The Budget Ecoist- Eco Living on a Budget

The Test: Paige gets down and dirty with Green Works™ Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner

The Claim: Green Works™ is the Clorox Company's answer to a green product line. Clorox, of course, is synonymous with bleach in our minds, so we were intrigued by the claim that their "natural toilet bowl cleaner helps scrub away rust, mineral deposits and hard water. And since it's made with plant and mineral-based ingredients it's better for the environment too. Best of all, it works just as well as traditional cleaners." We're big fans of natural cleaning products here at The Budget Ecoist, but we know quite a few cleaning vixens who wouldn't let their bottle of bleach go at any cost. (Even though we like to gently point out that bleach is a highly toxic and carcinogenic substance...we don't judge. Whatev!) So we were interested to see how a "green" product line from Clorox would stack up against the old fav for sparklin' up that tub and toilet.

What it's made of: The ingredients for the Green Works™ product line must come from renewable resources, be biodegradable and free of petrochemicals. In the case of the natural toilet bowl cleaner we tested, that includes a coconut-based cleaning agent, natural fragrance including lemon essential oil (the product has a pleasant lemony smell), filtered water, lactic acid, citric acid and natural thickeners. Oh and the mysterious 1% that is not natural. Hmm..mysterious 1%, eh? Is anyone at the EPA listening? Can we get some industry standard definition for natural cleaners, guys? Oh, and animals were not used to test the safety and efficacy of Green Works™ natural cleaning products. That's good.

How it performed: It's a Clorox product and we admit to having high hopes. They didn't particularly let us down. Paige felt the product worked as good as any other natural product she ever tried. She was also quite fond of the lemony scent, which was a nice change from harsh chemically smells that emanate from non-natural cleaners. But the hard water and mineral deposit claim...she would have to say no. At least in her experiments. Note that Paige has very hard water at her house, which tends to stain her tub and toilet. She has successfully gotten rid of the stains with bleach (way in the past, way way way in the past. Seriously folks, she really stays at least a football field away from the stuff nowadays!) but has yet to find any natural product to completely rid her of a very faint ring around the toilet. Despite the faint ring, she felt confident in the cleanliness of said toitey.

So how much will it set me back? At Drugstore.com, this product will set you back about $4.69. Not bad, but not as cheap as a make-your-own natural solution.

Make my own, you say? Two easy recipes:
1. Sprinkle baking soda inside the bowl. Squeeze a couple of drops of soap in, as well. Scrub with a toilet bowl brush and finish outside surfaces with a rag sprinkled with baking soda. Rinse.

2. Pour 1 cup white vinegar around the inside of the toilet bowl. Scrub well and leave for an hour. Scrub again and then flush.

But if you have hard water, like Paige, here's her best natural method to scrub away those stains: Combine the juice of a lemon mixed with enough borax to give a thick paste. Smear onto the stain. Leave on for about 15 minutes and then brush off. Borax is a very strong powder so wear gloves and be careful.

Psst..Share your own recipes for DIY cleaners in our forum!

Learn more about this product: You can check out more about this product online.