Automatic Toilet Bowl Cleaners May Not Be As Safe As You Think
When it comes to dreaded chores, cleaning the toilet ranks at the top of survey lists time and again. That's why having a toilet that cleans with every flush may sound like a great idea. Drop an automatic cleaning tab in your tank, and you're good to go for weeks at a time. Good can be a relative term, however. Those cleaning tabs, whether blue or white, do keep toilets clean and better disinfected in comparison to plain water flushes. Since many contain bleach, though, they are actually really bad for the rubber elements housed in your toilet tank.
Yes, every time you plunk one of those bleach-containing tabs down in your tank water, you're introducing a chemical that wears down key components keeping your toilet in good working order. You might decide it's worth more frequent repairs to have a continuously clean bowl courtesy of those convenient tabs. Nevertheless, you should know the type of damage you're inflicting on your toilet that can cause a major inconvenience when it is out of order — along with some cleaning alternatives.
Toilet elements at risk when using bleach tabs
Everyone realizes that a dirty toilet is an unhygienic toilet. All kinds of bacteria build up and mold rings begin to grow if you don't clean a toilet bowl regularly. With those icky scenarios at hand, you might be thinking it's a good idea to bring on the bleach. You can use straight bleach or bleach cleaners in your toilet bowl with no problem, but you definitely don't want to put anything containing bleach in your toilet tank.
When automatic toilet cleaning tabs containing bleach are used time and again, materials made of rubber, especially gaskets and seals, are particularly at risk. Over a long period, metal items like bolts can deteriorate from bleach exposure too. Some toilet manufacturers, with Kohler being one of them, will not honor warranties for toilets that have been exposed to this type of in-tank cleaning product due to the risk of damage. Thankfully, there are several alternatives to consider that are much better for the gut of your toilet tank.
The safety of toilet cleaning tabs without bleach
Some blue drop-in toilet tabs don't contain bleach. They use borax, also known as sodium borate, in combination with other cleaning agents, binders, and added fragrance to clean hard water stains and rings around the toilet while deodorizing. These shouldn't harm the essential elements in your toilet tank, but can they be harmful to pets? Since borax is diluted as it is released into the water slowly, it shouldn't pose a problem to pets if they drink a small amount of blue toilet water, according to the ASPCA. Nevertheless, keeping the lid closed to keep pets from quenching their thirst with toilet water is a good idea.
Some other alternatives to both bleach products and borax include the naturally clean home's all-time favorite: vinegar. You can add a cup full to your tank occasionally to help keep it clean and the bowl will also benefit when you flush. Denture cleaning tabs, which are also non-toxic, can be used to clean and freshen toilet tanks and bowls too. For the most effective bowl cleaning, add one at night before you go to bed so that it sits for a while before the next flush. These alternatives might not be quite as convenient as automatic toilet bowl cleaners, but they do offer a safer experience overall.