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DIY Toilet Cleaning Spray with Essential Oils

44 · Apr 30, 2020 · Stephanie Pollard · 10 Comments

I know it’s not the most glamorous of subjects, but I want to talk about one of the most under-appreciated supplies in your cleaning arsenal: a good toilet cleaning spray. (Exciting, right? Well just you wait…) Aside from the obvious ick factor that comes with any toilet bowl, I have been known to avoid cleaning mine for months because I can’t stand the smell of store-bought toilet cleaners.

They’re nothing but chlorine bleach masked behind a thick layer of “spring breeze”—and the smell permeates the entire house. Really, you can’t escape it. So, with not a lot of options – natural or otherwise – that don’t make me feel light-headed and nauseous, I decided to finally perfect my own DIY toilet cleaning spray.

This DIY toilet cleaning spray is made with bacteria-fighting essential oils along with vinegar, Borax and castile soap to disinfect and deodorize. | HelloNest

DIY Toilet Cleaning Spray Recipe

When it comes to a good toilet cleaner, there are a few must-haves:

-Germ-killing abilities

-A bit of scrubbing power

-A fresh, but not overpowering, scent

-Easy-to-find, non-toxic ingredients

-It has to be cheap (because why spend $5 when you can make it yourself for $17.50, amiright?)

-And it has to be a spray (to help cut down on the dreaded ick factor)

This DIY toilet cleaning spray is made with bacteria-fighting essential oils along with vinegar, Borax and castile soap to disinfect and deodorize. | HelloNest

It’s a tough undertaking, but after a lot of experimenting I finally found a homemade toilet cleaning spray that checks all my boxes. Let’s take a look at the basic ingredients:

White Vinegar

I know, I know, can we stop with the white vinegar, already? There’s a reason distilled white vinegar makes a cameo in almost every homemade cleaner recipe: it’s mild, it kills tough germs, eliminates scary odors and it’s safe to use around pets, kids, the immuno-compromised, you name it. It’s the gold standard of green cleaning ingredients.

Borax

I think we all know by now that vinegar and baking soda don’t mix. But you know what does? Vinegar and borax.

Unlike with baking soda, combining vinegar and borax doesn’t totally cancel each other out. While vinegar has a pH of about 2 (highly acidic) and borax has a pH of about 7 (basic), using a 3:1 ratio of vinegar to borax will make the vinegar slightly less acidic, but not quite neutral.

While the acidity of this recipe really helps kill bacteria, having an abrasive ingredient is what will ensure your toilet bowl shines when you’re done. While the borax may dissolve a little bit, it shouldn’t dissolve entirely so you’ll still be able to make your toilet bowl shine.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, borax (sodium tetraborate) is no more harmful than table salt or baking soda in the small amounts we’re using [source].

DIY Toilet Cleaning Spray Ingredients

Castile Soap

Castile soap is an amazing all-natural cleaning agent. A couple tablespoons in your cleaning spray will help kill germs and give your toilet that sparkly shine you’ve been looking for.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is known for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties and is one of our favorite oils for use in the bathroom. When used as a toilet bowl cleaner, tea tree oil helps boost the disinfecting power of vinegar so your toilet bowl shines like new with a minimal amount of elbow grease.

See also
8 Ways to Use Essential Oils in the Bathroom

Lemon Essential Oil

I use lemon oil to give this cleaner a clean scent. But you can use any essential oil you like. Lavender, grapefruit or sweet orange would be good for this, but it’s completely up to you! Here are a few great options for green cleaning.

Just combine everything in a glass jar and give it a good shake. Then spritz the inside of your toilet bowl, scrub, and rinse. It’s easy, like seriously easy, and so much better for you than the toxic store-bought stuff.

What about cleaning the top of the toilet, you say? While you can technically use this spray to sanitize the outside of the toilet, I prefer a spritz of straight vinegar followed by a spray of hydrogen peroxide. It disinfects and leaves a streak-free shine. A win-win.

DIY Toilet Cleaning Spray

Stephanie Pollard
Most toilet cleaning sprays are nothing more than chlorine bleach masked behind a thick layer of "spring breeze" scent. Why not cut out the toxic fragrances and chemicals by making your own. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Course Natural Cleaning
Servings 10 ounces

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • ¼ cup Borax
  • 2 tablespoons castile soap
  • ½ teaspoon tea tree essential oil
  • 15 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions
 

  • 1. Combine everything in a spray bottle and shake well.
  • 2. Wet the inside of the toilet bowl by either flushing the toilet or swishing water around the bowl with a toilet brush.
  • 3. Spritz the solution in the toilet. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes, then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush to rinse.

Notes

Homemade products like this can go bad rather quickly. I recommend storing the solution in a dark cabinet so the essential oils don't get degraded by light and using it within several weeks. Feel free to halve the recipe to meet your needs.
Borax and vinegar are safe for septic tanks.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for more DIY bathroom cleaning recipes? Here are 10 all-natural cleaners to make your bathroom really shine.

44

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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  1. paper.io says

    July 22, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    wow I like this, good work

    Reply
  2. azmoon.org says

    August 5, 2018 at 7:18 am

    Good website! Its really truly for my eyes. I wonder how I might get notified when the new post is made.

    Reply
  3. Rachel says

    August 6, 2018 at 8:20 am

    Mixing vinegar and castile soap cancel each other out.
    http://www.lisabronner.com/a-word-of-caution-about-vinegar-and-castile-soap/

    Reply
  4. Clara says

    August 6, 2018 at 9:57 am

    Ok, there are some comments here, but does anyone use this recipe? It works??

    Reply
  5. Shona says

    October 24, 2018 at 1:20 am

    First off I would like to say terrific blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you do
    not mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear
    your head prior to writing. I’ve had a difficult time clearing my mind
    in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing however it
    just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally lost simply just trying to
    figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or hints?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Sedot WC Bandung Putra says

    October 24, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    I’m not certain where you’re getting your information, but good topic.
    I must spend some time learning much more or working out more.
    Thanks for fantastic information I was searching for this info for my mission.

    Reply
  7. Your Cleaning Fairy says

    November 30, 2018 at 11:59 am

    Thank you for this recipe. I’ll be sure to give it a try!

    Reply
  8. Jasa Bersih rumah bekasi galaxyindo says

    January 3, 2019 at 2:49 am

    It’s fantastic that you are getting ideas from this post as
    well as from our discussion made here.

    Reply
  9. Bev Adams says

    February 25, 2019 at 8:45 pm

    Can you replace the vodka with rubbing alcohol? It’s much cheaper and some people don’t want to keep any drinking alcohol in the house. Sure would appreciate your response.
    Thanks, Bev

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      August 23, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      I couldn’t get the borax to mix in. It was too chunky to spray, even after vigorous shaking…

      Reply

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