Zero Waste Toilet Cleaner: Citrus Toilet Fizzies

Ariana Storniolo (Palmieri)
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zero waste toilet cleaner


I’ve been on the hunt for a zero waste toilet cleaner that was both easy and fun to make. Because, lets face it, who likes cleaning toilets? Well, I finally found a recipe I can wholeheartedly enjoy: Citrus toilet fizzies. They’re so simple to make, easy to use and leave behind such a nice smell in the bathroom. Plus, it’s really fun to watch them fizz up when you plop them in the toilet. If you love bath bombs, you’ll love using these. 

Here’s how this zero waste toilet cleaner works: You just plop a fizzie into the bowl, watch it fizz up, give your toilet a scrub and flush. Done. Easy as that. No harsh chemicals either: Just minimal, natural ingredients. Plus the ingredients are fairly cheap and relatively easy to find plastic free. If you buy the ingredients in bulk, you’ll save a lot of money and be able to make a ton of toilet fizzies to last you a while. Sound good? Here’s how to make my favorite zero waste toilet cleaner.


This post contains some affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase one of these items I will make a very small commission at no extra charge to you. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

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Zero Waste Toilet Cleaner

Citrus Toilet Fizzies

zero waste toilet cleaner


Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup baking soda (buy it in cardboard packaging or at the bulk bins)
  • 1/2 cup citric acid (in sustainable packaging or in bulk)
  • 25 drops of lemon or orange essential oil
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons of water
  • 1 orange or lemon, zested (optional – zesting an orange is also a great way to prevent food waste)

Note: Often times, orange and lemon skins are just thrown away.  Don’t. They can be turned into zest and used in this DIY instead.  This is a fun way to reuse the skins and put them to good use, instead of wasting them. And no, it won’t clog your toilet.

zero waste toilet cleaner

Directions:

  1. Combine citric acid, baking soda and orange/lemon zest in a large bowl, making sure to mix them well.
  2. Add the lemon or orange essential oil (I used lemon because it’s all I had) to dry ingredients. Stir well to combine, adding more if you’d like a stronger scent.
  3. Add water, but 1/2 teaspoon at a time, mixing with your fingers until it holds together when squeezed but isn’t soaked. You want it to be just damp. Don’t add the water all at once, as this will cause your mixture to fizz right away. You can also use a spray bottle to add the water a little at a time.
  4. Press the mixture into the mold of your choice firmly (I used a cute heart silicone mold I had on hand – but any silicone mold will do). Make sure to press out all the air and compact it together nicely. It might bubble up a bit – if this is the case, consider adding it back to the bowl and putting in more dry ingredients. If it’s too dry, add a bit more water to it.
  5. When everything is nice and compact, place your mold into the freezer and let the citrus toilet fizzies harden (they should be ready in one to two hours, but you can leave them overnight as well). A lot of recipes for toilet fizzies say to allow them to dry overnight before carefully removing them from the mold, but I’m impatient. Placing them in the freezer speeds up the process. Just be sure to store your fizzies in an airtight container.

Alternative method: You can also choose to skip the molding process, opting to make a citrus toilet cleaning powder instead. If so, you can just mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, add  and mix the citrus zest and essential oils, and then put the contents in a glass jar. Don’t add any water, if you choose to go this route. You can store it in a cool dry place. To use, sprinkle a few tablespoons into the bowl whenever you choose to use it.

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Cleaning with Citrus Toilet Fizzies

zero waste toilet cleaner


As far as actually cleaning with this zero waste toilet cleaner goes, it’s pretty straight forward.

Here’s how to use the toilet fizzies:

  • Drop 1 or 2 toilet fizzies into your toilet bowl and let them do their thing.
  • Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
  • Scrub the bowl with your toilet brush and flush.


Tada! Thats it. Your toilet is nice and clean.

If you don’t have time to scrub your toilet, but it needs a little refresher, that’s fine too. You can simply plop the zero waste toilet cleaner in, let it fizz, and flush. It’ll freshen up the bowl and certainly leave it cleaner than before.

This zero waste toilet cleaner also really helps to remove hard water stains and mineral build up over time. So you’ll be impressed by what it can do!

However, be sure not to use this in your tank. Only your bowl!

zero waste toilet cleaner


Storage: I recommend storing these fizzies in a glass jar with an airtight lid. Also, if you use the freezer method I mention earlier, and notice the fizzies become a bit soft after taking them out of the freezer, feel free to leave them in the fridge or freezer in a glass jar. You can just grab one whenever you need to clean the toilet.

Personally, I plan on keeping these in a glass jar in my fridge (pictured above). This batch came out a little bit soft (may have added a bit too much water). That said, they still work great!

I’m also thinking of labeling them just so everyone in my house knows what they are, especially if I leave them in the fridge. I think it would be cute to cut a piece of toilet paper roll and write ‘toilet fizzies’ on it, then secure it to the jar with some twine. It’s all compostable that way too.

zero waste toilet cleaner


Will you be giving these citrus toilet fizzies a shot? What’s your favorite zero waste toilet cleaner?

For more zero waste cleaning tips, be sure to check out my favorite all purpose cleaner, Orange Peel Vinegar.

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By Ariana Storniolo (Palmieri)

Ariana Storniolo is the founder of Greenify-Me, a blog dedicated to zero waste and sustainability. Her work has also been featured on Going Zero Waste, Green Matters, Mother Earth Living and several other online publications.

28 comments

  2. Hey so I don't have orange essential oil yet, but I do have tea tree. Would that be just as effective? Is the orange essential oil mainly for the scent or the cleaning properties?

    Reply

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  15. Yes i am totally agreed with this article and i just want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!Thanks best toilet brush

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  26. I just made the recipe for the powder.
    Well… I guess I did something wrong because the next morning I found the jar and the contents spilled over it, like it exploded…
    I guess the orange and lemon oil reacted with the baking soda in the glass jar.
    So be careful with how much scent oil you add to the mix!

    Reply
  28. Pingback: 20 Things to Make at Home Instead of Buying - Going Zero Waste

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