I saw a commercial online with a lady spouting the praises of toilet bowl freshener in a proper English accent. It was funny and strange and got my attention. The product is called ‘Poo Pourri’.
I clicked through and saw that the price was about ten bucks for 2 ounces. Youchy! Nope, couldn’t go there.
So of course, I began to look for the DIY versions of this stuff. And to my surprise I found a number of suggestions for ‘before you go’ freshener.
Tip: I like to keep household scents simple and non-invasive. Orange, lemon or lavender (separately) are what I use for the toilet bowl freshener.
Most of the suggestions were to use some drops of essential oils (choose your own mix) and water into a 2 ounce fingertip spray bottle. This looked easy and much less expensive. But there was a common problem.
In reading the comments after some of the posts about the toilet bowl freshener, people were having a tough time keeping the nozzle clear. It was suggested that perhaps buying a better quality fingertip sprayer might help.
Well, maybe it would, but all I had were the cheapo sprayers I’d bought. Hmmmm. What to do?
Of course I had to make cute little labels to share with you. (Just use double sided tape on back to apply)
Further research revealed that a diluter liquid could be used with essential oils such as witch hazel, white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to help thin the oils in a way that plain water just can’t. (So I got this far and realized I would have to go into the science of it all probably ending in some convoluted molecular stuff.
Update: I discovered that adding a few granules of epsom salts makes the liquid ‘slippery’ and keeps the nozzles clear and helps with surface disbursement. Problem solved.
Forgive me — I stopped. However, if you want to know more about molecules I suggest the book ‘Napoleon’s Buttons’ which I found to be amusing and informative.)
I chose the rubbing alcohol for two reasons: 1. It doesn’t have a scent of its own. -AND- 2. It kills bacteria more effectively than the witch hazel or white vinegar.
While white vinegar isn’t quite as effective, I think I would use it if I had young children in the house who just might think about ‘tasting’ the spray.
Why would I care about killing bacteria in a ‘Poo Pourri’- type spray? Bacteria is what is causing that bad smell. It’s that simple. It’s also why you should put the lid down before flushing.
Best part? I figure this cost less than 50 cents a bottle!!! OH yeah….other best part? It works. YAY!
Here is my recipe:
X-Stink toilet Bowl Freshener:
1 2 oz. fingertip spray bottle find them here
15-30 drops essential oil (Try Lavender or Sweet Orange )
2 T. rubbing alcohol**
a pinch of epsom salts
water
Instructions:
1. Pour the rubbing alcohol into a 2 ounce fingertip spray bottle.
2. Add the essential oil drops. (Amount depends on personal preference.)
3. Add water to fill.
To use:
Before you go, shake spray bottle and spritz 4-6 sprays into toilet bowl.
Warning: Keep out of the reach of children.
**Alternatives to rubbing alcohol are witch hazel or white vinegar.
Download the toilet bowl freshener labels here.
Helpful tip: You can get the original labels off of the spray bottles using one of these methods:
Great Goo Be Gone
Label removal hack.
Special thanks to: