Easy spring clean how to! Make this Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner and spring cleaning tips for your bathroom! This post is sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. May contain commissioned links.
Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner | Bathroom Cleaning Tips
I have some rough news for you and your spring cleaning efforts today. You are NOT cleaning your bathroom toilets as well as you think that you are. There are in fact 6 other places around the bathroom toilet that you are missing. Yikes!
So today, I’m making sure that we disinfect every single one. Because toilets are in MOST definite need of a spring cleaning too. Make this Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner + grab these 6 Bathroom Toilet Cleaning Tips and get your spring clean game on!
1. Start with the Water Tank
So, do you know how often I open up the water tank of my toilet? Not often. But if you take a look at the depths….it’s a breeding ground for hard water stains, mold, mildew and bacteria. Eww. So whenever I start my toilet cleaning endeavors, I start with the water tank to help keep my toilet bowl cleaner between uses.
Pour 1 cup of vinegar into the tank. Allow to sit while you clean. Then flush 2-3 times to rinse out the tank. (You definitely do not want to leave vinegar in your tank for a long period of time. It will start eroding your metal components.)
2. Make this Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner
I highly dislike the smell of toilet cleaners. In fact, there are some to this day that still make me so nauseated, I have to leave the room. So going the more natural route for a toilet bowl cleaner is so much better for my sensitive nose.
Only a few ingredients will produce a powerful, natural and more pleasant smelling cleaner that disinfects too. Trust me when I say that you will definitely want that many drops of essential oil…because toilets are gross. (You can make this Easy Lavender Natural Toilet Cleaner too) Ready to make your own Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner?
Easy Natural Toilet Cleaner DIY
What you will need:
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 10-15 drops of lemon essential oil
- 10-15 drops of rosemary essential oil
- 1 cup of vinegar
Directions:
- In a glass bowl, mix together your baking soda and essential oils. Store in a tightly sealed mason jar until ready for use.
- When ready for cleaning, pour 2 TBSP of baking powder mixture into your toilet bowl.
- Give the bowl a good initial scrub with your toilet brush.
- Then add 1 cup of white vinegar. This will not only give you disinfecting power of the vinegar, but react with the baking soda for a great foaming action in your bowl. BONUS, right?
- Then go ahead and give that toilet bowl another deep down clean with the brush.
- Flush.
Boom, done. By the way, I’m pretty embarrassed to show you these before and after photos, but you can see how effective the natural toilet bowl cleaner is! I love the smell of the lemon and rosemary while doing the dirty job. Makes cleaning toilets much more bearable 🙂
3. Disinfect Your Brush
You use your toilet brush all the time to get the bowl. Bravo. But when was the last time that you cleaned the brush? Ahem – yeah. Me too. So while you’re bowl may look sparkly clean, you’re also spreading those germs from the last clean…and the clean before that…and the clean before that from your friend, Mr. Toilet Brush. Gross!
While there may be debate here, I do recommend on soaking the whole brush in vinegar first, overnight. For a deeper clean, I would go ahead and soak in bleach too. And if you haven’t changed out your brush in awhile (like once or twice a year), it may be time for that too.
4. Clean the WHOLE Toilet Surface
You’ve tackled the bowl, perhaps you even got the seat and under the seat. That’s great. But imagine if you will the moment when you flush the toilet. There’s particles of bacteria, water, and YUCK floating all over the bathroom. So making sure to clean the whole toilet, include every surface is super important.
There are only a few places where I will give up my reusable rag for a paper towel, and a toilet is definitely one of them. I use Viva® Vantage® Big Roll Paper Towels for the deep down toilet clean, because of the awesome scrubby texture. Great for scrubbing down the toilet area, I know that I am getting the dirty job done right.
5. Clean the Toilet Paper Holder
I don’t need to explain that flushing illustration again, right? So you can imagine how many germs are sitting on your toiler paper holder. Oh, and then add in how many times hands are grabbing for toilet paper. I know, new mental picture. Make sure to clean every inch of that toilet paper holder. Now is a great time to stock up on your favorite toilet paper too, like Cottonelle® Clean Care with its Clean Ripple Texture.
6. Clean the Toilet Bowl Handle…Again
Maybe it’s because of my history as a pediatric nurse, but I’m pretty clean obsessed when it comes to any handles and knobs. And the toilet handle is one of the most touched areas of your bathroom. So even if I think that I got all of the bathroom toilet flusher handle area, I go ahead and clean that sucker again right before I leave. Because….yep, it’s gross.
Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. Your deep spring clean of your bathroom toilet is complete. If you were already using all 6 of these steps in your bathroom toilet cleaning practices, I applaud you. Because honestly, it’s so easy forget step 1, or 3, or 6 or heck, all of them! So I hope these steps have help you on the way to toilet bowl cleaning success. I definitely feel much better after a deep toilet spring clean.
Make sure that you’re ready to tackle spring cleaning with the right tools, like the Kimberly-Clark Family Care Products at your local Walmart. I can grab all of my paper product essentials from Viva® Towels, Cottonelle®, and Scott® 1000 in one spot, at a price my budget-conscious family can appreciate.
Cleaning your toilets to the nth degree is super important, especially during Spring Cleaning season! Make this easy natural toilet cleaner, stock up on your Kimberly-Clark Family Care Products, and let’s clean those toilets the right way this spring!
What bathroom spring cleaning tip is most important to you?
Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more easy DIYs for your family, crafts, recipes and more.
Need more spring cleaning tips?
Elisabeth says
I’ve never cleaned the toilet paper holder.. oops! Thanks for the tips!
Justin Tan says
Bathroom is the most dreaded place to clean in the house. I’m glad you shared this with us!! Love natural way of cleaning the bathroom especially with kids in the house
christie says
Absolutely! Smells so much better too!
Dandi D says
I use natural products whenever possible, so I will have to give this a try!
Jennifer George says
Great tips. Thank you.
Marian says
I love the smell of lemon and rosemary! Thanks for the tips, I never thought to clean the inside of the toilet tank. The more you know! lol 🙂
christie says
I know, right! Easy to forget….but have you seen inside lately?
Linda k Clark says
What natural product do you clean the outside of toilet and sink. I love all natural cleaners
Jen says
You can mix about 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water in a dark glass spray bottle and add about the same amount of the same essential oils she used, rosemary and lemon. You can also look for natural disinfectant spray recipes for those times when viruses and such hit.
Laura says
Where do you get the essential oils?
denise low says
Thank you for sharing these tips. I will give these a try.
Sheri N. says
Thanks for the recipe for the toilet cleaner! I’m a caregiver for seniors so I’m also very aware of the germs traveling from one person to another and especially the toilet! I’m going to try this on my cleaning day since my toilet’s look pretty much like yours!
christie says
I was so embarrassed to share those pictures! Ha 🙂
Sandy says
Is it baking SODA or baking POWDER???
christie says
Baking soda 🙂
D.A. says
Baking soda. (like Arm and Hammer)
Donna says
I have been using these ingredients for years! They also work for bathtub and bathroom sink and all of the handles plus the bathroom door handle. I make a spray bottle full of 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups water, the essential oils and a couple of drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid, it helps to keep the essential oils integrated with the water and vinegar and keeps the solution on the object sprayed on. My biggest concern is all of the handles, especially the doorknob!
Carolyn Wright says
I’m a pediatric nurse also ( now teaching pediatrics to future nurses). I guess I’m surprised people don’t think of cleaning the TP roll holder & tank handle. LOL Maybe it’s a nurse thing or perhaps a germaphobe thing.
Jen says
I never cleaned in the tank, but I have always done everything else. Kind of have to, with 3 boys and a husband…… lol
GrannieQuilter says
yeah, I know what you mean, I threaten hubby, but doesn’t seem to work.
Just grab the rubber gloves, gas mask, and bleach (now the new recipe) to clean his bathroom.
Bonnie says
Did any one think of taking a wipe and doing under the rim of toilet, it is horrible and needed to be done regularly.
Thanks for the other tips, really appreciated
BethesdaBec says
I never thought about closing the lid BEFORE flushing, but after reading this, we all will start doing so! Considering that we keep our toothbrushes on the vanity and not in the medicine cabinet, we’re all getting new toothbrushes and holders, too!.
I’ll add a little tip that I use in the bathroom for everyone – to keep it smelling fresh, I put a fee w drops of Lemongrass essential oil inside the toilet paper roll just before I put it on the roller. You can use any oil you prefer, but I love the citrus smell of Lemongrass! ( I also have a few lemongrass plants on the deck – in the summer, we pull a few leaves through our hands and then lightly rub all exposed skin with our hands. It’s a very effective mosquito/fly repellan, and a pretty plant, to boot!
GrannieQuilter says
OH Yes, those germs spreads 10,000 (can’t remember space just remember the HUGE numbers) that the whole bathroom is covered, that is why I keep my toothbrush in one of those traveling covers, the brush part.
Kaye says
Thanks for that tip! I love lemongrass. Didn’t know it repels mosquitos.
Donna says
I am going to try your bowl cleaner recipe. I love essential oils. I recently gave my bathroom a makeover. I see cute storage ideas for towels on Pinterest but so many of them are in crates or on open shelves over toilets. They are pretty, but Whewww… I don’t want to dry my body with a towel that could be exposed to a lot of bacteria. So my towels are safer under the vanity behind closed doors. Thanks for the recipe.
christie says
So true, Donna ~ I never thought about the towels being exposed like that!
Jones says
EEWW me either!!! Changes coming to my house fast!!
Corinne Marin says
Cleaning toilet is much easier to clean and slows down appearance of hard water rings around the bowl if you regularly brush it only, meaning once a day or every other day… Use vinegar solution weekly…
Jody says
Where do you purchase the essential oils?
christie says
I found mine at Walmart over in the oils/candles area 🙂
Angelika says
Make sure you get essential oils and fragrant oils. Essential are pure with nothing added, whereas fragrant have other ingredients added. You can also get the oils at health food stores or the health food section at the grocery store.
Angelika says
That should’ve been “not fragrant oils.”
Rev. Allorrah Be says
You can also get therapeutic-grade essential oils online from Young Living Essential Oils. They have the purest and highest grade of oils for healing. But the inexpensive one from Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond, etc. can be used just fine for cleaning the toilet!
I would love to find a source for Baking Soda in bulk b/c it seems to have become rather more expensive just recently. Anybody know a source?
Sherry says
Sam’s club has huge bags pretty inecpensuve.
Donna Nitzke says
I buy 13# bags of baking soda on Amazon. So many uses for it, including in the laundry.
Lynn says
Costco 😊
Ruth says
Costco and Sams club sell baking soda and vinegar in bulk sizes, We get the baking soda in 4 lb boxes when we buy from those retailers and vinegar in boxes with 3 gallons each.
Patricia says
I buy mine at Costco, very reasonable comes in a 13.5lb bag.
Shirley says
Dollar Store has baking soda. Regular size package.
Teresa Jara says
Costco sales large bags of baking soda
Rhonda Avery says
you can get a 4 pound box at the Dollar General for about 2 dollars
Tanne says
Pool stores also walmart in summer. Big bags of it.
Kaye says
I prefer the medicinal grade so order mine from doTerra.
Antje says
Hi,
Silly question, maybe, but do the lemon and rosemary essential oils used in this recipe have any particular properties , or can you use any essential oils?
Antje
christie says
Mostly just help with smell. I like the scent combo 🙂
Magz says
Trick I learned for cleaning the toilet handle: spray cleaner on towel/rag and slide it between the tank and handle then wrap forward around handle and slide off. Disturbing what comes off with a lot of use! Thanks for the tips! I’ll be making that cleaner as soon as I get home!
Diane says
Is this safe for septic tank?
Ruth says
It should be. The soda neutralizes the vinegar when you mix it
Karen Daniels says
Yes indeed it is. I researched this very thing as I was house sitting my parents house. I always deep clean for them when I’m house sitting. They have a septic system and I was terrified of putting the wrong cleaners down the drain ( like the time I used bleach! Eek! The look on my dads face was priceless.
Karen Konczyk says
All great tips! Thanks! Does anyone know how to get the water , in the bowl, above the stain line so it can soak and remove ring? Thanks!
Ron Meinke says
Try using several layers of paper towel saturated with white vinegar positioned so that the lower edge is just below the water line and the upper edge is up against the water holes. The water in the bowl will wick into the toweling to keep it damp.
NRW says
This article is very good and so are the comments! Like many others I have never cleaned the tank (thanks for the suggestion!) In addition to the toilet handle the bathroom door handles are gross too. I used to clean commercial space and worked closely with the sales rep that our company bought cleaning supplies from. He showed me how to push all the water out of the bowl. Using your toilet brush just push the water down into the hole repeatedly. After emptying the toilet bowl – whatever product you use to clean with will be UNDILUTED and more powerful to actually kill germs, remove stains, etc. Also remember to clean under the rim of the bowl and the complete base of the toilet, especially if you have men or boys… we all know that sometimes their aim is off!
Rev. Allorrah Be says
I’m thinking put a jar of water inside the toilet bowl, which will cause the water level to rise up over the stain or dirty ring so this fragrant cleaner can do its work. I haven’t tried this, but believe it will work. Good luck!
Rev. BE
C Cannon says
Good point about cleaning the tank. As far as cleaning the toilet I use bleach & a little liquid Dr. Bronner Peppermint soap on the inside and Lysol or Clorox wet wipes for the outside. The handle is definitely a germ magnet… people flush and then wash their hands! Thank for the article.
Amy says
I’ve been using this recipe for quite a quite a while and I love it. The scent even lingers in the bathroom. But I mix Lavender and Rosemary, sometimes a little peppermint. Love it. The baking soda and vinegar makes a great cleaner for bathroom and for kitchen. But I have to say, the toilet brush – I have never used one and will never have one. Growing up I always saw them in family and friends bathrooms and they disgusted me. I put on some gloves and scrub down everything including the handle, tank and paper holder. I know how many hands touch those things. Yuck. I even do the handles on the cupboards and doors. I know, I’m probably just anal, but that’s ok. I did enjoy reading your post though and know it was helpful for a lot of people.
Sarah says
@amy….. how much of the lavendar nad Rosemary oils do you use in this recipe? thanks :}
Katrina Huitt says
I leave to use thieves cleaner from young living. It only takes a tablespoon to clean the bowl. During the holidays it keeps a smell of Christmas!!
Micki Miller says
Awesome idea. Can’t wait to try it!