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Learn how to make the best DIY toilet bombs with natural ingredients. This easy recipe is an easy way to keep your toilet smelling fresh and clean.
Commercial toilet bowl cleaners often contain active ingredients that aren’t rated well for safety by the Environmental Working Group. DIY recipes are a great option if you’re looking for a natural way to avoid the harsh chemicals found in many store-bought cleaners.
I love making homemade natural cleaners like toilet cleaner tablets because they’re easy and affordable to make. Plus, they work great for cleaning toilets and it’s an easy way to keep the toilet smelling fresh between deep cleanings.
If you haven’t used them before, they’re kind of like bath bombs, only for your toilet instead of your tub. And DIY Toilet Bombs are scented with essential oils, so they emit a nice fragrance that’s sure to cover up any smells emanating from your toilet when you just don’t have time to do a deep clean.
Ingredients and Tools
- 1 cup of baking soda
- ½ cup of citric acid
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil
- 10 drops of lavender essential oil
- 10 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 1-2 teaspoons of filtered water
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Silicone mold
- Glass mason jar
- Toilet brush
By the Numbers: How to Make Toilet Bombs
Follow these simple step by step instructions to learn how to make the best DIY toilet bowl cleaner bombs.
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients.
Combine 1 cup of baking soda and ½ cup of citric acid in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
Step 2: Add Essential Oils.
Add your essential oils in a few drops at a time and mix to distribute evenly. You’ll want to add a total of 30 drops – 10 drops each of lemon oil, lavender oil and peppermint oil.
Step 3: Slowly Add Liquid.
Next, you can add in your water a small amount at a time into the dry mixture and stir to combine (you don’t need much liquid, about 1-2 teaspoons; if you add it too fast, the mixture will react to the water). When it’s the right texture, it should feel like wet sand.
Step 4: Press Mixture Into Mold.
Scoop your mixture into your silicone mold and press down until your mold is full.
Step 5: Air Dry Toilet Bombs.
Let your toilet bowl cleaner tablets dry at room temperature for a few hours, then carefully pop your homemade toilet cleaning bombs out of your mold. Store in an airtight container like a glass jar until you’re ready to use them.
Tips for Making and Using DIY Toilet Bombs
Answers to all of your questions about making homemade toilet bombs, including tips and substitution ideas.
1. How to use toilet bombs?
These fizzy toilet bombs work well thanks to a chemical reaction between the dry ingredients and water. The kids may actually get interested in helping to clean the toilet when they see the toilet tablets fizz up!
To use them, place one of your fizzy bombs into your toilet for an easy toilet freshener in between cleanings!
You can also use them as an actual toilet cleaner. After you drop it in and it’s done with its fizzing action, simply scrub the toilet with your toilet brush as you would with any other toilet cleaner and you’ll have a nice, clean toilet.
Extra toilet cleaning tips:
- Once the toilet is done refilling with water, you can squirt some hydrogen peroxide around the bowl for extra cleaning power.
- If you have tough hard water stains due to infrequent deep cleanings, it may take more than one use to remove them.
- Not for use in the toilet tank.
2. Best essential oils?
My favorite essential oils are from Rocky Mountain Oils. They have pure essential oils that hold their scent for a really long time. If you want to know all the reasons I love them, check out my Rocky Mountain Essential Oils Review. One of the best ways to get started with them is their super affordable starter kit (it’s only $24.95 – compare that to MLM prices!).
No matter which brand of essential oils you use, you can use any combination of essential oil scents you like… just stick with about 30 drops of essential oils in total. Citrus oils are really popular, but there are lots of possibilities.
If you’re looking for a new scent to try, these combos are great in cleaning products:
- Thyme and Lemon
- Peppermint and Tea Tree
- Tea Tree and Lemon
- Lime, Lemon, Orange and Grapefruit
- Lemon and Clove
- Lavender and Eucalyptus
- Clove, Orange and Rosemary
- Eucalyptus, Lemongrass and Lavender
- Lemongrass, Lime and Lemon
If you’d rather go with an essential oil blend, try their Purify blend, which is a combination of Lemongrass, Rosemary, Lavender, Myrtle, Citronella and Tea Tree.
While I like to buy direct from Rocky Mountain Oils because I like collecting my loyalty rewards points, you can also buy their most popular essential oils on Amazon.
3. What can I use besides citric acid?
If you don’t have citric acid on hand, there’s really no true substitute. It’s what makes them fizzy, so I recommend grabbing a bag before making toilet bombs. You can get it from Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon.
If you need ideas to use up the bag you get, try these recipes:
- Pop Rocks Fizzing Bath Salts
- Citrus Shower Steamers
- Kids Toy Surprise Bath Bombs
- Tension Relief Bath Bombs
- Simple Fizzy Bath Salts
- Activated Charcoal Bath Bombs
4. Can different molds be used?
Yes, you can use any mold you like, including bath bomb molds or an ice cube tray. Silicone trays work better than plastic ones since you can more easily pop things out of them.
5. How to store toilet bombs?
It’s important to store them in an airtight container so no moisture gets to them. I recommend storing them somewhere you’ll have easy access for when you need to clean, like under the bathroom sink.
6. Faster toilet bowl cleaner recipe?
If you want something you can make quickly and use, try my DIY Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It can be made and ready to use in under 5 minutes.
7. Buy Instead of DIY?
While it’s an extra cost over making your own, you can also purchase pre-made toilet bombs from Mama Suds instead of making them. They’re also rated an “A” by EWG.
8. More Bathroom Cleaning Products?
If you enjoy making your own cleaning products, check out some of these great DIY recipes:
- DIY Tub & Shower Cleaner
- DIY Glass Cleaner
- DIY Floor Cleaner
- DIY Mold & Mildew Cleaner
- DIY All Purpose Cleaner
DIY Toilet Bombs
Supplies
- 1 cup baking soda
- ½ cup citric acid
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops peppermint essential oil
- 1-2 teaspoons filtered water
Tools
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- Silicone mold
- Glass mason jar
- Toilet brush
Instructions
- Combine your baking soda and citric acid in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Add your lemon oil, lavender oil and peppermint oil a few drops at a time and mix to distribute evenly.
- Next, you can add in your water a little bit at a time and mix to combine (if you add it too fast, you’ll get a fizzing reaction).
- Scoop your mixture into your silicone mold and press down until your mold is full.
- Let your toilet bombs dry for a few hours, then carefully pop your toilet bombs out of your mold. Store in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use them.
