Toilet cleaners
Green shopping guide to toilet cleaners, from Ethical Consumer

Green shopping guide to toilet cleaners, from Ethical Consumer


This is a product guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. Since 1989 we've been researching and recording the social and environmental records of companies, and making the results available to you in a simple format.

This buyers' guide is part of a Special Report on Cleaning Products.  See what's in the rest of the report.

This buyers' guide to Toilet Cleaners includes:

  • Ethical and environmental ratings for 16 toilet cleaning brands
  • Best Buy recommendations
  • What's in these cleaners

 

Brand

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Score Ratings

Our ratings are live updated scores from our primary research database. They are based on primary and secondary research across 19 categories. Find out more about our ethical ratings. 

 

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Best Buys

as of May/June 2012

As our ratings are constantly updated, it is possible that these companies will not always come out top of the scorecard.

 

Bio-D is the clear best buy.

It is followed by Earth Friendly Products, Ecoleaf, Ecozone, Bentley Organics, Lilly's Eco Clean and Sodasan.

For making your own, Dri Pak score well on the table.

These brands are all available online or from some health food shops.

The best scoring widely available green brand is Ecover because of their company-wide approach to using green ingredients and they are certified cruelty-free.

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May/June 2012

 

Clean round the bend?

 

 

Toxic ingredients

 

Most people think that the toilet bowl must be one of the dirtiest places in a house, which is not helped by the number of adverts which play on this belief. In fact, it’s probably not the case because of the constant flush of running water. Toilet cleaners usually contain strong acids, bleach and detergents.
 

Chlorine bleach (aka sodium hypochlorite) – disinfectant or whitener in cleaners and fabric bleaches. It is a corrosive chemical; toxic if ingested; eye and respiratory irritant, can irritate the lungs and eyes and in waterways can become toxic organochlorines. If mixed with acids such as ammonia it can release chloramine gas which can result in death.(6)

Disinfectants and antibacterials - See 'The danger of antimicrobials'.

Surfactants and perfumes - see the Laundry Detergents buyers' guide.

 

 

 

References

 

6 What’s in this stuff? Pat Thomas, 2006

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