How to make a Homemade Toilet Cleaner Spray
This homemade toilet cleaner spray contains only 4 ingredients and completely replaces the need for chlorine bleach. It’s non-toxic and easy to make. It can also be used in other areas around the home and garden, to help remove things such as rust and algae. Unlike bleach, this cleaning spray is safe to use around the home and won’t cause any harm to you or the environment.
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The dangers of using chlorine bleach
Until a few years ago, I’m sorry to say that I used chlorine bleach on at least a weekly basis to clean my toilets. Once I learnt how harmful bleach was to the environment, I started to look for a more eco friendly alternative.
Chlorine bleach is extremely effective as a disinfectant and stain remover. However, its usage comes at a huge cost not only to our health but also to our oceans and the aquatic life that inhabits them. Using bleach around the home can lead to respiratory issues and extreme irritation if it comes into contact with our skin or eyes. Source
Bleach fumes also linger, so even if you ventilate a room whilst using bleach you will be inhaling it for hours after you’ve finished cleaning.
Before I discovered how to make my own toilet cleaner, I switched to using Ecover Toilet Bowl Cleaner. This product has a toxicity rating of ‘B’ on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website which, as far as household cleaners go, isn’t too bad a score. However, when you look at the ingredient list it contains Fragrance, Linalool, and Limonene. According to the EWG, these ingredients can cause the following:
- cancer
- skin irritation
- allergies/damage
- general systemic/organ effects
- damage to vision
- respiratory effects
- acute aquatic toxicity
I knew there was a reason why I’ve never been a fan of that artificial pine scent! So I continued to look for an alternative.
Non-toxic bleach alternative that you can make at home
I was so happy when I discovered the national treasure that is Nancy Birtwhistle. Not only is she an amazing baker (she won the Great British Bake Off in 2014), but she has a book called Clean & Green that contains 101 natural cleaning tips and ideas. Every homemaker should own a copy of this book in my opinion!
Nancy’s all-purpose cleaner and toilet cleaner recipes are the only two cleaning sprays that I now use in my home on a regular basis. They have replaced all other cleaning products that I used to buy. No more chlorine bleach, no more Mr Sheen and no more Flash bathroom.
How do you make a homemade toilet cleaner?
Ingredients:
200g citric acid
150ml just-boiled water
20ml eco friendly washing up liquid
20 drops of essential oil of your choice (I use peppermint)
Equipment:
500ml glass bottle with spray attachment
Funnel
Measuring jug
Small whisk
Method:
Pour 200g of citric acid crystals into a glass measuring jug.
Pour 150ml of just boiled water over the crystals and stir until all the crystals have dissolved. This can take some time, so you may want to pop it into the microwave or pour the mixture into a small saucepan to help speed up the process. The heat will help the crystals dissolve faster.
Once the liquid is clear and the crystals have completely dissolved, add 20ml of washing up liquid.
Then add 10-20 drops of essential oil. Use the whisk to give the ingredients a good stir.
Leave the mixture in the measuring jug and allow it to cool completely before using a funnel to pour it into the glass spray bottle.
How to use your DIY toilet cleaner
Spray a generous amount of the cleaning spray into the toilet bowl and leave it to work its magic for 10 minutes or so. Then use a toilet brush to give the toilet bowl a good scrub. Your toilet bowl should now be free of stains and sparkling clean.
Please note that this spray is only really suitable for the inside of toilet bowl. It can leave a sticky residue if it’s sprayed on other surfaces such as the toilet seat, sink or bath tub. I would recommend checking out my other post on how to make your own All-Purpose Cleaning Spray for cleaning those surfaces.
If crystals start to form on the spray nozzle, or inside of the bottle, then just run it under some warm water and it should be ready to use again. I find this spray will keep for several months at a time. Try and store it in a cool, dark place, like under the kitchen sink.
I have used this toilet cleaning spray in other areas around my home and garden. It’s great for removing mould that can build up on the padded area around our trampoline, as well as the bird bath and solar water fountain in our garden. Inside the house it can be used to remove rust marks from surfaces, but it’s probably best to try a small test patch first.
Here are some before and after shots. I left it longer than I normally would before cleaning, to try and show the effectiveness of the spray. So apologies for the slightly nasty before shot!
Benefits of Citric Acid
The main ingredient in this toilet cleaning spray is Citric Acid. Citric Acid is an organic compound naturally found in citrus fruits. It is a natural, sustainable and safe ingredient to use around the home. It is also used in food and drink products as a preservative.
Citric Acid can be used on its own to de-scale your kettle or make your own dishwasher tablets or bath bombs.
I buy my boxes of Citric Acid online from Peace With The Wild. A 250g box cost me £2.50 plus postage, so make sure you’re not over paying when you come to purchase yours. I might try another brand I found on Amazon next time, as this seems to be slightly better value for money.
Let me know in the comments below how you get on using this homemade toilet cleaner! I’d love to know.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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