Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner – 2 Natural Recipes

Easy homemade toilet bowl cleaner is a natural and effective way to clean toilets in two different ways. This natural toilet cleaner costs only pennies to make and you can feel good about the products you are using in your home. 

homemade toilet bowl cleaner in a glass dish with a copper spoon on a white plate

Toilets are gross! Can I hear an amen? 

And I really hate cleaning them! 

You know what makes them extra gross… boys. I have 4 of them now and two are not even peeing in the potty yet. I’m mentally preparing myself. 

My husband is like the cleanest man in the world, next to my dad, and somehow it is still gross. 

Extra tip for the day: When you are trying to figure out what chores work best for kids, have the boys be in charge of cleaning toilets. Not only are they helping out around the house, but it just may make them be more conscious of their bathroom use. Maybe just maybe they will be more tidy. Just saying.

But it has to be done and I don’t want to use toxic cleaners! What is one to do? Create a natural and effective homemade toilet cleaner of course.

I’ve been using this recipe for years and have finally had the chance to share and update it.  I really wish I could or would have calculated how much money we have saved over the last 13 years by creating our own cleaning products. 

That doesn’t even count all the toxic chemicals we have avoided over the years. 

​I’m pretty sure just about everyone is looking for ways to save money these days.

But seriously,  the savings has probably been in the thousands of dollars. With just a handful of natural ingredients we can clean the house top to bottom.

I love making my own natural cleaners. From our natural all-purpose spray to this simple three ingredient window cleaner, you can do so much with basically the same ingredients.

natural homemade toilet cleaner in a glass dish on a white plate with herbs

Why should you make your own toilet bowl cleaner?

  • Healthier option – natural alternatives that don’t contain any synthetic, toxic ingredients, or harsh chemicals… sign me up.
  • Better for the environment. Conventional chemical cleaners are full of harmful chemicals, toxic fumes, and fragrances that are not only unhealthy for you, but also the environment. Every time you use one of these chemicals you are flushing the toxic chemicals down the toilet to pollute the environment and our water systems. Whereas, this recipe is made from natural and simple ingredients.
  • It’s Cheap! DIY toilet bowl cleaner costs pennies to make. Great way to save some money.
  • It’s simple. Cheap, easy, and healthy is basically my motto in life. It would take you longer to walk down the aisle of the grocery store to find store-bought cleaners than the minimal effort it will take to make this recipe.
  • Works: you want a clean toilet? This recipe works great. Whether it be for regular cleaning or for more deep cleanings.

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Tips For Making And Using This Recipe:

  • Allow the baking soda and vinegar mixture to sit for a few minutes before scrubbing for extra deodorizing power.
  • Add pure essential oils to help disinfect, remove odors, and make it smell prettier. Citrus oils like lemon are great for removing gunk. Tea tree oil or a specific germ destroying oil is great for disinfecting. 
  • The brush can make a big difference. Make sure to get a nice toilet brush that scrubs well.
  • You can also make a liquid version following my recipe below.
  • Use this along with my DIY all-purpose cleaner to get the whole bathroom sparkly.
  • For the biggest bang for your buck get your baking soda at like Costco or Sam’s Club.
  • If making the liquid version and using castile soap, don’t use vinegar but rather use hydrogen peroxide. Vinegar and castile soap don’t mix.
overhead photo of two glasses with cleaning ingredients on a marble countertop with a blue an white stripped towel to the left

Ingredients you will need:

Baking soda

White vinegar or hydrogen peroxide: If you are using castile soap you will want to choose hydrogen peroxide. This is because if you mix vinegar with castile soap a chemical reaction occurs and basically neutralizes it. making it ineffective.

Dish soap

Essential oils (optional): Lemon, tea tree, clove, lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary are great options. Or use a premixed blend.

Water: preferably  distilled or water that has been boiled and cooled to kill any bacteria.

Love homemade cleaners? Try some of our favorites recipes..

toilet bowl cleaner in a small glass jar and a bottle of vinegar in a tall glass bottle on a white countertop with fresh herbs

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate)

1/4 cup or more of white vinegar

Few drops essential oils (optional)

Directions: Sprinkle baking soda around the bottom of the toilet bowl and on the really dirty spots. Pour in vinegar and leave for a few minutes.

Scrub with your toilet brush and flush.

Liquid DIY Toilet Cleaner Recipe

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup natural dish soap – I like Ecos brand
  • 2 tbs distilled water
  • 20 or more drops of essential oils: I love using lemon to help remove gunk and mineral buildup.

Directions: Mix together baking soda, natural dish soap, distilled water and essential oil. Store extra cleaner in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid.

To use: Place in a squirt bottle and squirt into the toilet. Add hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then scrub.

Tip: If making the liquid version and using castile soap, don’t use vinegar but rather use hydrogen peroxide. Vinegar and castile soap don’t mix.

overhead photo of two glass containers of toilet cleaner on a marble countertop with a blue and whit stripped towel in the back corner

FAQ:

What cleans a badly stained toilet bowl?

For hard water stains, add baking soda and vinegar to the inside of the toilet bowl and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or more. Scrub away stains.

How long can you leave vinegar and baking soda in the toilet bowl?

Add the vinegar and baking soda to the toilet and allow it to sit for 30 minutes or even overnight.

How do you deodorize a toilet naturally?

Baking soda is an amazing deodorizer. Simply spring baking soda into the toilet bowl and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. 
Spray with all-purpose cleaner on the outside and on the inside of the toilet. Scrub the toilet bowl with a brush and wipe down the rest of the toilet with a paper towel or reusable cloth. 
Make sure to clean the inside underneath the rim of the bowl.

If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back and giving it 5 stars. Please and thank you!

natural homemade toilet cleaner in a glass dish on a white plate with herbs

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Natural toilet bowl cleaner is a safe, effective, and cheap way to clean your toilets.
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Author: Amy
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup natural dish soap or more
  • 2 tbs distilled water
  • 20 drops essential oils
  • 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar add when cleaning toilet.

Instructions

  • Mix together baking soda, natural dish soap, essential oils and water.  Place in squirt bottle.

To Use:

  • Squirt homemade toilet cleaner into the toilet. Add hydrogen peroxide or vinegar (don't use vinegar if using castile soap). Wait a few minutes and then scrub with a toilet brush.

Notes

If you use castile soap don’t use vinegar when cleaning. They don’t mix.
Keyword: diy toilet cleaner, homemade toilet cleaner
Tried this recipe?Mention @ablossominglife or tag #ablossominglife!

Like always, easy as pie! Would I do anything more? 🙂

19 Comments

  1. I was just thinking to myself, “How can I use baking soda to clean the toilet?” when I was scrubbing it today. Thank goodness you came to my rescue!! Thanks a bunch for this. Off to pin it!

  2. Hello Amy,
    Thanks for sharing this green cleaning tip. Sometimes I use just sprinkle a bit of borax in our toilets then clean with brush. Wha La Done.
    Smiles, Paula

  3. Thank you! At our house, I clean the “big bathroom” and my youngest son cleans the “water closet”. Even though I was buying the “green” toilet cleaner I thought there would be a better option but haven’t gotten around to trying any out. I will be doing this tonight for sure.
    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Thanks so much for the tip. I get so tired of cleaning with harsh smelling chemical filled cleaners. I will definitely be doing this from now on.

  5. Thanks for sharing this green cleaning tip. Sometimes I use just sprinkle a bit of borax in our toilets then clean with brush. Wha La Done.

  6. If your toilet bowl is a bit more than dirty, you can pour in about 1/2 cup of baking soda and add 1 cup of HOT white vinegar (I haven’t tried it with apple cider vinegar, but I guess it must work just as well). It will foam for a while. Let sit for about half an hour and scrub. Removes stains really well.

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