The Powdered Ingredient That Will Whiten Your Toilet In No Time

There are a ton of different ways to clean a toilet, and each one has its benefits. However, if you want to remove harsh chemicals from your cleaning routine and use greener, more eco-friendly products, you might feel at a loss over what to use to scrub your latrine. It seems like only the strongest chemicals can tackle the germs and grime that accumulate in the bowl. But as it turns out, there is something a little more natural you can utilize to do the job. All you need is some citric acid. 

Citric acid is an all-natural component that occurs inherently in citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges. Because it's acidic, it can be used to disinfect a variety of germs and viruses, as well as eat away lime, hard water stains, rust, and soap scum. Because of that, it's a great cleaning agent for the toilet. So rather than bomb your bowl with harsh, sharp-smelling chemicals, try this greener alternative instead. Here is how to use it in your own bathroom.

First, put on a pair of rubber gloves. Citric acid in high concentrations can potentially burn your skin, so it's best to protect your hands from any accidental spills. Then, to help the citric acid break down grime, you will first want to pour warm water down the bowl to loosen any buildup or scale. However, do not use boiling water straight out of the kettle since it can potentially crack your bowl, melt the wax ring securing your toilet, or damage the PVC pipes. Instead, you want it just to be warm. Then grab your citric acid, and disperse it around the bowl and in the water. Allow it to sit for several minutes, permitting the acid to eat away at the buildup. 

Then grab your toilet brush like you usually would and use it to remove the last of the stains. They should scrub right off like they would with your harsher cleaners, leaving behind a white and clean bowl.