Ecover Toilet Cleaner, 750 ml (Pack of 1)

Product Information

Once a fringe ethical phenomenon, more and more shops and companies are now offering refills. And it’s not just health food shops, alternative supermarkets and zero waste stores. Refill only brands

Greenscents – bulk sizes, which can be returned to them for reuse, and refill stations. Standard size bottles made from biopolymer, from waste sugar cane The reason why bleach is still one of the most popular ingredients for toilet cleaners, despite its harshness, comes down to its antibacterial power. Refill stations are also becoming a more popular way to top up your toilet cleaner. This is great as the option to refill dramatically decreases the use of single-use plastic. Chlorine bleach (aka sodium hypochlorite) is a corrosive chemical, toxic if ingested, an eye and respiratory irritant, can irritate the lungs and eyes, and in waterways can become toxic organochlorines, compounds rarely found in nature and which can take centuries to decompose. The industry says that chlorine bleach traces are present at such low concentrations in waste waters, that there is no real possibility of the formation of trace toxic by-products. This will depend on the problems your loo is causing and how involved you want to get with them. For general day-to-day cleaning, a strong multipurpose cleaner should take care of things nicely. If you have problems with limescale or want your toilet to be sparkling white, then you’ll need to add more specific products, such as a limescale remover or a whitening product, to your cleaning arsenal.

Bleach does the job, but what is the job and is it necessary? As we live in the Age of Bacteria immunologist, Gerald N Callahan, sums up: 'Neither humans nor micro-organisms benefit from fully destroying the other. This is not a war, as it has often been described, even though we have an impressive array of weapons - bactericidal cribs and mattresses, toilet cleaners... If it were (a war), we would have lost long ago, overpowered by sheer numbers and evolutionary speed. This is... like a waltz that will last for all of human history. We must hold to our partners carefully and dance well.'" We’ve also seen a boom in consumer interest in refill-focused companies, like Splosh, SESI, Fill Refill and Miniml, who only sell products to refill an existing bottle with. You can also look for bulk containers made from recycled plastics such as Bio-D’s 5 litre bottles or other innovative solutions such as Greenscents’ biopolymer bottles made from sugar cane waste.

If you’re looking to run a more sustainable bathroom, one great swap you can make is with your toilet paper. This is a pH-neutral formula based on citric acid and sodium carbonate, specially designed to lift grime and stimulate the growth of odour-killing bacteria. In October 2015, the UK Government banned the testing of ‘finished’ household products on animals and introduced a ‘qualified ban’ on testing the ingredients on animals. But it’ll make little difference to animal welfare. This is because no animals have been used for testing ‘finished’ household products in the UK since 2010. It’s usually the ingredients not the ‘finished’ products that are tested on animals.

Whether you’re dealing with stubborn stains, limescale or unpleasant odours, check out our roundup of the best toilet cleaners

A recent Which? report (May 2021) stated that large bottles of household cleaning products used 47% less plastic and needed less space to be transported. Thanks to their cleaning effectiveness and strong antibacterial properties, harsh chemicals like chlorine bleach and hydrochloric acid are often the first ingredients to come up in toilet cleaning formulas.

Ecozone toilet cleaner is completely plant-based with no petrochemicals, artificial preservatives or synthetic fragrances. I’ve also used the Ecozone eco washing up liquid before and that was brilliant. Greenscents was certified as palm oil free by the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark POFCAP. But the real ethical issue centres around manufacture. Bleach is from the organochlorine family of chemicals, compounds rarely found in nature and which can take centuries to decompose. Greenpeace has called for a complete end to organochlorine production. Many other companies included in this guide also offered bulk sizes (2 litres to 20 litres) to consumers so they can 'refill at home': ATTITUDE, Bio-D, ecoleaf, Eco-max, Ecover, Greenscents, and Sonett. Although the plastic impact of bulk purchasing is lower than buying individual bottles, only Greenscents containers can be returned for reuse.

With everyone trying to do their bit by being a little greener, environmentally friendly cleaning products have become increasingly popular in recent years. Eco-conscious companies tend to make products that use less harsh chemicals – for toilet cleaners, look out for products that are certified as less damaging to marine creatures, as all that flushed water can eventually end up in the ocean.

You can just add water at home, which significantly reduces carbon emissions during transport as well as high consumption of water during manufacturing. We have rated all the companies for their toxic chemicals policies. The companies which received a best rating had a policy because they had banned the use of parabens, phthalates and triclosan (see our feature on toxic chemicals for why we have chosen these chemicals) were: Both hydrochloric acid and bleach are known for contributing to air pollution. Issues like acid rain and chemical fog, as well as producing airborne particles, leading to health concerns for both humans and pets. Toilet cleaners usually contain chlorine bleach to kill off bacteria and microbes. Many mainstream toilet cleaner makers portray the toilet bowl as one of the dirtiest places in the house and we need to use these deadly chemicals to keep ourselves safe. The chemical, even though diluted, travels from your toilet bowl to our waterways. During this production process, bleach also ends up being released into surrounding canals. You can read more on bleach, its environmental impact and green bleach alternatives here.Harpic Power Plus sits at the top of our list because of its strength and versatility. This toilet cleaner targets a wide range of problems – its formula works on stains, removes limescale and rust build-ups and also kills germs and bacteria. Chlorine bleach, on the other hand, is a strong antibacterial agent that can deal with all types of toilet germs, as well as get rid of stains. Astonish, ATTITUDE, Bentley Organic, Bio-D, ecoleaf ( Suma), Fill Refill, Greenscents, Miniml, and SESI. On top of that, chlorine bleach is considered harmful to aquatic life and as well as indoor environments. One study found bleach-containing toilet cleaners to be a source of VOCs. Promisingly, we have found a number of alternative products that offer a completely plastic-free solution to your dishwashing needs.