How to make DIY toilet bowl cleaner | Zero waste tutorial
One of the nice things about volunteering at a local environmental organisation is that I learn new tricks all the time, like this recipe for zero waste toilet bowl cleaner. I’d been looking for a replacement for store-bought, bleach-laden toilet cleaning products, but was worried that a homemade recipe wouldn’t allow for a thorough enough cleaning.
This recipe for toilet bowl bombs, which was shared by a fellow volunteer, works like a charm. This recipe and my homemade vinegar spray (with or without citrus) are all I need for routine bathroom cleaning, and completely eliminate all odours and traces of dirt. I just spray the toilet with the vinegar spray, wipe it off and then clean the bowl with the toilet bowl bombs.
In terms of price, I’ve found this recipe to be more expensive than straight-up bleach and about the same or slightly more expensive than scented toilet cleaning fluid, depending on the product. That said, a lot depends on the prices in your area. Compare prices based on what’s available, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
By the way, many supermarkets only sell food-grade citric acid in small quantities. You should be looking instead for citric acid made for cleaning purposes, which is cheaper, and might have better luck at local DIY stores, zero waste shops or health food stores.
Why make your own toilet cleaner?
Conventional toilet bowl cleaning fluid like bleach is highly corrosive and also releases toxic fumes which pollute the air in your home. You’ll have experienced this first hand if you’ve ever felt light-headed while deep-cleaning the bathroom. Making your product with non-toxic ingredients helps to cut down on air pollution in your home, as well as water pollution when the product gets flushed down the toilet
This recipe only uses two ingredients: citric acid and baking soda. If you have access to a zero waste grocery store or drugstore, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to buy both packaging-free or in reusable containers. Otherwise, you can usually find them on sale in recyclable and compostable cardboard boxes.
By contrast, conventional toilet cleaner tends to be sold in plastic bottles which, if it goes to landfill, remains on earth for thousands of years. If it’s incinerated, CO2 and toxic gases are released into the air in the process. More areas now offer recycling of plastic bottles, but this is an imperfect solution as plastic can only be down-cycled a limited number of times before being discarded.
These toilet bowl bombs can be made in bulk. I’ve made about a year’s worth and am slowly working my way through the supply.
Homemade toilet cleaner tutorial
Ingredients:
– 1 portions powdered citric acid
– 2 portions baking soda
– Water
– Ice cube tray
Note: Citric acid is safe to use for cleaning and is even found in many food, drinks and bath and body products, but it can cause skin irritation in some people, so use a spoon when handling.
Step 1
Add 1 portion of citric acid and 2 portions of baking soda to a bowl and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
If you’re too lazy to continue on to the next steps or just want to try out the recipe for size, you can even empty the mixture directly into your toilet bowl and start cleaning now. But if you want to make a larger supply of toilet bowl bombs, read on.
Step 2
Add a small amount of water to the mixture so it becomes a bit more paste-like. For a soup bowlful of mixture, you only need about 1 tablespoon. Start with a few drops first and then very gradually increase the amount of water as you mix. The mixture will start fizzing and bubbling the moment it gets wet.
Step 3
Once your mixture has the consistency of slightly damp sand, empty it into the ice tray, using a fork to pack the powder into the cells. If you added too much water previously, the mixture will start foaming and might spill out of the cells, but don’t worry about that as it will eventually harden.
Step 4
Let the mixture sit for about 12 hours.
Step 5
When the mixture is dry, pop the toilet bowl bombs out of the ice cube tray and store them safely in a container. I would recommend clearly labelling the container to avoid accidents.
How to use:
1. Drop 1 toilet bowl bomb into your toilet bowl.
2. Wait 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Scrub away!
4. Flush.