But first, I’d like to share what the EWG* (Environmental Working Group) rates my old favorite toilet bowl cleaner – Lysol Power. They (a team of scientists) test cosmetic and cleaning products and give them a grade based on the toxicity of their ingredients and my old, go-to toilet bowl cleaner gets a big fat F (read the report here). That’s bad, folks, bad! The first ingredient, Sodium Hypochlorite, gets and F for “developmental/endocrine/reproductive effects, damage to vision, cancer, kidney and urinary effects, nervous system effects, digestive system effects,” among other things. I know this has splashed in my eyes several times as I scrub the bowl with the brush, so that’s pretty scary considering it causes vision damage.
That’s more than enough to convince me to make my own! And here’s my recipe. Just mix all the ingredients in a squirt bottle (I used an old body soap bottle). I use it just like I would the old stuff and squirt it around the top of the bowl, then scrub with a toilet brush. The castile soap works great to get it shiny and clean (have you been properly introduced to castile soap yet? It totally ROCKS, so much so that I wrote a whole post about it!), the baking soda is excellent for scrubbing without scratching the finish, and the essential oils leave a wonderful scent behind and help to disinfect. This recipe makes 16 ounces, or 2 cups.
Ingredients used in this recipe – Baking soda, castile soap and essential oils
The Recipe!
- 1/4 cup liquid castile soap – there are many different scents like lavender, almond, peppermint and more! (where to buy) (read more here about why I like Dr. Bronner’s castile soaps the best)
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons baking soda (I buy the huge bag (where to buy) since I make so many things with baking soda
- 8-10 drops of essential oils to purify, cleanse and remove odors – I like to use lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, orange, Thieves or Purification (where to buy high quality essential oils)