Eco-Friendly Toilet Cleaner Alternatives

Pardon the pun, but your toilet is a dumping ground for a lot more than waste.

We don't fault you for wanting a clean bathroom and toilet - we all do. While it's certainly a good practice to keep your toilet clean, you may be doing some serious harm to the planet in the process. Somewhere along the line it was not enough to keep a toilet visibly clean but it must be clean enough to eat out of and smell like a fresh field of flowers.

In order to get there, common toilet cleaners introduced harmful chemicals made from ammonia, chlorine, and hydrochloric acid - all of which are certainly not things that should be added to our waterways (and probably should not be in your home).

How is toilet cleaner bad for the environment?

Many common toilet cleaners are filled with chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

Many contain Hydrochloric Acid, also know as Muriatic Acid or Hydrogen Chloride. When washed down the drain, these cleaners enter our water supply and make their way into the ocean. This causes the pH level of the ocean to lower and become more acidic - harming aquatic life and coral reefs in the process.

Here are some other fast facts:

  • Toilet cleaners with chlorine, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid kill both bad and good bacteria, harming the environments they are introduced to (and your septic system if you use one)
  • Some toilet cleaners contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
  • Chlorine can cause respiratory problems when inhaled.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

When looking for toilet bowl cleaner, look for ones that do not use these harmful chemicals and, where possible, are shipped in plastic-free packaging to limit waste.

The best eco-friendly toilet cleaner alternatives

1) Juniper Seed Toilet Cleaning Fizzing Bombs

Price: $12.00

Materials: Made from baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, essential oils, and other natural ingredients.

Brand ethics: Juniper Seed Mercantile is a small business based in Colorado, while they primarily serve their local communities they have an online store shipping around the country. They create all their products locally and are committed to finding sustainable alternatives to common single-use products.

Johnny Drops are specially formulated fizzing tablets that make cleaning your toilet fun and easy, with the addition of concentrated hydrogen peroxide.  Just drop one or two in the bowl, swish the water around with your wand a little, wait about 5 minutes, then scrub and flush.  These freshen the bathroom and leave the toilet sparkling.  Regular use eliminates the need to get in there and scrub with a pumice stone. Can also be used to clean sinks, tubs and garbage disposals.  Just add water and scrub!  Septic system safe and zero waste with compostable or recyclable packaging.

View product for more info.

Why we like these green alternatives