Of all the 'standard' cleaning agents, toilet bowl cleaners are the the ones to bother us the most - for some reason the smell is the most irritating, and the unnatural color, well just unnecessary. Recently Grist tested eight different non-toxic and biodegradable toilet cleaners, find out which one came out on top and whether we agree with their results...
The following products were tested for Grist's review:
• Biokleen Soy Toilet Scrub
• Clorox Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Ecover Ecological Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Seventh Generation Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Method Lil’ Bowl Blu, Earth Friendly Products Toilet Kleener
• J.R. Watkins Natural Home Care Toilet Bowl Cleaner
• Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Grist picked the Clorox Green Works Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner as the winner, but Mrs. Meyer's came in at a close second:
Don’t let the Clorox name on this one scare you – there’s no bleach in this product. Like the other Green Works products, it carries the Sierra Club logo and promises natural ingredients. It delivers on Clorox cleaning power, though – producing the cleanest bowl of the bunch. The thick green liquid fully covers the toilet bowl and the mild lemony/lime scent is pleasant. My only complaint would be that it produces long-lasting bubbles that don’t go away, even with a second flush.
We actually do agree that Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day is quite nice, we've also tried Ecover and Method's cute 'Lil Bowl Blu - all of which work great, but Mrs. Meyer's is the best for their well known pleasing scent. Next time we're in need of a new cleaner we'll try out the Clorox Green Works.
(Image by Flickr member Schoolbookdepository)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I was just about to purchase some toilet bowl cleaner myself, so this review comes in quite handily. But isn't scent a little subjective? If that's the only basis upon which you prefer one product over another I don't know if it's enough for me to try it out. If Clorox's cleaner requires additional flushing to get rid of bubbles (how big a deal is that?) then I'd likely stay away from using their product (no need to waste that water) or just live with the bubbles.
view jamjaree's profile
I find that the best way to get a toilet bowl clean is some dish soap and a good scrub.
view bocadelperro's profile
Borax works just as well as a toilet-specific cleaner. Just dump some in the toilet, swish it around and up on the sides with a sponge or toilet brush and let it sit overnight. I swish the water around again in the morning, then flush. No rust, no limescale, no yuck is left. Plus, no plastic packaging!
view JetBlack's profile
I agree with JetBlack - I only use Borax and it works great. plus, it ends up being much, much cheaper per use than the other products.
view akbuilt's profile
Another vote for Borax! I use that in the bowl and then wipe the outside and seat off with vinegar and water. No fancy cleaning potion required.
view dearmisha's profile
I switched to the Clorox Green Works toilet cleaner about 6 months ago, and was really surprised by it... It was my first "adventure" into green cleaning products, and I was thoroughly impressed. It cleans extremely well, and I have never had a bubble issue... (What's the big deal anyway?).
My only complaint is that it is not as thick as I prefer (I used to use the gel kind that stuck to the sides and didn't just run into the bowl), and although the smell isn't unpleasant, it took me awhile to get use to the more "subtle" scent of a clean toilet. However, both are definitely not deal breakers, so I will continue to use this.
I actually just bought the Green Works dish soap, and I'm interested to see if I like that as much!
view mspants's profile