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One of the many questions from readers over the years is what I recommend for a DIY toilet bowl cleaner?
You are watching: DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner
I’ve always used my homemade bathroom cleaner to clean toilets which is still a great option, but it is also nice to have something specific for your toilets.
Most versions you read online for homemade toilet cleaner involve baking soda or vinegar, or they even combine them.
A better option is citric acid!
Citric acid is a key ingredient in this cleaner along with good quality, concentrated dish soap.
Here is how you make it.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of concentrated dish soap (I always use Dawn because it performs best)***
- 2 tablespoons citric acid
- 1 cup of water
- 15-30 drops of purify essential oil
- Squeeze Bottle
- Toilet Bowl Brush
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add to a squeeze bottle using a funnel.
- Shake the bottle gently before each use to distribute the ingredients.
How To Use This DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
You will use this just like a store-bought version. After gently shaking, lightly squeeze a layer at the top of the toilet bowl. Scrub with a toilet brush well.
The Science Behind DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner With Citric Acid
Each ingredient has a specific purpose in this recipe. Even the water! I have tried many different ingredient combinations, but this one has been my favorite for basic cleaning.
Citric Acid
Many recipes you read online use baking soda. Baking soda is awesome, and I love it for so many things, but I have found that citric acid is even better for a few reasons. First, it is acidic, so it has similar properties to vinegar. It is great for hard water stains! Like baking soda, it is also fantastic for odor absorption. Citric acid also combats bacteria, mold, and mildew by lowering the pH levels and allowing cell penetration.
Dawn Dish Soap
Once again, dawn appears in this recipe! I like it for dozens of reasons. When it comes to cleaning a toilet, you will notice that Dawn is thicker, so it coats the surface better. It also has the ability to scrub stains and hard water better than other soaps I have used. You want to have a thick liquid for cleaning a toilet to mimic the store-bought toilet cleaners you use. I have personally used Castile soap for this, and it did not do as good of a job at scrubbing stains. You are welcome to use Castile soap or a more “natural” variety of a liquid soap, but results will not be the same. Just keep that in mind.
Water
Water is another important component. It helps all these ingredients to combine well, but also makes sure there isn’t too many soap suds. Water is a natural surfactant, so it makes a good ingredient in DIY cleaning products. Read more about how water works in cleaners in our Fall all-purpose cleaner post.
Purify Essential Oil
I love using the purify oil in this recipe because it combines several amazing oils together and smells so good. It absorbs odors well too. If you have a peppermint oil or tea tree oil you can use that too.
How Long Does This Homemade Toilet Cleaner Last?
Read more : Components to a Recipe
It will last several weeks to several months. We make all of our DIY solutions in small batches on purpose to avoid it going bad or losing potency. You will use this up before it goes bad 🙂
Why is There Not Baking Soda and Vinegar Together in this Toilet Cleaner?
I love baking soda, and I love vinegar. Combining the two together is not always a good idea. When we combined them in this recipe for our homemade carpet cleaner, the key to it working was the reaction and carbon dioxide bubbles that form when they combine releasing stains and dirt on the carpet fibers. When you combine the two in the toilet, it will react the same way, but it doesn’t do much more than that. Using just baking soda is an okay option, but like I mentioned above, the citric acid is better. Vinegar is another acidic option, but the smell isn’t always a favorite for people, and I prefer the odorless citric acid. Learn more about baking soda and vinegar together in this post.
Does this clean hard water stains?
Yes it does! If you want to really clean the water jets from hard water, I also recommend using our Two ingredient mold cleaner and spraying up there before using this cleaner. It really removes all types of stains from the water jets.
You can also use our homemade bathroom cleaner for cleaning toilets. Just spray the solution inside and scrub.
How Often Should This Be Used?
This solution is made to use daily or every few days. If you keep up with the cleaning, it makes it much easier. Just remember our tip above if you need something more heavy duty.
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Categories: Recipe