5 smart methods for cleaning the toilet naturally and easily

The toilet bowl is something you should clean often, but probably don't want to. Not only is this area of your home pretty unsightly, it can be difficult to clean as well. Often we result to using harsh chemicals, but these really aren't good to have in your home. Sometimes, the strong smell of the cleaners can even outpower any strong smells you've had come out of that bathroom before.

There's an alternative, though. Using conventional organic household products you can disinfect and clean your toilet bowl easier than ever. Don't believe us? Check out our list below and see just how those items already in your cabinet can help tackle this pesky area:

You probably already use vinegar around the house for other various cleaning purposes. Well, it's about time you start using it as a toilet cleaner too. It is a mild acidic that disinfects, gets rid of odors, and of course is totally safe.

There's a big difference between borax and boric acid. Borax is only mildly toxic, in fact, in large amounts, it's only as toxic as table salt or baking soda. The reason this is great for cleaning the toilet is that borax lightens, whitens, removes stains and deodorizes.

Regular old dish soap can help you out here, too. It is going to help lift stains and disinfect. You use this stuff all the time -- it's totally non-toxic and there are many brands out there who create products that are totally organic and even biodegradable.

By using lemon juice or other types of citric acid you can eliminate hard water stains and other unsightly stains. The acid in the juice attaches itself to the minerals left in the bowl and overall makes it easier to clean away. Plus, it's going to smell nice and fresh.

Of course baking soda made it on this list! Baking soda is awesome for a lot of different cleaning projects, including the toilet bowl. While it won't fight germs, it is going to help get rid of stains wonderfully.

Adding essential oils to your toilet bowl cleaning is going to add a really nice, fresh smell. But there's a lot more that these oils can offer, too. A lot of the plant-based oils have antibacterial properties, sometimes even antiviral or antifungal as well. We suggest tea tree, lavender, citrus oils, peppermint, rosemary, and eucalyptus.

While individually each of these cleaning solutions can help clean up your toilet bowl, there's not one that can really do it all. So, we suggest mixing them up. Here are our favorite combinations.

For whitening
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
3 – 5 drops essential oils

For powerful disinfecting
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup borax
3 – 5 drops of your favorite essential oils

Disinfecting and whitening
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup baking soda
3 – 5 drops essential oils