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Household Hacks & Cleaning · October 06, 2021 edition

Five Ways to Clean a Toilet Bowl for Less

From the Genius House Hacks archive.

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Whether you call it the head, the porcelain throne, the water closet, or the only room in the house where you can get some privacy, the toilet is one place most of us like to keep clean, but that standing water is constantly leaving stains and deposits on the bowl. It's a never-ending job keeping it clean, so here are a few tips that will make it a little easier and maybe a little cheaper.

Lemon and borax

Remove toilet rings with a paste of lemon juice and borax. Allow to set before scrubbing away.

White vinegar

Pour a little white vinegar into the toilet bowl, let it stand for an hour, then brush and flush.

Mouthwash

Your teeth aren't the only thing that mouthwash can clean. According to experts, using the breath freshener as a toilet bowl cleaner can also return your toilet to its former porcelain white color. Pour a quarter cup of the breath freshener into the toilet, let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes, and scrub away.

Coca-Cola

Mouthwash might be even more expensive than toilet bowl cleaner. If you want a cheaper solution, Coca-Cola is supposed to make a good cleaner — just let it sit for an hour or two and then flush.

Vitamin C

Yet another environmentally-friendly toilet cleaner is vitamin C. Depending on how bad the stain is, drop 2 or 3 tablets in the water, let it stand for 2 or 3 hours, and flush.

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