Alright, today we’re going to get down and dirty and talk about cleaning the toilet. I’ve been swapping out my cleaning products for more eco-friendly ones and decided to try Blueland’s toilet bowl cleaner.
Previously, I used the conventional stuff, like Clorox, and then Method, thinking that it was a greener option. (They market themselves as “plant-based cleaning power.”) Not only did the Method cleaner not perform that well, it gets an F rating from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). That’s the same grade as Clorox.
This cleaner was gifted to me by Blueland (but I would have bought it anyway) and this post contains affiliate links. If you shop through my links, I may earn a commission. As always, all opinions are my own and I only write about items that interest me. Thanks for the support.
Bio-based Ingredients
While the Blueland toilet bowl cleaner is not in the EWG database at this time, the four Blueland products that are get good ratings. Three are EWG verified, meaning they meet the nonprofit’s standards for safe ingredients. Blueland’s products are bio-based.
What’s in the Blueland’s toilet bowl cleaner?
- Sodium Bicarbonate – AKA baking soda
- Citric Acid – Derived from citrus fruit
- Maltodextrin – Starch/thickener for holding the tablet together
- Water
- Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate – Foaming and cleansing agent
- Brassica Napus (Canola) Seed Oil – Vegetable oil
- Limonene – Essential oil extracted from orange peels
- Cymbopogon Flexuosus (Lemongrass) Oil – Essential oil extracted from Lemongrass plants
- Sodium Benzoate – A preservative to maintain shelf life (commonly used in foods)
Blueland’s cleaner also has the distinction of being plastic-free. It comes in a tablet form, or puck as I like to call it. I haven’t seen that anywhere else, though I just learned that Seventh Generation has a zero plastic line that includes a foaming toilet bowl powder, though I haven’t found it sold online anywhere yet.
How to Use Blueland Toilet Bowl Cleaner Tabs
Photo from Blueland. So is the first photo at the top of this post.
It’s super easy to use. Just drop the puck into your toilet bowl and it fizzes like a bath bomb. The fizzing takes about a minute. After the puck has completely dissolved, you’re left with a nice foam and can get to work with your toilet brush. (Mine is from Full Circle. Review here.)
I never thought I’d say this about a toilet bowl cleaner, but it smells great.
Let me pause here in the cleaning process to speak of the smell. I never thought I’d say this about a toilet bowl cleaner, but it smells great. The essential oils give it a bright lemon scent. It does not have one whiff of that institutional cleaning smell. 10/10 for the smell!
After brushing, flush. And you’re done. But does it clean well? Blueland anticipated this question, because they have a whole page on their website with data about how they tested their cleaner against other brands on a range of toilet stains, including limescale, mineral deposits, hard water, and rust stains.
In my personal experience so far, yes it works. Luckily, I do not have any particularly tough stains to test on. For regular-level grime, I can report that Blueland worked great with a quick scrubbing.
BTW, if you have a septic system, yes these are safe to use.
What About the Cost?
Blueland Toilet Bowl Cleaner Starter Set costs $23. Or just get the refills for $18. / Full Circle Toilet Brush [review]
So, $18 gets you 14 tablets (packaged in a paper pouch). That’s $1.29 per use. A subscription plan will save you 10%, bringing the cost down to $1.16 per use. For $5 more, you can get the starter kit, which comes with a tasteful purple steel tin that they call a “forever tin” to store the tabs in. But of course you can store them in another container you might already have.
Compared to $3.69 for a 24-ounce bottle of the conventional stuff, yeah, Blueland is pricier. I’m not sure how many uses one gets out of 24 ounces. This article says to use 4 to 6 ounces per cleaning. Let’s go with 4 ounces, which gives us 6 uses per bottle.
That’s 62 cents per use, compared to $1.16 per use with Blueland (if subscribing). So Blueland costs 54 cents more per use. Blueland says each cleaning is good on average for two weeks, though it depends (on your toilet, your pipes, your usage). I clean weekly. So for me, it will cost $28.08 more a year to use Blueland toilet cleaner. That’s a significant difference in cost, though one that I feel fine with for safer ingredients and less plastic.
You can find Blueland toilet bowl cleaner on their website (free shipping for orders of $45 and up), or on Amazon (which I try to avoid, but if you’re not going to meet the $45 floor for free shipping, then Amazon is more cost effective.) And you can even find these at Costco now!
Bottom Line
I tried the bio-based, plastic-free Blueland Toilet Bowl Cleaner, which is like a bath bomb for your toilet. It smells great, cleans good, and I recommend it, even if it costs much more than conventional cleaners.
