Did you know there are lots of DIY natural toilet bowl cleaners that will do the job just fine? This post will share some simple ways to clean your toilet without harsh chemicals.
Most of what we flush down the drain comes back around in our drinking water. Yikes, right?! This includes toxic household cleaners like toilet bowl cleaners, drain cleaners, bleach, etc. This is one reason I choose to avoid them.
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Not only do these toxins turn back up in our water supply and potentially affect our health, but they have negative impacts on nature as well. One of the best reasons to avoid toxic toilet bowl cleaner is that there’s absolutely no reason to use it in the first place.
Toilets are gross, I totally get it, but so many products can clean effectively. It’s helpful to keep in mind that germs actually die on their own very quickly. Most germs die or dramatically weaken, even on hard surfaces, within about 24 hours.
Unless it’s a hospital setting where rare bacteria may be present, toilet bowls aren’t as scary as they seem.
Dangers of Traditional Cleaning Products
You may have seen the study a few years ago that compared the lung damage of household and occupational cleaning to that of smoking. And that’s not just occasional smoking either. Frequent household cleaning with traditional products damaged lungs as much as smoking a pack a day!
Crazy, right? If that’s not a reason to switch up your cleaning routine, I don’t know what is. When you clean, you inhale the fumes. That’s why it’s recommended to clean in well ventilated areas and open windows and doors when possible.
These cleaners are also toxic when they come in contact with the skin, which is why labels recommend using gloves when cleaning.
There’s also the hygiene hypothesis, which suggests the immune system needs healthy doses of germs to thrive. O.k. cleaning the toilets won’t deprive you of your necessary germs, but we all know some people who uses disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer at every turn.
The attempt for sterile environments actually breeds antibiotic resistant bacteria.
How To Clean Your Toilet Without Harsh Chemicals
As I mentioned above, there are literally 100 things that would work just fine as DIY natural toilet bowl Cleaners, but when I think DIY, I think things you already have lying around the house.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is one of my favorite cleaners. It is water (H2O) with an extra oxygen molecule (H2O2), it’s cheap and offers a fair amount of disinfectant properties. It’s not quite as robust a germ-killer as Lysol or Clorox, so it isn’t technically a disinfectant (kills 99.9% of germs).
The only thing to watch out for with hydrogen peroxide is inhalation. If you use the spray bottle form, be careful to spray then step away or spray directly into a cloth. Many of us grew up using it for cuts and scrapes, which is no longer recommended.
The Clevland Clinic suggests that medical grade hydrogen peroxide (3% peroxide and 97% water) is strong enough for household cleaning.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is an excellent whitener and refresher. It’s one of the best, safe ways to eliminate grime IMHO. I use it in my sinks, showers and toilets often. You can combine it with hydrogen peroxide to make an amazing grout paste.
Baking soda is a great, simple way to freshen up toilet bowls, and can we talk about that price point?! It is one of the few affordable items left on grocery store shelves. Keep in mind that it is not a germ killer, so if your desire is to kill germs then you’ll need to add something to it.
Hydrogen peroxide, vinegar or essential oils can be a great way to give it some germ-fighting power as needed.
Vinegar
Vinegar is a fantastic germ fighter and is super affordable at the local grocery store. I personally just buy the basic kitchen vinegar, but there are stronger options available. I like to mix vinegar, water and lemon or orange peels in a spray bottle and use it for basically everything including toilets.
Like the others, vinegar is not a true disinfectant, but it does have disinfectant properties and will kill the majority of everyday germs. Adding citrus peels or a few drops of essential oil helps give it a more pleasant smell if you don’t like the smell of it alone.
Dr. Bronner’s Soap
Huge Dr. Brooner’s Castile Soap fan over here! It’s good for so many things from washing your face to mopping to toilet bowls. It’s a good clean product that goes a long way. It costs more than vinegar and baking soda, but you’ll find that most uses only require a few drops of the soap.
There are tons of scent options like lavender, peppermint and hemp among others. I personally love the peppermint scent for cleaning purposes. I generally buy giant bottles then redistribute some into smaller bottles that I save and reuse. A large 32 oz. bottle of Dr. Bronner’s will last you a very long time.
Dr. Bronner’s is also my favorite face and body wash, so it’s quite the multi-tasker!
Essential Oils
Thyme oil is not the most popular essential oil, but of all of the essential oils it is the only one that has the ability to kill 99.9% of germs. It is the active ingredient in 7th Generation Disinfectant Wipes. You can read more about safe disinfecting in my related post: best non-toxic disinfect wipes.
While other essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, clove, tea tree and others have germ fighting properties, they don’t offer the same robust protection. What they do offer is a lovely smell though. I am a big fan of adding a few drops of essential oils to my homemade cleaning products just for the lovely smell.
You can add essential oils to a container of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide or vinegar spray bottle to make a simple homemade toilet bowl cleaner that smells great. While there are many excellent essential oil brands, Plant Therapy is one of my favorites, and it is also quite affordable.
Store-Bought Options
I know some people who like to push the easy button and don’t want to mess with diluting or mixing things up. If you are one of those people, no worries, because there are quite a few non-toxic toilet bowl cleaners around these days.
Ecover
Ecover makes a lovely smelling toilet bowl cleaner with a natural pine fresh scent. It has an A rating by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The formula is readily biodegradable, greywater safe and septic safe. It comes in a convenient curved neck bottle, which is definitely handy when cleaning toilets.
Better Life
Better Life is a popular clean brand with plant-powered ingredients. It contains gentle, natural ingredients including tea tree and peppermint oils. It’s free of sulfates, artificial fragrances and is Leaping Bunny certified (never tested on animals). The smell is amazing too, which doesn’t hurt.
Mama’s Suds Toilet Bombs
These toilet bombs are similar to what some people make at home using baking soda or citric acid. I haven’t tried them, but they look like a great option for someone after convenience. They contain sodium bicarbonate, non-GMO citric acid and essential oils.
These are also Leaping Bunny certified. If you’d like to make your own toilet bomb/fizzies, this recipe by Pretty Providence looks really neat!
Conclusion
We’ve covered several DIY Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner options from super basic like snagging a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to a little more advanced like making your own toilet bombs. I’ve also shared some safe store-bought options.
Hopefully, one of these ideas works for your lifestyle, so that you are able to ditch toxic toilet bowl cleaners for good. Your health and mother nature will thank you! As always, thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings about all things non-toxic lifestyle.
