A popular TikTok video promises your bathroom will smell like clean laundry every time you flush the toilet if you pour a cup of fabric softener into the toilet tank. However, like many social media hacks, this one is too good to be true, and plumbing experts warn that you'll actually be ruining your septic system.
Cleaning the toilet and keeping it smelling sweet are two of the trickiest (and potentially most unpleasant) chores in the house. But the latest hot cleaning tip promises to keep your loo smelling freshly cleaned all day, thanks to a fabric softener hack.
What I recommend, that works well is distilled white vinegar. As far as your toilet to keep it clean inside the bowl. Use 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and poor inside your toilet tank, also pour half of that cup in to the overflow, which is the small, round pipe that stands up in the middle of the tank .
You can add some freshness to your toilet tank by pouring half a cup of detergent or fabric softener. Whenever the toilet is flushed, the scented water will be released into the bowl and provide a touch of fragrance. There are also specific toilet bowl disks and cleaners you can add if you want an alternative.
According to Abrams, an ordinary bar of soap placed inside a mask, a net, or any other porous material should be a perfectly safe way to keep a toilet bowl clean when you flush it. But there are a few caveats to consider.
Flush that idea down the drain! Truth or Fiction debunked the reliability of this trick back in 2020, and explained that fabric softener is a major no-go since it's hydrophobic and not water soluble. On top of that, the water in your toilet is cold, making it even harder for the softener to fully break down.
Back in January 2020, Sadie's Professional Cleaning Services took to Instagram to share some advice, explaining that you can simply add laundry detergent or fabric softener — 1 cup of either — to your toilet's tank to keep it fresh.
Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight. The next morning, sprinkle a little baking soda into the bowl, scrub, and then flush clean.
Dishwasher tablets are meant to dissolve hard water stains, so they're the perfect solution for cleaning toilets. Besides cleaning dishes and toilet bowls, you can use dishwasher tablets for a few more cleaning projects around the house.
'While I'd advise not to put fabric softener on towels regularly because it can decrease the absorbency, I wouldn't rule it out completely,' says Lucy Ackroyd. 'Once in a while – maybe every four or five washes – add a small amount of fabric softener in with the towels. '
Then, turn the bottle on its back and make two small punctures on the bottom-front portion. Then, remove the top of the toilet tank, and place the bottle in its upright corner. Put the lid on the tank and voila! You're done! The way it works is that the Fabuloso slowly seeps into the toilet's water.
Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach
This cleaner contains bleach, so it whitens, kills 99.9% of germs and deodorizes the toilet, too, when used according to label directions. To sanitize, apply the product, brush the bowl and let sit for five minutes. To disinfect, let it set for 10 minutes.
Cleaning your toilet regularly with vinegar will prevent hard water stain buildups. Add a little vinegar to the bowl and scrub away stains with your toilet brush once weekly. Since you'll likely have hard water buildups in your toilet tank, a monthly vinegar application up top can keep the whole system clean.
OxiClean™ Bathroom Cleaner can help you thoroughly clean both the toilet bowl and around the base in an effort to keep scum buildup at bay.
Instead of vehicle air fresheners — which might irritate your allergies — store an open bar of soap in the car. Choose a soap with a mild fragrance from essential oils, such as lavender. If the fresh soap smell fades, grate the side of the soap with your keys.
But, we are seldom using the words “toilet soap” and “bathing bar” interchangeably. In reality, there is a large difference between them. Toilet soap contain fattier material on the other hand bathing bars contain surface active agents with low TFM (total Fatty Matter).
Hot Water and Dish Soap
Wait for 10-15 minutes while the dish soap and hot water soften the clog. Once you do so, the toilet will unclog and flush freely. Alternatively, you could use hot water and shampoo from the sink if you wish to clear your toilet without leaving your bathroom.
You may start to notice improvement in as little as 15 minutes, though that is the minimum time your dish soap should sit in the toilet. Again, we prefer to let it sit overnight whenever possible. Once enough time has passed, go ahead and flush your toilet.