It may seem a bit of a stretch to include the subject of Toilet Cleaner in a discussion of the bathroom in a home.

But, I think we all agree that keeping the toilet clean is an essential ingredient in having our desired bathroom.  It is a subject that is all too often just taken for granted and not examined for the possibilities that exist in real life.

We can begin by putting to one side the things that are on the market that make a toilet smell clean or as often suggested, fresh.

Bleach

Bleach is bought by and used in 80% of households.  It is usually chlorine-based (sodium hypochlorite).  Chlorine creates hazardous compounds in the environment such as furans, dioxins and other toxicants.

It is a good thing to keep the toilet and surrounds reasonably clean but it doesn’t have to be 100% sterile.

Highly Perfumed Products

Some of the highly perfumed products contain compounds which are actually contaminants of sewage sludge.  They can also be toxic to respiratory and circulatory systems.

What the law requires in the way of labelling does not include whether the surfactants are from mineral or vegetable sources.

Now rather than expounding on all the negative aspects of the usual supermarket choices of Toilet Cleaner, I suggest that we look at alternatives and make informed decisions about how we want to approach this whole important matter of keeping the toilet clean.

Your Own Recipe

There are many suggestions around for making up your own recipe for a Toilet Cleaner.  Usually they involve using combinations of things like bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax and essential oil.

Urine itself is relatively odourless, but bacteria causes ammonia compounds which smell.  This can be washed away quite easily.

Spraying from your spray bottle with water containing about 10 drops of tea-tree oil can help it smell nice and aid in general cleaning.

You sprinkle bicarb into the bowl then spray with white vinegar and rub hard with a toilet brush.

If you have stubborn stains, wet the sides, sprinkle a cup of borax around, spray with vinegar and leave for several hours or overnight and then scrub.

Toilet rings need a paste of borax and lemon juice applied for a couple of hours before scrubbing.  Limescale treatment is applying flour and hot vinegar overnight and then a wire brush accompanied by a few flushes the next morning.

Conclusion

You see now that your Toilet Cleaner is an essential bathroom ingredient which needs some careful thought and application.