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One of the many questions from readers over the years is what I recommend for a DIY toilet bowl cleaner?
I’ve always used my homemade bathroom cleaner to clean toilets which is still a great option, but it is also nice to have something specific for your toilets.
Most versions you read online for homemade toilet cleaner involve baking soda or vinegar, or they even combine them.
A better option is citric acid!
Citric acid is a key ingredient in this cleaner along with good quality, concentrated dish soap.
Here is how you make it.
DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of concentrated dish soap (I always use Dawn because it performs best)***
- 2 tablespoons citric acid
- 1 cup of water
- 15-30 drops of purify essential oil
- Squeeze Bottle
- Toilet Bowl Brush
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add to a squeeze bottle using a funnel.
- Shake the bottle gently before each use to distribute the ingredients.
How To Use This DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
You will use this just like a store-bought version. After gently shaking, lightly squeeze a layer at the top of the toilet bowl. Scrub with a toilet brush well.
The Science Behind DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner With Citric Acid
Each ingredient has a specific purpose in this recipe. Even the water! I have tried many different ingredient combinations, but this one has been my favorite for basic cleaning.
Citric Acid
Many recipes you read online use baking soda. Baking soda is awesome, and I love it for so many things, but I have found that citric acid is even better for a few reasons. First, it is acidic, so it has similar properties to vinegar. It is great for hard water stains! Like baking soda, it is also fantastic for odor absorption. Citric acid also combats bacteria, mold, and mildew by lowering the pH levels and allowing cell penetration.
Dawn Dish Soap
Once again, dawn appears in this recipe! I like it for dozens of reasons. When it comes to cleaning a toilet, you will notice that Dawn is thicker, so it coats the surface better. It also has the ability to scrub stains and hard water better than other soaps I have used. You want to have a thick liquid for cleaning a toilet to mimic the store-bought toilet cleaners you use. I have personally used Castile soap for this, and it did not do as good of a job at scrubbing stains. You are welcome to use Castile soap or a more “natural” variety of a liquid soap, but results will not be the same. Just keep that in mind.
Water
Water is another important component. It helps all these ingredients to combine well, but also makes sure there isn’t too many soap suds. Water is a natural surfactant, so it makes a good ingredient in DIY cleaning products. Read more about how water works in cleaners in our Fall all-purpose cleaner post.
Purify Essential Oil
I love using the purify oil in this recipe because it combines several amazing oils together and smells so good. It absorbs odors well too. If you have a peppermint oil or tea tree oil you can use that too.
How Long Does This Homemade Toilet Cleaner Last?
It will last several weeks to several months. We make all of our DIY solutions in small batches on purpose to avoid it going bad or losing potency. You will use this up before it goes bad 🙂
Why is There Not Baking Soda and Vinegar Together in this Toilet Cleaner?
I love baking soda, and I love vinegar. Combining the two together is not always a good idea. When we combined them in this recipe for our homemade carpet cleaner, the key to it working was the reaction and carbon dioxide bubbles that form when they combine releasing stains and dirt on the carpet fibers. When you combine the two in the toilet, it will react the same way, but it doesn’t do much more than that. Using just baking soda is an okay option, but like I mentioned above, the citric acid is better. Vinegar is another acidic option, but the smell isn’t always a favorite for people, and I prefer the odorless citric acid. Learn more about baking soda and vinegar together in this post.
Does this clean hard water stains?
Yes it does! If you want to really clean the water jets from hard water, I also recommend using our Two ingredient mold cleaner and spraying up there before using this cleaner. It really removes all types of stains from the water jets.
You can also use our homemade bathroom cleaner for cleaning toilets. Just spray the solution inside and scrub.
How Often Should This Be Used?
This solution is made to use daily or every few days. If you keep up with the cleaning, it makes it much easier. Just remember our tip above if you need something more heavy duty.
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Alexis is an investigative chemist sharing her expertise in cleaning, skincare, gardening, and home hacks. She personally tests out products like the best skincare products or home products then shares not only the science behind how it works, but also her personal results. She is the mom of two living in Texas with her husband. Find her on Instagram for fantastic videos, tips, and behind the scenes.
Is this toliet bowl cleaner safe for septic tanks?
Yes, it is more gentle than store-bought toilet bowl cleaners
THANK YOU
I’m deathly allergic to olive oil. Castile soap has olive oil in it. Can you suggest anything else to use when a recipe calls for olive oil or Castile soap to be used??? I can go to the hospital with as little as 1/8 tsp in anything I touch or eat.
Thank you for your help.
To be honest, I do not like castile soap for cleaning. It doesn’t perform very well in any DIY cleaners due to the composition of it. I use Dawn in all my recipes because of the performance, but you can also try seventh generation or a similar plant based brand (many do use olive oil, so you can to double check the label). It won’t be as good, but many readers use it and like it 🙂
Alexis, Thank you for this recipe!
Can lemon juice be used in place of the citric acid?
It doesn’t store as well in this recipe using lemon juice. You will also need a lot more to get the same acidity as the citric acid. We do use lemon juice in our hard water stain remover DIY since it just makes one dose. It works great in that!
Could you replace the water with Hydrogen Peroxide to help sanitize and bleach out stains?
No, I would not add in peroxide to this particular recipe. The citric acid works similar to vinegar, just a little strong and it will work on hard water stains and build up. As far as sanitizing, you can follow up or use our DIY lysol spray which is peroxide based. I would use it separate since peroxide needs to be stored in a dark bottle and doesn’t need to be stirred around much 🙂
Hello I live in the uk we don’t have dawn dish soap here. Would you happen to know the composition needed in dish soap I could replicate here in the uk.
We have fairy liquid which is a very concentrated dish soap would that work?
You can substitute any concentrated dish soap 🙂
I believe I already purchased your e book but I cannot find it on my laptop…can you check I hate to pay for it twice…
Hi! I Just checked and yes you did! You purchased it in August 2022. Let me know if you need another link sent
Yes I do need the link pls…also I have bamboo growing in my yard & need to stop it getting larger…any suggestions….
I just sent you a new download link to your email for the eBook. Here are some tips on downloading the PDF files. Bamboo is one of the toughest to get rid of. The root system is so massive, it doesn’t respond well to any type of sprays or poisons. It is recommended to pull it up by the root.
Where can I find the squeeze bottles you use for the toilet cleaner? Thank You
Under the ingredient list, click “squeeze bottle” and it will take you to the link I purchased it from on Amazon 🙂
Thanks Alexis
Its made of Polypropylene. Just want to inquire about the contents remaining in the bottle over time and that it won’t cause any reaction or breakdown .
This is a small batch homemade cleaner, it won’t stay in the bottle long enough to cause issues. This is why we create homemade cleaners in small batches, it ensures you use the mixture up after a few uses 🙂
Wonderful! Do you have a cleaner that removes urine stains underneath the toilet seat?
Thank you.
Here are our toilet cleaning hacks and it includes what I use around the toilet lid and the outside of the toilet. The DIY Lysol spray is a good choice or the Force of Nature. I also recently started using a handheld steamer for cleaning the toilet and it works really well too! This is the product I shared on IG last month that also cleans the microwave, washing machine, oven, and toilets.
I would think combining Castile soap with an acid (citric acid) would result in it separating, since Castile soap is very alkaline. I like making a scouring paste from it and baking soda (two bases) but in this recipe, better to stick with acidic dish detergent.
We recommend regular concentrated dish soap for this recipe and all other DIY recipes for best results. Castile soap can be used, but it won’t give the best results
Please m
l purchased your book but I can’t find it on my iPhone. Could you possibly find it and tell me how to recover it. I will appreciate your effort very much.
I will send you a new link now. It will be in your email, just download it and save to your device. Here are some tips on downloading and making sure to save it.
Can you sub vinegar for the citric acid, if you don’t mind the smell?
Yes you can! Although, it works better for me with citric acid since you don’t need as much. To sub vinegar, you will need to add about 1/4 cup of so