How To Make Toilet Cleaning Bombs
Updated: Aug. 25, 2020We’ve seen recipes for DIY toilet-cleaning bombs all over the Internet lately. So, naturally, The Family Handyman had to give it a try. Do they work? Watch the video to find out. You can make your own toilet-cleaning bombs using the ingredients and steps below.
Time An hour or less
ComplexityBeginner
Cost$20-50
Introduction
What is a toilet-cleaning bomb? Similar to the popular bath bomb, a toilet-cleaning bomb is made of several cleaning ingredients molded into a cake. When you drop the bomb into a toilet bowl, it fizzes and adds a fresh scent to the water. But are these the amazing, awe-inspiring cleaners that people claim, or are they just some over-hyped scent eliminator? Read on for our findings.Materials Required
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup borax or cornstarch
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- Essential oils
- Gallon size zip-top bag
- Mold
- Water in a spray bottle
You can easily buy a toilet-cleaning bomb at nearly any home goods store, but what’s the fun in that? You can make these tiny cleaners with items that you likely already have around the house. Try different molds and scents to find what you like the best. Note: The citric acid (also called sour salt) can be slightly difficult to find in stores, but many online outlets can get it to you in a day or two.
Now for our findings: After making these cleaning bombs, we were…underwhelmed. We hoped that these were going to be some kind of wonder cleaner where you don’t need to get your hands dirty and your toilet would be magically like new. That is not the case. These are more for freshening up your throne, not deep-cleaning it. You still need to scrub your toilet every so often. Honestly, I would just buy a candle to set on top of the toilet’s tank. It will give you just about the same outcome and will last longer.
Click here if you want some more homemade cleaning projects.
Project step-by-step (4)
Put dry ingredients in the bag
Place 1/2 cup of the baking soda, citric acid and borax into the gallon bag. Seal the bag and knead to combine ingredients. I used a zip-top bag because the ingredients can get very sticky and annoying to deal with.
Spray water into the bag
Open the bag, spray two or three pumps of water into the mix and close the bag. Mix and knead the bag until the moisture is absorbed. Repeat this step a couple times. Don’t overdo this step. If you add too much water, the end result will be very crumbly and weak. You’ll know it’s ready when you squeeze the bag and the mixture stays clumped together once released. It should be roughly the consistency of pie dough.
Add essential oil
Add several drops of essential oil into the bag and mix it again. The smell can become really potent if you go overboard, so be careful here.
Pack mixture into mold
Put the mixture into the mold. I highly suggest using rubber gloves for this step because the mixture is sticky. Plastic eggs, silicone molds and measuring spoons all work well for molds. The concoction will expand significantly while it sets, so don’t over-stuff the mold. Leave the mixture in the molds for a day or two to let it fully harden and set. Then when you want to add a fresh scent to your bathroom, toss one of your homemade toilet-cleaning bombs into the bowl!
