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Simple Toilet Bowl Cleaner

March 4, 2015 By Lisa Sharp 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here for full disclosure and privacy policy.

Want an easy and effective way to clean your toilet? This super simple towel bowl cleaner uses only two ingredients to disinfect and clean.

White ceramics toilet

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 Towel 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.

flowers

Did you know you shouldn’t clean with vinegar and baking soda at the same time? I’d also love to know, how do you clean your toilet?

Be sure to check back each week for more tips for your spring cleaning. And don’t forget to print the free spring cleaning planner printable. 

 

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Filed Under: Cleaning, Crafting

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. green Bean

    March 5, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    Wow! This is such an easy and inexpensive idea for cleaning toilets!

    Reply
  2. Farrah

    March 5, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    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! 😛

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp

      March 5, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      Yeah, that volcano reaction is great for science class and clearing clogged drains but not so much for cleaning. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sara

    March 5, 2015 at 2:05 pm

    This is such an easy way to clean toilets with items I already have. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp

      March 6, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Cheap and easy is so often the best. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Carissa Bonham

    March 5, 2015 at 3:14 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp

      March 6, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      Hope this one works for you! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sommer

    March 5, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    Great recipe! I have used this for years and you’re right, it works!!

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp

      March 6, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      Isn’t it great to have something so easy that works?!

      Reply
  6. Joanna

    April 17, 2017 at 4:04 am

    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.

    Reply
  7. Courtney

    September 14, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    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.

    Reply
  8. Dale

    July 21, 2020 at 10:05 pm

    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.

    Reply

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Welcome to my blog! My name is Lisa and I'm the Retro Housewife trying to live a greener life. I share my love of all things vintage, homemaking and green living here on the blog. To read more, click here.

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