How To Choose The Best Toilet Cleaner?

Water and a scrubbing brush are not enough to keep your toilet clean. Over time, stains and deposits develop inside the toilet bowl from normal use. Hard water can also cause discoloration.

A dirty and stained toilet is not just unpleasant to look at; it can also affect the flushing action. Build-up of gunk under the rim prevents water from flowing properly into the toilet bowl.

A good toilet cleaner tackles all kinds of dirt and deposits including uric scale (from urine), limescale and stains.

In this buying guide, we review the top five toilet cleaners.

Key Consideration When Buying a Toilet Cleaner

A. Cleaning Performance

You’ll come across two types of toilet cleaners: everyday cleaners and pricier deep cleaners.

Everyday cleaners are great for daily cleaning. They can prevent stains and scale from forming in the first place. Most are bleach-based.

If your toilet has stubborn stains or serious discoloration, get a deep cleaner. It eliminates deposits of scale and build-up gunk. For subsequent daily cleanings, a cheaper product like Harpic will do.

B. Anti-bacterial

When choosing a toilet cleaner, check if it has anti-bacterial benefits. Most toilet cleaners kill bacteria and germs in addition to tackling scale and stains. This provides additional cleanliness and hygiene.

C. Safe for Your Toilet

Check that the toilet cleaner is safe for your toilet material, whether it is porcelain, ceramic or stainless steel.

Make sure that the cleaner does not damage the smooth glaze on the surface of your loo. This is especially important if you are buying an extra-powerful deep cleaner.

D. Ease of Use

Look for a toilet cleaner with a specially shaped neck that makes it easier to squirt the cleaner under the toilet rim, an often neglected area of the toilet.

You’ll also find it easier to use a thick viscous cleaner that clings to the surface of the toilet. A thick consistency increases contact time between the cleaner and the toilet, which improves cleaning performance.

F. Fragrance

This comes down to your preferences. Most toilet cleaners leave a certain fragrance in your toilet. Choose the scent that you like most.

If you are sensitive to smells, look for a fragrance-free toilet cleaner.

G. Pack Size

For the best deal, do not buy just one bottle especially if you are buying a daily toilet cleaner. You’ll save more money buying a pack. Most toilet cleaners come in pack of 8 to 12.

Best Toilet Cleaners: Reviews

1. HG Super Powerful Toilet Cleaner Review

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If you are looking for a deep toilet cleaner, we recommend the HG Super Powerful toilet cleaner. The highly concentrated formula eliminates stubborn stains even those below the waterline.

It also removes scale (both uric scale and limescale) and neutralises unpleasant odours.

HG has a viscous formulation that clings to the walls of the toilet to increase contact time. For best results, apply the cleaner and leave it for a few hours before scrubbing and flushing the toilet.

For particularly dirty toilets, leave the cleaner to work overnight. You may need a repeat cleaning to get rid of the stains and discolouration completely.

HG is safe for ceramic, porcelain and stainless steel toilet bowls.

What we like about it:

• Powerful cleaner.
• Eliminates scale, stains and odours.
• Safe for all toilets.

2. Harpic Active Fresh Toilet Cleaning Gel Review

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If you are looking for an everyday toilet cleaner, Harpic Active Fresh is one of the best. The cleaning gel eliminates mild scale deposits and kills bacteria.

The anti-bacterial action has two benefits: it makes your toilet more hygienic and eliminates bad smells.

To get the best results, squirt the thick gel under the toilet rim. Apply enough until it flows down the toilet bowl. Leave the cleaner for at least half an hour then scrub and flush.

Cleaning your toilet daily using Harpic Active Fresh keeps your toilet stain, scale and odour-free.

You can choose between two fragrances: citrus zest if you prefer a fruity scent or punk blossom if you prefer something more flowery.

Each pack contains 12, 750ml bottles of Harpic Active Fresh that should last you a long time.

What we like about it:

• Keeps toilet free of stains, scale and smells.
• Nice fragrance.
• Large pack.

3. Duck Deep Action Gel Toilet Cleaner Liquid Review

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Duck Deep Action Gel is another good choice if you are looking for an effective daily toilet cleaner. It consists of a pack of eight, 750ml bottles that will last you several months.

Duck Deep Action has a long curved neck that makes it easy to apply the cleaner under the rim.

A powerful formulation eliminates stains and scale on the surface of the toilet. It also sanitises the toilet by killing 99.9% of bacteria.

The cleaner leaves a mild and pleasant mint fragrance on the toilet.

What we like about it:

• Tackles toilet stains, scale deposits and smells.
• Kills bacteria.
• Large pack.
• Easy to use design.

4. Ecover Pine & Mint Toilet Cleaner Review

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If you are looking for an eco-friendly toilet cleaner, get the Ecover Pine & Mint toilet cleaner. It has a gentle eco-friendly formulation that is safe for your toilet, septic tank and the environment.

Ecover contains decalcifying ingredients that eliminate uric scale and limescale from your toilet. It also removes stains and reduces discolouration.

In keeping with the eco-friendly formulation, Ecover has a very mild pine and mint fragrance. It’s a good choice for people who are sensitive to smells.

Ecover comes in a large 5-litre pack that will last for several weeks. Because it’s hard to apply toilet cleaner directly from the can, we recommend filling a smaller bottle.

The Ecover can has an improved cap that restricts the flow of liquid to make it easier to refill a smaller bottle without making a mess.

What we like about it:

• Mild scent.
• Eco-friendly.
• Large 5-litre pack.

5. Domestos DV19623 Original Thick Bleach Review

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Bleach toilet cleaners like Harpic and Domestos are better at cleaning stains and scale in the toilet. Domestos descales the toilet, loosens stubborn stains and kills 99.9% of bacteria.

The thick formulation allows the cleaner to cling to the toilet bowl for extended contact time. Apply the cleaner under the rim and leave it for a few hours, ideally overnight. Scrub and flush to finish cleaning.

Domestos is not just good for toilets. You can also use it to clean and disinfect drains, floors, bins and other surfaces.

What we like about it:

• Powerful bleach cleaner and disinfectant.
• Large 9-bottle pack.
• Can be used on various surfaces in addition to the toilet.