DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner | Using Vinegar & Baking Soda

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, please visit our advertising disclosure.

Cleaning Tips

5 Apr

20 9

Learn how to naturally clean a toilet bowl with this easy, two ingredient DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner. All you need is vinegar and baking soda.

My youngest child has always been one to keep me on my toes, so perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised when he decided to drink out of our toilet! Seriously, who drinks out of the toilet?!

My initial thought was he could get sick from the toilet water. So, as any panicked mom would do, I googled it. Luckily I am not the only parent to deal with this issue; and I’m happy to report, he should be fine. However, many people commented on the fact that, had there been a cleaning solution in the toilet bowl (or the cleaners that stick on the side of the toilet bowl), he might have been poisoned. That got me thinking, what if I had just cleaned the toilet?

It was at that moment, I changed the way I clean toilets. I now use a natural DIY toilet bowl cleaner made with vinegar and baking soda. If anyone decides to drink from the toilet again, I know, outside of it making me want to vomit, they should be fine.

What You Need to Make A Natural DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Ingredients to naturally clean toilet bowl: vinegar, baking soda and a spray bottle

Affiliate links may be used. Please see our advertising disclosure for more information.

Ingredients Needed for DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Baking Soda
Vinegar
Essential Oil (Optional)- If you are unsure where to buy essential oils, I have a post all about choosing an essential oil brand that’s best for YOU.

Supplies Needed Naturally Clean A Toilet Bowl

Spray Bottle– I use a 16 oz spray bottle, and just refill it once it’s empty, but you can certainly use a smaller bottle if you’d like
Toilet Brush

How to Naturally Clean A Toilet Bowl

Start by pouring some vinegar into a spray bottle. I find it easier to use a silicone funnel to ensure I don’t spill all over the place.

Pouring vinegar into spray bottle using silicone funnel

For added cleaning power (and a better scent), feel free to add several drops of essential oil to the vinegar. While you can technically add up to 96 drops (for a 16 oz bottle), I would recommend going with about 30. If you do add essential oil, give the spray bottle a little shake prior to using.

Adding essential oil to vinegar to make DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Essential Oils That Work Well for Cleaning

*Honestly, Tea Tree is great for cleaning, but it doesn’t smell good, so if you’re looking to mask the smell of vinegar with something pleasant, tea tree is not the essential oil for that 🙂

Once the vinegar (and essential oil, if using) is in the spray bottle, spray the toilet bowl and allow the vinegar to sit for at least 15 minutes.

Naturally cleaning toilet bowl with vinegar

After the time is up, sprinkle some baking soda into the toilet bowl. The baking soda acts as a mild abrasive while also helping to absorb odors. Scrub the baking soda around the toilet bowl with a toilet brush and flush when done.

To clean the toilet handle, seat, and lid, I use my DIY cleaning wipes. They work so much better than store-bought wipes, in my opinion.

If you have hard water stains in your toilet bowl, check out this post to learn how to naturally remove even the toughest stains.

To freshen toilets between cleanings, try our DIY Toilet Bombs.

Hopefully your children are not drinking toilet water, but if they do, you can rest assured they are probably going to be just fine.

Common Questions About Naturally Cleaning Toilets with DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Can I Mix the Vinegar and Baking Soda to Save Time?

No! While vinegar and baking soda are both great natural cleaners, when combined, they basically lose what makes them so great at cleaning. Baking soda is alkaline with a pH of 9 and works well to lift stains and absorb odors. Vinegar, on the other hand, is acidic, with a pH ranging from 2-3 and works to dissolve hard water stains and calcium build-up on things like faucets and shower heads. When combined, these two ingredients turn into carbonic acid which just decomposes into water and carbon dioxide (Source). Spraying the toilet bowl with vinegar and allowing it to sit helps reduce bacteria and mold (Source and Source). Adding the baking soda later means it can work as a mild abrasive to lift stains and absorb odors.

Will This DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner Disinfect My Toilet?

In order for a product to be labeled as a disinfectant, it needs to be registered with the EPA. Vinegar is not a registered disinfectant, so we cannot say it’s going to disinfect the toilet. If you are looking for a natural disinfectant, I would suggest Force of Nature Cleaner. It uses vinegar, salt, and water to create a hospital-grade disinfectant, and can be used to disinfect toilets.

Will This Toilet Bowel Cleaner Get Rid of Hard Water Stains in My Toilet?

While vinegar can work to lift some of the hard water stains in the toilet, it may not do the best job with the limited amount of time it sits in the bowl. I have found the best way to remove hard water stains in the toilet is with a pumice stone. Find out more about removing hard water stains from toilets here. I mean, check out these results!

Before and after of toilet bowl stains cleaned with a pumice stone

What Can I Do to Freshen Toilets Between Cleanings?

If you are looking for a simple way to freshen your toilets between cleanings, I would recommend making some of our toilet bombs. Simply put one of two in the toilet and allow them to dissolve, then give a quick scrub with a toilet brush and you’re done.