets need a lot of attention. Without regular cleaning they can become gross.
We use cleaning solutions for the toilet seat, bowl, and the tank. Depending on your water quality you might have a pesky ring around the toilet bowl that needs to be scrubbed regularly.
Toilet brushes can only do so much so sometimes it’s necessary to use a cleaner. In this article we’ll highlight the best ways to clean your toilet.
Many of these options are DIY methods to clean your toilet seat, bowl, and tank! Let’s get started.
My Preference For Natural Toilet (and household) Cleaners
Over the last decade I’ve given a lot of thought to the home environment partly due to the fact that I was suffering from asthma and allergies.
I wasn’t sure why my body was allergic. I knew part of the reason was genetics but another part may have been my environment.
I realized that I grew up in a home with lots and lots of chemicals that included:
- Toilet cleaners
- Floor polishers
- Counter
- Window cleaners
I realized that my family kept a lot of chemicals near my bedroom and I also noticed the metal hinges on the cupboard were badly rusted. Were the chemicals doing this to the metal? If so what could the chemicals be doing to my lungs?
I began to think about how we clean and I realized there were plenty of natural products that could clean and sterilize our homes – with ingredients that we could understand.
This is why I decided to start using natural products.
Most Common Natural Ingredients For Cleaning (Toilets)
There are various recopies and ingredients you can use to clean your toilet. But most of them will include similar ingredients. These include:
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Borax Powder
- Lemon juice or Citric acid
- Essential oils
Can You Use Vinegar To Clean A Toilet
The key to vinegar’s effectiveness is its acidity. The acidic properties actually eat away at plaque and calcium build-up.
The acidity is great for stains, glue, hard water, clogged toilets and drains. It’s not a miracle cleaner and usually needs some scrubbing to have best effects.
Why Is Baking Soda A Good Toilet Cleaner
Baking soda is also a good cleaner however it’s more alkaline, not acidic. It’s natural and known as sodium bicarbonate.
It works to break up dirt and grease and is dissolvable in water. Baking soda and vinegar can be used together to clean a toilet but be prepared to see a reaction (don’t worry you won’t add enough to overflow the toilet).
Is Hydrogen Peroxide A Good Toilet Cleaner
Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent way to disinfect your toilet and to clean the seat. Hydrogen peroxide is natural and although it’s a cleaner, it’s not a lung irritant which is perfect for families with asthma.
Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used on cuts and scrapes as a way to clean wounds. If there is a lot of bacteria you’ll usually see some bubbling as the hydrogen peroxide cleans.
Borax
Borax is another breathe-easy option for people with asthma and allergies. It is a natural alkaline substance that is good for stains.
Borax works great to clean toilets in conjunction with an acidic solution like vinegar. If swallowed in large amounts it can be harmful to humans but it’s not a threat if using to clean your toilets. Borax is also a helpful, natural way to kill cockroaches!
Lemon Juice or Citric Acid
Noticing a pattern? Most of the natural substances we’ve mentioned are either a strong acid or strong alkaline. Acids and alkaline ingredients work independently but also work great combined.
Citric acid and lemon juice are interchangeable and are another good way to clean. It has natural disinfectant properties and can help break down build up on toilet seats and bowls.
Why use a potentially dangerous chemical when you’ve got lemons!
Essential Oils
Essential oils are part of the all-star cleaning list for a few reasons.
- They smell great and are the perfect addition to stronger smelling cleaners
- Many of the are naturally antibacterial
Most people use essential oils for their aroma. Lavender is great as is lemongrass and peppermint.
Some people use eucalyptus essential oil in the laundry to make clothes smell great and to kill dust mites in sheets and clothes.
Essential oils should be added to any homemade toilet cleaner. The bathroom will smell great because of it and your guest won’t notice the smell of vinegar.
Best Natural Ways To Clean Your Toilet
Natural Toilet Cleaner #1 – Vinegar
Vinegar, even on it’s own, does wonders to clean toilets and other things like sinks, metal faucets, and pots and pans.
The key with vinegar is time. You’ll want to soak whatever you’re cleaning in vinegar for 12-24 hours (longer the better). Time allows vinegar to eat away at build up and grease.
You’ll notice there are a few different types of vinegar (apple cider, wine, rice, malt, and cane). For cleaning, the type of vinegar isn’t so important.
Apple cider will have a lesser smell than white vinegar but since you’re only using it for 1 day the smell shouldn’t be much of a problem. Plus the smell will remind you of your project (don’t forget).
What you’ll need:
-
2 cups of vinegar
In most cases you won’t need much vinegar but when cleaning a toilet you’re adding vinegar to the toilet water and it’s diluted. 2 cups is a minimum but feel free to use more.
If you have stains in the toilet tank (on top of the bowl) you can also add vinegar and let sit (don’t flush).
Make sure you thoroughly scrub with a brush. You can do-so a few times during the 12-24 hours as it will help mix the vinegar around the toilet. I use reminder post-it notes on top of the toilet and the bathroom sink so people don’t accidently use the toilet.
If the smell is too much, just 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil to the toilet.
Natural Toilet Cleaner #2 – Vinegar and Baking Soda
This recipe builds on our 1st cleaner with an addition of baking soda. Baking soda works great to absorb smells so it should help with the vinegar smell.
You’ll also notice a reaction that takes place between baking soda and vinegar (similar to the school volcano experiment).
Do not mix the two ingredients until the are in the toilet! Add the vinegar first, then add baking soda. Watch it fizzle and let sit for 12-24 hours with periodic scrubbing.
This recipe also works great for clogged toilets and pipes!
What you’ll need:
-
2 cups vinegar
-
½ cup baking soda
Don’t forget to put a sign on the toilet to remind people not to use it!
Natural Toilet Cleaner #3 – Baking Soda and Citric Acid
Citric acid is an ingredient that’s found in many natural cleaning products and in citrus. You can make your own with lemon juice.
The strong acid works great for toilet bowl rings. You’ll want a few cups to add to the toilet so that’s a lot of squeezed lemons.
You can also buy citric acid in powder form, mix with water and create your toilet cleaning solution.
What you’ll need:
-
2/3 cup baking soda
-
2/3 cup citric acid
Scrub toilet bowl or tank thoroughly then sprinkle powders over the porcelain and water. Try to cover the stained areas.
Let sit for 12-24 hours and scrub after 12 hours then let sit again. Citric acid works great for toilet and tank ring stains.
Natural Toilet Cleaner #4 – Borax and Vinegar
In combination, Borax and vinegar is a great alternative to bleach. And they don’t have the nose burning smell (although vinegar is natural it isn’t a pleasant smell and won’t burn your nose).
Add the vinegar to the toilet first then sprinkle borax powder around toilet. These are natural substances so you can use more if you’d like.
You’ll let this recipe sit for at least 12 hours. Scrub occasionally to ensure the Borax and vinegar are coating the toilet.
What you’ll need:
-
½ cup Borax
-
2 cup Vinegar
-
5-10 drops of lavender essential oil (this addition will have your bathroom smelling great)
Natural Toilet Cleaner #5 – Seventh Generation (8 pack)
Seventh Generation has grown into a well-known brand that prides itself in environmental stewardship.
There are no harsh chemicals like chlorine or ammonia and it’s 100% biodegradable. This means it’s ocean safe and you can feel good about using it (use a lot if you like).
Because there aren’t strong fumes it’s great for people with asthma. It does have a scent (light pine smell) and it’s a clear liquid.
Because this product is natural it’s always good to do some scrubbing after the cleaner has worked its magic. Apply, let sit for a few hours, and scrub away those toilet bowel rings.
Natural Toilet Cleaner #6 – Ecover Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Ecover is a new brand for me but I like what I’ve read. If you don’t want to make your own natural toilet cleaner, Ecover offers a natural cleaning solution that is plant based. It even uses essential oils!
The toilet bowl cleaner can be used without worry for the environment or for oceans. Ecover is completely biodegradable. Even the bottle is made from plant plastic and is 100% recyclable.
This toilet cleaner comes in a pack of 2 and will last a minimum of 1 month depending on how much you clean your toilet (probably several months).
Customers buy it because of it’s environmentally safe, but also because it works to decalcify tough stains in the toilet. I think it’s worth a shot if you don’t have time to make your own.
How To Clean A Badly Stained Toilet Bowl
Vinegar, citric acid, borax, and baking soda will all work great for cleaning a stained toilet bowl. But there are 2 key steps you’ll need to follow.
- Patience
- Scrubbing
We live in a society where we expect immediate results. Using natural cleaners is awesome for your health and the environment but be patient when using them.
Give them time to work. Add the vinegar and baking soda or Borax to the toilet, give a good scrub to get the ingredients all over the toilet. Let sit overnight, scrub again, then let sit all day.
After 24 hours give one more good scrub and flush! Your toilet should look much better, but if you’re not satisfied try another round.
How To Get Rid Of Limescale In A Toilet
Limescale is found on the inside of pots and pans, kettles, and even toilet bowls. It’s made up of minerals that come from the water. If your community has “hard water” you may have a larger problem with limescale.
To get rid of limescale, follow the above steps and focus on using vinegar and/or citric acid. You’ll want to go heavy on the acidic solution which will break down the lime scale.
Occasionally mix the toilet water and coat the sides of the toilet bowl with the vinegar or citric acid mixture. Also scrub every 4-5 hours. Let sit for 24 hours and you should see a much smaller case of limescale.
DIY Toilet Cleaner Bombs (Homemade and Automatic)
We stumbled across a great DIY project for homemade toilet cleaning bombs and we’ll share the recipe below. They look great on top of a toilet tank, they are easy to make, and better for the environment compared to nose-burning chemicals.
The ingredients are similar to what we mentioned above but there’s one addition – dish soap!
What you’ll need:
-
1 cup baking soda (alkaline)
-
¼ citric acid (acidic)
-
1 dish soap (organic dish soap preferred)
You could also use water instead of dish soap but the sticky soap helps hold the powdery paste together. After mixing the ingredients together in a bowl, add the mixture to an old ice cube tray – or buy one from the dollar store.
Let the paste dry for 24 hours and carefully remove the cubes from the tray. Place in your bathroom for periodic cleaning. They look great in a jar. They are cheap. And they are way better than using bleach.
Conclusion
Toilet cleaners are common. Just look at the cleaning section in your grocery store. But why do they all seem like they contain hazardous chemicals? Are they safe for the environment?
After a late 1900’s boom in the chemical cleaning market, consumers are finally starting to look for simple solutions to clean their homes. Vinegar and citric acid are age-old cleaners that have always worked.
Baking soda and Borax are additional options that can clean the toilet and leave us with a clear conscience. We also know they won’t be emitting fumes that cause respiratory problems like asthma.
In this article we discussed the pros of natural toilet cleaners and we mentioned multiple recopies to clean your toilet. If you don’t have time to make your own toilet cleaner (it doesn’t take much effort) there are a few natural products that provide a ready-to-go cleaning solution.
Once you understand the powders vs. liquids and acid vs. alkaline solutions you can develop your own cleaning recipie. Be sure to add essential oils to make your bathroom smell great too.
You can even make a DIY toilet cleaner bomb – make 20 or 30 at a time and use there periodically over 6 months (saves money and time).
We hope you enjoyed this article on the best natural toilet cleaners. Leave us a comment with your best natural cleaner and check out our other blog articles about toilets! Thanks for visiting.
