14 Eco-Friendly Ways To Clean A Toilet? Simply Amazing

Eco-Friendly Toilet Cleaning Products

There are many natural cleaning products that you can use to clean the toilet. Plus, there are many more possible combinations of them.

However, elbow grease will always be required, and some combinations will be more effective than others depending on the circumstances.

The key here is not to try one combination and then give up but to try and find the right combination that works for you.

That being said, I have listed below the most common ingredients and tools used to clean a toilet.

Ingredients:

• Lemon/Lime or another citrus fruit
• Baking soda
• Distilled white vinegar with 5% acidity  
• White cleaning vinegar 6% – 45% acidity! 
• Borax
• Hydrogen peroxide,  do not mix with vinegar 
• Castile soap
• Kosher salt
• Eucalyptus oil 
• Commercial – natural/vegan/ organic shop-bought cleaner
• Essential oils – preferably acidic based 

Tools:

• Cloth/organic paper towels
• Toilet brush + holder
• Bottle with sieve top, eg mason jar with holes in the lid 

• Reusable Unpaper Towels Washable
• Bamboo Nature Friendly
• Organic Cotton
• Thick, Strong, Paperless –
• Reusable Napkins
• 10 Pack

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3. How To Clean A Toilet Using Vinegar ( Outer Toilet Areas )

The simplest eco-friendly way to clean and sanitize the outer toilet area is to spray the entire toilet with white vinegar.

You don’t need to let it sit for long before wiping it down with a clean non-microfibre cloth.

Vinegar is an effective germ killer on non-porous surfaces but is not as strong as some commercial cleaners. 

Check out my article: Can vinegar kill germs 

However, by adding other ingredients to vinegar you can increase its effectiveness as a germ-killing agent.

This increased potency can be achieved by simply adding lemon juice, kosher salt, or even citric acid-based essential oils.

Dad’s Tip: Neat vinegar is more effective when it is applied warmly and is especially good at lifting hard water stains.

4. How To Clean A Toilet Using Mostly Vinegar ( Inner Bowl Area )

To clean the bowl below the waterline simply turn off the water supply and flush the toilet.

Next, mix half to one cup of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda.

This will produce a fizzing reaction between the two as vinegar is an acid and baking soda is a base.

Pour this mixture around and into the bowl and let it sit for a short while.

The resulting mixture is just weak carbonic salty water and has few cleaning qualities.

However, the agitation aspect of the fizzy reaction in itself can be useful in physically breaking down stains and dirt.

Next, spray vinegar up under the rim of the toilet bowl and onto a toilet brush, then scrub vigorously.

Once all this is done, leave it for an hour then turn the water supply back on, flush, and leave.

If you don’t have baking soda available then neat vinegar on its own will work.

However, as vinegar is not an abrasive substance, substantial extra elbow grease and time may be required.

Dad’s Tip: The same effect can be achieved with a cheap bottle of coke or lemonade as they are also slightly acidic carbonated water. 

5. How To Clean A Toilet Using Castile Soap

Castile soap is great for penetrating and removing those nasty organic stains we don’t like to talk about.

Simply squirt some castile soap onto the stain and around the bowl and let it sit for a while.

Follow this by scrubbing the bowl clean with a toilet brush and flushing the gunk away.

Dad’s tip: To quickly clean the toilet brush, hold the brush in the flowing water for a couple of flushes.

Then, for instant hygiene, spray the brush with vinegar before placing it into its holder.

Once a week, sprinkle baking soda into the bowl and use the toilet brush to scrub.

The baking soda acts as a mild abrasive and will clean and whiten the bowl without scratching the porcelain.

For stubborn stains try leaving the baking soda to work overnight and then scrubbing in the morning.

Dad’s Tip: Baking soda will often leave behind a film of white residue. This can be eliminated with a quick spray of vinegar and a wipe of a cloth.

Baking soda is one of the most effective cleaning ingredients available and has many uses in the bathroom.

It is also known as bicarbonate of soda, pearlash, or saleratus and was even used by the Ancient Egyptians.

Dad’s Tip: To remove unwanted odors simply peel back the lid from a box of baking soda then place it in the bathroom.

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and will remain effective for many weeks.

7. How To Clean A Toilet Using Baking Soda To Clean The Toilet Cistern

Once a month sprinkle a quarter of a cup of baking soda into the cistern and leave overnight.

Flush the mixture in the morning and this will keep everything smelling fresh and the pipework clear.

This method to clean the toilet is more eco-friendly than using outrageously chemical-laden toilet blocks.

These blocks are also notorious for producing a thick slime that will clog the cistern over time.

Also, the heavy bleach concentration in the block can seriously damage the rubber flapper in the cistern.

Once this is damaged, the toilet will begin to run constantly and the whole unit may need to be replaced.

8. How To Clean A Toilet Using Vinegar To Clean The Toilet Cistern

Once a month turn off the water supply and flush the toilet to drain the cistern.

Next, spray a neat cleaning vinegar solution all around the insides of the tank.

Leave this solution to work for a couple of hours or overnight.

Next, scrub the inner tank with an abrasive brush (bamboo ) or similar item then turn the water supply back on.

Flush the system twice in order to clear the gunk from the system and leave.

Dad’s tip: Try alternating the vinegar and baking soda methods each month.

This will combine the odor and mold-killing properties of baking soda with the sanitizing properties of vinegar.

9. How To Clean A Toilet Using Hydrogen Peroxide

Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are both effective disinfectants but they should never be mixed together.

This is because combining vinegar and hydrogen peroxide will produce peracetic acid which is highly corrosive and a gaseous irritant.

However, hydrogen peroxide IS an effective disinfectant that can be used as an alternative to vinegar in most instances.

Dad’s Tip: Never mix vinegar and bleach together as this produces chlorine gas.

Chlorine gas produces a greenish-yellow cloud that smells of bleach and was used effectively in WW1 to kill enemy troops. 

• Amazon Commercial Multi-Purpose Peroxide Cleaner, Concentrate, 1-Gallon, 1-Pack

• Made up of 5% Hydrogen Peroxide content

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11. How To Clean A Toilet Using Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable but contains compounds that are very effective natural disinfectants and pest deterrents.

This makes eucalyptus oil a very popular and widely used natural cleaner ingredient in Australia.

To make a general disinfectant for toilets, as an alternative to vinegar, simply make the following recipe.

Mix 50 ml (1.6 oz) of eucalyptus oil with a liter (quart) of water. That’s all there is to it. Store the mixture as you would a normal disinfectant but keep it away from sunlight.

Eucalyptus oil can be used neat but I would recommend gloves as it is a very toxic essential oil and is very dangerous to pets. 

Amazon sells eucalyptus oil in 16 oz bottles for approximately $23.00 

12. How To Clean A Toilet Using A Fresh Lemon

Lemons are high in citric acid and make very effective cleaners when combined with other ingredients.

Try cutting a lemon in half and dipping it in baking soda to clean chrome and then wipe clean with a damp cloth.

To clean a toilet, cut a lemon in half, then wipe the lemon around the toilet.

Sprinkle kosher salt or baking soda over the lemon so that it acts like a scourer for any stubborn stains or bits of dirt. 

Finally, use a non-microfiber damp cloth to wipe away any residue and buff it to a shine.

Dad’s tip: Limes are also high in citric acid so if you prefer the fresh smell of limes then choose these instead. 

Alternatively, to save time, choose a grapefruit for those larger areas. 

Here are just a few of the chemicals that can be found listed in the ingredients of toilet cleaning products.

• Formaldehyde – is a carcinogenic shown to cause mutations in animals.
• Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether – volatile organic compounds harmful to aquatic organisms.
• Chlorinated phenols – respiratory and circulatory toxins.
• Sodium dichloroisocyanurate – very toxic to aquatic organisms – may cause long-term damage to the environment.
• Triclosan – a cumulative toxin, primarily used for antibacterial purposes, but can also damage plant, animal, and aquatic life.

In addition to the toxic chemical consideration, there is also a packaging problem.

Many of these products are packaged in plastic or non-recyclable packaging which are dumped into a landfill.

This packaging may take thousands of years to break down and will leach dangerous chemicals, thus damaging the environment.

So please do your bit.

Learn to use nature’s natural cleaners and keep the world alive through love and caring.