three toilet bombs next to glass jar full of toilet bombs and house plant all on top of toilet tank

How to Make Toilet Cleaning Bombs

Week 30

I loathe cleaning the bathroom... just the thought of scrubbing a toilet bowl gets me dry heaving. Before I started my low-waste journey, I was happy to use the most potent chemicals available. Now, I've learned that conventional bathroom cleaners can be harmful to both my health and the environment. I've since switched to a low-waste, naturally-derived bathroom cleaner, but it should come as no surprise that they require a touch more effort than dousing every surface with bleach. I'll do whatever it takes to limit the amount of time I spend hovering over a toilet, which is why this week, I decided to make toilet bombs that I can toss into the toilet in between deep cleaning sessions.

Note: There are toilet bomb recipes all over the internet. I did not come up with the idea on my own, I'm simply trying out a mix of tutorials and sharing the process to show how easy this project can be. This recipe made enough for 12 toilet bombs.

What you'll need:

empty bowl, silicon molds, baking soda, lemon essential oil, and citric acid on a countertop
  • 2 cups baking soda or one 16 oz box
  • 1 cup citric acid or one 7.5 oz container - found at most grocery stores with canning equipment or cleaning products.
  • Water
  • Optional - 50 drops essential oil. The essential oil isn't required for cleaning, but I used lemon because I like a clean citrus scent in the bathroom.
  • Silicon molds - I found a cute flower mold at Goodwill, but you can also use silicon ice trays or silicon cupcake liners.

Let's make some toilet bombs!

  1. bowl full of baking soda and citric acid next to empty baking soda box and empty citric acid bottle

    Mix the baking soda and citric acid in a bowl.

  2. hand adding lemon essential oil to bowl

    Add the essential oils and mix well.

  3. hand spraying water into bowl with mixture

    Slowly spray water into the bowl and mix. You only want enough water so that the mixture sticks together when you squeeze it. Be careful not to add too much water or the bombs won't stop bubbling and will never harden.

  4. silicon molds filled with white mixture

    Distribute equal amounts of the mixture in your silicon molds.

  5. hand using spoon to push white mixture into silicon molds

    With your fingers or a spoon, push the mixture down into each mold until compact.

  6. finished toilet bombs in decorative shapes

    Let the bombs dry for a few hours, or until hard, before removing them from the molds. When they are finished, keep them in an airtight jar and toss one into your toilet bowl any time it needs a little freshening up.

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