When choosing a toilet bowl cleaner, it is important to consider factors such as effectiveness, safety, and environmental impact. Consider opting for products that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly to minimize harm to the environment.
Some people like to use toilet bowl cleaner in places that aren’t toilets like showers and grout. Do not do this. Toilet bowl cleaner should only be used in toilets.
Toilets
Yes that’s right, there is a better option to clean your toilet with than toilet bowl cleaner. Many toilet bowl cleaners contain bleach, and this is not the most effective product to clean your toilet.
Toilets contain two types of contaminates: hard water and human waste. Hard water responds better to acidic cleaners, while human waste responds best to alkaline to neutral. You do not want to mix alkaline and acidic chemicals as this can create toxic gasses.
At Eckler Cleaning Services, we use Barkeeper’s Friend (BKF) as the acidic cleaner, and Dawn dish soap as the neutral. Sprinkle some BKF in the toilet and add a teaspoon of Dawn. Use your toilet brush to scrub the cleaners into the porcelain remembering to get under the lip of the toilet. If you have hard water stains, let the cleaners sit for 5 or 10 minutes and use a pumice stone.
Showers
People may use toilet bowl cleaner to clean showers because it contains ingredients that are effective at removing tough stains, soap scum, and mineral deposits. The acidic nature of some toilet bowl cleaners can help break down and dissolve these types of build-up on shower surfaces. However, it is important to note that using toilet bowl cleaner on showers is not suitable for all types of surfaces, and can seriously damage the shower.
If you have an acrylic shower, make a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar. Add a teaspoon of dawn. This will help the vinegar stick in place. Spray the shower, let is sit for 10 minutes, respray and then wipe clean with a magic eraser or melamine sponge.
If you have a stone shower: make a spray bottle with just dawn and water. Spray the shower, let is sit or 10 minutes, respray and then wipe clean with a magic eraser or melamine sponge. If you need something a little stronger, you can use a teaspoon of borax.
Grout
You can find videos all over the internet of people using toilet bowl cleaner to magically transform their grout. What you don’t see in the photo is the damage this can cause to the grout and tile, and the grime coming back very quickly.
To properly clean your grout, we recommend calling in a grout or stone/ tile expert. If not cleaned and resealed properly, a floor can quickly deteriorate. Grout is made of a mixture of cement, water, and sand. These sensitive materials need a neutral pH to safely clean. Using something highly acidic like toilet bowl cleaner will quickly eat away the grout.
Written by: Maggie Gonzales Ward, owner, Eckler Cleaning Services
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