Toilet Freshener Tabs – Easy to make, fizzy toilet freshener bombs!
If you’ve been following along with me lately, I’ve become a bit toilet obsessed. It’s completely okay to want a clean toilet, right? As we get into the winter months I become even more cautious about disinfecting in our bathrooms – trying to keep those nasty germs and viruses at bay. The rest of my family thinks I’ve lost it. I’ve been using disinfecting wipes throughout the day on surfaces in the bathroom to keep things sanitized. . .and of course to just keep things looking nice and shiny.
If we had more time I would fill you in on my “clean freak” issues, but today we’re talking Toilet Freshener Tabs.
So first things first. What would one use toilet freshener tabs for? Well, I can tell you what I use these for. . .deodorizing and helping prevent hard water stains.
The cast of characters for these tabs is small, but they’re all powerful ingredients that come together to put on a fabulous show:
Ingredients & Materials
- 1 1/3 cup baking soda
- Fragrance oil – about 20-30 drops
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Silicone molds or larger ice cube trays
The baking soda in the tabs acts as a mild abrasive and helps deodorize and neutralize acids. The citric acid when combined with the water (in the toilet) and baking soda reacts and helps with hard water stains. The fragrance oil is there for exactly that. . .fragrance.
When do you use these tabs? Well, not to gross everyone out here, but they’re most useful and helpful after a #2. I’m not sure I’ve used that term here on the blog before, so today is a day of firsts!
So, now that we have that out of the way, are you ready to make some tablets?
Directions
- Start by pouring the baking soda into a mixing bowl.
- Then mix in 20-30 drops of the fragrance oil.
Please use caution when working with the powder and fragrance oil. Remember that the oil is concentrated, everyone. The powder and oil mixture can make it’s way into your nasal passages quickly, so while you stir, try and turn your head away and hold your breath or wear a mask just to be safe. I wouldn’t recommend children helping you with this step. - Once the oil is mixed in with the baking soda, add the citric acid to the bowl and stir again.
- Grab your spray bottle and spray the powder while continuing to mix it watching for a little clumping. I used my spoon to test the powder on the side of the bowl to check its consistency. I think I probably used close to 10-12 sprays when all was said and done. Think of it this way. . .you want to be able to spoon this mixture into your mold and have it keep its shape after packing it down firmly. You don’t want to over-spray, however, because too much water will cause the citric acid to start reacting with the baking soda and your tablets will lose their fizz.
Start scooping the mixture out of the bowl and pressing it (using the back of your spoon) into your silicone molds or trays. I grabbed my lemon/ice mold. Isn’t it cute? You’re supposed to put little lemon slices in the mold along with water and freeze them for your drinks. Love it!
I did this part over my sink because it can get a little messy. After I had the powder firmly pressed into the molds, I gave the tablets one last spray of water to just “lock” them in. Let the trays set for at least 4-5 hours, preferably overnight before you try loosening the tablets.
I will tell you that if you have silicone molds, you can pop these out a lot quicker. I used a toothpick to help pop mine out when they were ready.
Let’s talk about storage for a moment, too. If you store these together in a container, try and keep them in a cabinet that won’t be exposed to the steam of the shower, etc. The more humid it is, the better chance that they’ll stick together and start breaking apart when you try and use one. Keep these as dry as possible!
Just to show you how these actually work, I created a little GIF for you below. Please forgive me on the darkness. Believe it or not, we only have one bathroom out of 3 1/2 that has a window – and even in there, not a lot of natural light shines in. So, welcome to my (what looks like a dingy) bathroom. I promise you it’s clean!!
When you toss the tablet in, let it dissolve completely before you flush. If you make too large of tablet and flush it while it’s still fizzing it could cause some issues in your pipes. So, allow it to dissolve completely before you hit the handle on the toilet. I love these because they really do freshen and deodorize the air as well.
The kids love them for their fizzing effect. We go through these very quickly in my house, sometimes whether they’re needed or not. If you want to conserve them, I suggest a higher cabinet where little hands can’t reach them without help. 😉
So, if you’re a bit of a clean freak like I am, you’re going to love these toilet freshener tabs. They’re even great to throw in a baggie and place in your purse when you’re going out. Never know when you might need one! LOL Happy flushing!
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This is great! I think I’ll make just a bunch of small ones and the kids can toss them in every time they potty! They’ll never forget to flush again! By the way, found you through the Sits Weekly Link Up.
What a great idea, Amanda. Yes, the kiddos love these a bit too much! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
This may be a silly question…Do you drop it in before flushing, or flush, drop it & flush again? Some members of the family use LOTS if tp…
Not silly at all, Dorothy. I drop before the flush. Wait until it disintegrates entirely and then flush. . .along with the boat load of TP. LOL
Hello… I am so looking forward to trying these out- already trying to find a lemon scent for summer and a cinnamon one for the fall and I am going to try the peppermint for winter.
Thanks for the recipe.
Hello thanks for this tip – just a quick question – can these be used when you have a septic tank – I have been told I have throw down the toilet a ‘special’ product once a week to help the bacteria in the septic tank and I should not use ‘normal’ toilet cleaners – so would these be OK?
Hi Sandy, we don’t have a septic tank so I’m not sure. Maybe check with a professional plumber to get their thoughts on this. I wouldn’t want to give you the wrong advice. Good luck!
Thanks for your reply – checked and baking soda is good for the PH levels in a septic tank – so will give it a go. Also looked at other links and been cleaning today with Sodium bicarbonate and vinegar today – got rid of some very stubborn stains and I dont have ‘product brain’ which I usually get from using shop bought items! x
This is so smart! I love that you can add your own fragrance oil. I’m totally making these with Peppermint around Christmas.
I LOVE the peppermint idea – they’ll be great!
I love this! I like to use a lot of homemade cleaning supplies. I can’t wait to try this!
I have got to make these, especially for the teenager and hubby’s bathroom!!
I have booked marked this to try out. I have a hard time finding a product that I love for my toilet. Thank you for linking up to Party Time and we hope to see you again next week!
What an inexpensive and creative way to keep the toilet bowls fresh and clean. I am always fighting hard water stains so I am going to give these a try. Thanks for sharing on the Wonderfol Wednesday Blog Hop!
xx
Lysa
Lysa, these tablets in combination with my other post that’s featured below this one will certainly keep your bowl sparkling and clean!!
I so love this recipe! The peppermint for the holiday will be fun to add! I like to use my oils for fragrances and used lavender, my favorite, then I chose eucalyptus, it was very fresh and clean smelling and wonderfully covered the #2 odor! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m so glad you tried it and liked it Dannielle! Peppermint will be perfect for over the holidays!
i don’t have any essential oil. Is there a substitute?
Even just a fragrance oil will work – that’s actually what I used in mine. You can get fragrance oils from any discount retailer. Good luck!!
Can you flush THEN drop one of these in and leave it until the next flush?
Absolutely, Kolleen, yes!
I have been looking for DIY tabs for awhile now. No matter what I do I end up with funk growing in the tank reservoir. Adding those store bought bleach tabs make my eyes water every time I use the bathroom. I am hoping that one of these will help break down hard water stains and sanitize the tank. I think I’ll add in lemon essential oil for its anti-viral properties. I am planning on dropping one in the tank while I brush the bowl clean & then flush.
Great idea! Let me know your results!
I love this idea! Where did you get your ice trays?
It doesn’t look like they’re really actively sold anymore. I did find it on Amazon.com but the price is outrageous: http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-Set-Slice-Trays/dp/B0000CFFG7/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1426728179&sr=8-3&keywords=lemon+slice+ice+cube+tray Just remember that you can use any ice tray.
Mine were expanding in the tray. And when I added the extra spritz at the end, they foamed up. Is that normal or did I add too much water? I’m in the waiting for them to set stage now so I can’t test them yet.
Margot, you may have added a little too much water. You’ll have to give them some time (maybe overnight) to see how they set up. Mine didn’t really expand in the trays at all. I hope they work out for you!! Good luck!
Thankfully they work fine and still fizz, but it did take a little longer to set. And discovering that meant I had a few ugly chunks that weren’t pretty haha. But I kept them anyway! So far so good, thanks for this recipe! Next time less water haha.
I love this idea. I made some last night and let it set overnight. I put it in my jar but a couple hours it stuck together. Do you know why it would do that?
Could it be that the room or where you were storing the tabs was a bit humid? Like in a bathroom? We do keep ours in the bathroom, but I make sure they stay in a sealed container in a closet.