Looking for the best toilet bowl cleaner? Find the best natural toilet bowl cleaners plus a great homemade toilet bowl option. There is something for everyone on this list.
Many of us are now looking for more natural ways to clean to avoid harsher chemicals that can be harmful, especially to children or pets. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice cleaning power to avoid the harsh chemicals.
I’ve tried many toilet bowl cleaners over the years and want to share some of the best toilet bowl cleaners I’ve found and some others that have good reviews. I have some allergies so I can’t try all of them but I did the searching for good reviews for you. I’ll also share the homemade toilet bowl cleaner I have used off and on in case you want a very frugal option.
If you have natural toilet bowl cleaners to add to this list be sure to leave a comment.
The Best Toilet Bowl Cleaners
If you are looking for a new toilet bowl cleaner be sure to try one of these great options. There are ones with nice scents, fragrance free options, and even plastic-free toilet bowl cleaners! You are sure to find a good option for your home.
I also want to quickly note that my favorite toilet bowl brush is the toilet bowl brush from Grove Collaborative. It looks nice and the head is replaceable so there is less waste when it needs to be replaced. It also has a stone disc you put in the bottom of the holder that absorbs excess water while resisting mold and bacteria. It’s also replaceable. It also has 4.6 stars on Grove’s website.
Method Antibac Toilet Cleaner
This is the toilet bowl cleaner I use and it has 4.5 stars on Grove Collaborative.
Mrs. Meyers Toilet Cleaner
I've not personally used this product but I have used and love other Mrs. Meyers products. It has 4.3 stars on Grove Ccollaborative.
Better Life Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
I have used this toilet bowl cleaner a few times and it works well. It also has 4.5 stars on Amazon.
Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner
I've not used this toilet bowl cleaner but I use many Seventh Generation products in my home and love them. This product has 4.5 stars on Amazon as well.
Ecover Toilet Bowl Cleaner
This cleaner has an ingredient I'm allergic to so I've not tried it but I've liked other products by them. This one has 4.5 stars on Amazon.
BLUELAND Toilet Bowl Cleaner
This is a really cool plastic-free toilet bowl cleaner. I haven't tried it because again there is an ingredient I'm allergic to but I've heard great things about their products. It has 4.2 stars on Amazon.
Lazy Coconuts Toilet Bowl Cleaner Strips
This is another plastic-free toilet bowl cleaner. I haven't tried them yet but they have 4.4 stars on Amazon and look really interesting.
365 by Whole Foods Market, Toilet Bowl Cleaner
This is a great toilet bowl cleaner and it's very budget friendly. You can get it at Whole Foods or on Amazon. On Amazon it has 4.4 stars.
Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner
You have likely seen many people suggest a toilet bowl cleaner made with baking soda and vinegar. While these are two great cleaners this is the wrong way to use them. Learning why they react will help explain why they shouldn’t be used together.
They react because baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid dissolved in water. When you mix an acid and a base in a solvent, which in this case is the water, usually the acid transfers hydrogen to the base to form a new compound. In this case, the new compound is called carbonic acid, which then decomposes to water and carbon dioxide gas. – source
So when you clean with baking soda and vinegar, you are basically cleaning with nothing. This reaction does work well for clearing clogged drains though!
Simple Toilet Bowl Cleaner
A better way to use these two ingredients is one at a time. Here is a simple toilet bowl cleaner, it’s so simple it’s only one ingredient.
- Spray the inside and outside of the toilet with white vinegar.
- Let sit for about 10-15 minutes. This is a good time to clean other parts of the bathroom.
- Wipe down the outside of the toilet with a clean rag, start with the cleanest parts and work to the dirtiest.
- Scrub the inside of the bowl with a toilet brush.
For an even deeper clean, flush the toilet and sprinkle baking soda inside the bowl. And then scrub again. Baking soda will help scrub off tough stains.
The easiest way to keep the toilet clean is a quick wipe down every day. This should prevent the need for deep cleaning.
green Bean says
Wow! This is such an easy and inexpensive idea for cleaning toilets!
Farrah says
Love this idea (hooray for not breakin’ the bank!)! I knew about the no-vinegar-plus-baking-soda thing only because we used that combination to make ‘volcanoes” back in elementary school! 😛
Lisa Sharp says
Yeah, that volcano reaction is great for science class and clearing clogged drains but not so much for cleaning. 🙂
Sara says
This is such an easy way to clean toilets with items I already have. Thanks for posting!
Lisa Sharp says
Cheap and easy is so often the best. 🙂
Carissa Bonham says
I personally tend to use baking soda OR vinegar for any given cleaning task – but you’re right. I think a lot of people think you are supposed to mix them!
I’m still looking for a green toilet cleaner that I love so I’ll have to try your baking soda trick.
Lisa Sharp says
Hope this one works for you! 🙂
Sommer says
Great recipe! I have used this for years and you’re right, it works!!
Lisa Sharp says
Isn’t it great to have something so easy that works?!
Dianne Klinski says
I’ve found some “recipes” online using baking soda and essential oils to make a type of fizzy to drop into the toilet to clean.
Lisa Sharp says
There are some here on the site- https://retrohousewifegoesgreen.com/toilet-cleaner-tabs/
Joanna says
I use bleach in the toilet. I pour some in before I leave the house and put down the lid so the fumes stay inside.
Then I let it soak while I am away, and scrub and flush when I get home.
I like this because it works really well and I am not exposed to too much bleach.
Courtney says
But if you need to a quick degreaser… The volcano effect really does loosen it up pretty well. I had a sliding door that was rarely used and when I tried to open it, there was crazy grease buildup. I tried the volcano effect and it loosened everything up and a shop vac sucked it all up.
Dale says
Thank You! I have been scouring (pun intented) the web for an hour, and all the suggestions seemed complicated, time consuming, fearmongering, silly… you name it. Vinegar and baking soda at the same time? All it will do is fizz up and make salt water. Awful chemicals polluting my home? I’m not going to be drinking them or spraying them in my eyes! Essential oils as disenfectants? I doubt a drop or two will do the job, and they’re expensive.
I’m not opposed to using bleach, but I do like the vinegar idea. It cleans, disenfects and prevents mineral buildup. It’s quick and easy to use and is relatively inexpensive. Maybe hit it once in a while with baking soda.
And regarding cleaners being earth friendly, if you want to have a significant impact on pollution, buy a smaller house and stop driving your car for short distances. Walk, cycle or take the bus.
Dianne Klinski says
But Dale, you can still breathe those chemicals in. And essential oils are only supposed to be use by the drop. When our boys were milking cows, I would put 4 drops of essential lemon oil into the wash and that really took the “stank” out of those chore clothes. I would soak them in the utility sink, scrub them up on the board to get the, well, you know, off, then put them in the washer. It really did the trick. I wish I had had the Norwex soap that I use now, that would have helped disinfect them too.
I use vinegar in my wash machine, in the bleach dispenser and also the fabric softener dispenser. It not only helps to clean but it also sets the colors.
I would love to get all my stuff done in town by walking but here in MT, that’s not always an option, there really are no short distances here LOL
Lisa Sharp says
Essential oils don’t work as disinfectants in small amounts, some have disinfecting properties and I sometimes add them to alcohol to for disinfecting but the alcohol does most of the work and is an approved disinfectant.
There is a lot of fear used when it comes to cleaners. They do come with risks and one of the biggest is they impact air quality. I do use bleach from time to time when nothing else will work. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
I don’t know of any Norwex products that are approved disinfectants.
Dianne Klinski says
I’ve been very happy using Norwex products. They are anti-bacterial and mix with water. To clean mirrors or windows, just spray with water and use the towel for windows, then follow up with the polishing cloth. My bathroom fixtures and mirrors sparkle! I also use their laundry soap. I can do a large load of jeans with one scoop, about 2T and they come out clean without that perfume-y smell.
Lisa Sharp says
Their bathroom cleaner doesn’t appear to have anything anti-bacterial in it from what I can see. Of course if you like the products keep using them, the most important thing is finding things you like and work for your family.