Cleaning the toilet can be dreadful. It’s a task we often put off until the weekend or right before last-minute guests arrive. Though cleaning your bathroom can be a pain, there’s many toilet bowl cleaners that can make the task a bit easier—and we’ve tested them.
At The Spruce, we thoroughly test hundreds of cleaning products every year in The Lab, from laundry detergents to carpet stain removers. However, these toilet cleaners are all options our editors use weekly in their own homes to tackle stubborn stains, regular wear and tear, and lingering odors. Some are more hands-free than others, and others require one of our favorite toilet brushes for scrubbing and scouring your toilet bowl and under the rim.
That said, these picks are editor-approved for their cleaning power, scent, cleaning process, and value. Whether you’re looking for something septic system-friendly or to stock in every bathroom in your home, we have you covered.
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Clean, shiny results within minutes
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Easy to find at a variety of retailers
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Squirt bottle is easy to use
Lysol is a well-trusted cleaning brand that is used in many households. From the best all-purpose cleaners to disinfecting wipes, Lysol carries it all. Our senior editor is a big fan of Lysol’s Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner for its strong cleaning power, hands-free, squeeze-cap design, and clean, fresh scent that lingers after just a few flushes. She uses it in her own home on a weekly basis to clean three toilets that get regular use.
A little goes a long way with this particular cleaner. With just a few squirts of it, our editor feels like she can effectively clean her toilet. She wears rubber gloves and uses a toilet brush to clean along the inner rim and scrub stains. After every cleaning session, the toilet is left shiny and squeaky clean.
What Our Editor Says
“The bottle makes it easy to squirt the cleaner exactly where you want it—and the whole cleaning process takes just a few minutes. In general, I like that it has a clean scent with some chemical undertones, because it makes me feel like the toilet is really getting clean.” —Marisa Viglione, senior editor
Beyond cleaning power, this pick is also really easy to find. Even with a busy household, our editor stocks up on this cleaner every month or two online or at her local Target store; according to her, she runs out of this cleaner around the same time she runs out of her dishwasher detergent.
While there are more hands-free options on the market, the value, cleaning power, and even scent of this liquid cleaner is just hard to beat.
Form: Liquid | Quantity: 24 ounces | Scent: Atlantic fresh
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Scrubbing every inch and crevice of the toilet can be straining and feel like a never-ending chore at times. Fortunately, there are cleaning products such as the Clorox Foaming Toilet Bombs that clean toilet stains quickly and efficiently, and make the process relatively hands-free.
With a quick and seamless drop of one foaming tablet, and a few scrubs with a toilet brush, we noticed our toilet bowl was stain- and rust-free; and no hard-water residue was left behind. Liquid cleaners like our best overall pick—the Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner—can be effective, but some might leave a blue stain. These tablets do no such thing, and are also bleach-free, so they don’t smell as strong. (Although our writer does wish they came unscented; she’s tried both the lavender and fresh scents.)
What Our Writer Says
“I love [them] because [they] reduce the need for another big bottle of cleaner taking up precious square footage in my bathroom vanity. For the rest of the toilet, I usually just wipe it all down with Clorox disinfecting wipes.” —Morgan Bulman, senior writer
Our senior writer ultimately loves using the Clorox foaming bombs for unfussy cleans—they’d be a great option for cleaning your toilet quickly before guests arrive. Each pack only comes with five tablets, but since switching from liquid toilet bowl cleaners, our writer has noticed a decrease in how often she has to clean her toilet and, therefore, restock.
Form: Tablet | Quantity: 5 tablets | Scent: Fresh scent, lavender
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The Clorox Toilet Cleaning System is a favorite among The Spruce’s editors and writers, and is even our top pick for the best toilet brush. Unlike many toilet cleaners, this system includes a toilet wand and a caddy that stores the pre-loaded disposable scrubbing pads. Whether you’re shopping for the best toilet cleaner for your first apartment, or simply tired of cleaning your current, messy toilet brush holder, this is the perfect option.
This set includes six disposable, concentrated heads that easily click onto the wand, and activate and lather once pressed down and met with water. These scrubbers have a great texture to them that easily removes stains. They are also the perfect size for reaching around the entire bowl.
What Our Editor Says
“It’s a quick, no-fuss cleaner that doesn’t require extra tools if you initially purchase the whole kit.” —Emma Phelps, associate editor
We love how hands-free cleaning the toilet is with these disposable pads. Once you’re done scrubbing, you just slide the button on the wand forward and release the pad into the trash. The scent left behind is similar to that of bleach, but our editor says it’s not overpowering and makes her feel like her toilet is really, truly disinfected.
With the pads being disposable and only coming in a set of six, this isn’t the most eco-friendly option. However, instead of buying another bottle of liquid cleaner, you’ll just restock on scrubbing pads. Our editor also says stocking up is a breeze if you buy a bulk pack (it lasted her a few months), or sign up for a subscription.
Form: Wand with concentrated pads | Quantity: 6 disposable pads | Scent: Original
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Bleach-free
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Great for deep-cleaning
If you’re looking for septic-safe cleaning products for your toilet, the Clorox Scentiva Toilet Cleaning Gel is at the top of our list. It has a bleach-free and antibacterial formula—complete with a coconut and water lily scent.
We found ourselves using this gel cleaner more for deep cleaning than our regular cleaning. The process isn’t as quick as it is with other toilet cleaners, such as the Clorox Toilet Cleaning System, and is a bit more hands-on. That said, it’s still easy to use this product. After applying the cleaner under and around the toilet bowl rim and scrubbing it with a bristle brush, we let it sit for about five minutes and then flushed. The toilet was clean and sparkling.
What Our Editor Says
“I like that it’s bleach-free, so I’ll also use it on my shower and floor tiles.” —Emma Phelps, associate editor
If you’re not a fan of the strong bleach smell, you will love this sweet and refreshing fragrance. But, if you’re someone who is sensitive to artificial scents, know that this cleaner may be too irritating. We found the strong coconut smell to be more pleasant than the smell of bleach, personally.
Form: Gel | Quantity: 24 ounces | Scent: Coconut and water lily, lavender and jasmine
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I have been using the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel Stamps consistently for six months now. After deep-cleaning my toilet with our best overall pick, the Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner, I stamp the gel on one side of my toilet bowl for added freshness and an extended cleaning life.
It’s recommended that you give your toilet a good scrub prior to using this stick-on gel, so this pick certainly isn’t the only toilet bowl cleaner to stock your bathrooms with. However, after each flush, the stamp releases the cleaning agents housed inside, giving your toilet a quick spruce-up and a lovely fresh scent.
The whole process is basically hands-free, and each stamp lasts up to two weeks. You can purchase the stamps in five different scents, as well.
Form: Gel stamp | Quantity: 24 stamps | Scent: Rainshower, citrus, berry burst, lavender, floral fusion
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This toilet cleaner has impressed the internet with its impressive cleaning power on tough stains and rust. There is a plethora of TikTok videos out there of users using it on the most stained toilets. We have yet to test this cleaner, but after watching hundreds of before-and-after videos on #CleanTok, and reading through endless reviews, we couldn’t help but pick the Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner as the best toilet cleaner for removing rust stains from toilets (as well as other tough stains).
This cleaner is formulated with hydrochloric acid gel, a powerful ingredient known for removing tough stains. It has a gooseneck that releases the thick gel formula, which clings to and covers the hard-to-reach spots under the toilet’s rim.
Once the cleaner has sat for five minutes, you can follow it up with a couple scrubs, and you’ll be left with a stain-free toilet and a fresh wintergreen scent.
Form: Gel | Quantity: 32 ounces | Scent: Wintergreen
Final Verdict
Our favorite, editor-approved toilet bowl cleaner is the Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It’s an easy-to-find cleaner that works great on tough stains, has a clean scent, and lasts for a long time. If you’re looking for a cleaner that doesn’t require much work and is still effective, we recommend our best tablet pick, the Clorox Foaming Toilet Bombs. With a drop of one foaming tablet and a few scrubs with a toilet brush, our toilet bowl was stain and rust-free.
How We Tested the Toilet Bowl Cleaners
While we didn’t formally test these toilet bowl cleaners in The Lab, our picks are mainly ones we love and use in our homes on a regular basis.
And while using the toilet cleaners during our regular bathroom spruce-ups, we note each cleaner’s cleaning power, scent, cleaning process, and value, noting how often we have to restock. We also compare the cleaners to other toilet bowl-cleaning products we’ve used in the past.
We also thoroughly research the best toilet bowl cleaners on the market, reading reviews, looking at before-and-after pictures and videos showing the cleaner’s cleaning power, and noting any unique qualities that set it apart from other options we recommend. This can include a wand like what you’ll find with the Clorox Toilet Wand, or a hands- and liquid-free option like the Clorox Foaming Toilet Bombs.
What to Look for in a Toilet Bowl Cleaner
The Cleaner’s Ingredients and Form
Whether you prefer to use a liquid, tablet, gel, or powder toilet cleaner is a personal choice. However, each form has its pros and cons.
Liquid, gel, and powder toilet bowl cleaners, like our overall top pick, the Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner, may have a longer cleaning process than a tablet, as you often have to let the formula sit and saturate the toilet. They are great for deep-cleaning and removing tough stains, though, and can be used alongside your favorite toilet brush.
A tablet toilet bowl cleaner—like our best tablet pick, the Clorox Foaming Toilet Bombs—is great for quick and seamless cleaning when you don’t have time for a deep clean and want little-to-no hand involvement. We particularly like tablets for quickly cleaning toilets before a guest arrives.
An automatic toilet cleaner, like the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel Stamps, is a post-clean add-on. It doesn’t necessarily tackle each stain or crevice of the toilet, but it extends the amount of time between cleans by releasing a fresh scent and a cleaning gel after each flush.
Beyond these options, you can find septic-safe toilet bowl cleaners, like the Clorox Scentiva Coconut & Waterlily Toilet Cleaning Gel, and bleach-free cleaners that don’t smell as strong or chemical-like. The formula you opt for, again, comes down to personal preference or the requirements of your specific home. However, when it comes to toilets, you generally want to find cleaners that are going to disinfect and sanitize properly.
How Easy It Is to Use the Cleaner
No one wants to be hovering over a toilet bowl for hours, so finding a quick and easy-to-use cleaner is always great.
As we mentioned before, a liquid and gel cleaner may take a bit longer to use, as there’s a waiting period in comparison to something more automatic. However, all our liquid and gel picks, like the Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and Clorox Scentiva Coconut & Waterlily Toilet Cleaning Gel, have a short sitting time of three to five minutes.
And thanks to their well-designed bottle, these liquid and gel cleaners are also a breeze to use. With an angled and pointy top, you can coat under the toilet’s rim without having to use your hands.
The Overall Value
When narrowing down our list of the best toilet bowl cleaners, the cleaner’s overall value played a significant role. Paying attention to the cleaner’s quantity, or the amount of tablets included, will determine how often you’ll need to restock and how much you’re spending to clean your toilet each time.
The greater the amount, the better—in most cases. We did find some exceptions. The Clorox Foaming Toilet Bombs, the pack that’s our best tablet pick, for example, only includes five foaming bombs. However, we found our toilet stayed cleaner for longer using these tablets compared to our go-to liquid cleaners, increasing the overall value of this five-piece bag.
In general, we found the liquid cleaners in our guide to last one to three months before needing to restock—with picks that last three months being the most value-packed. This timeframe isn’t bad at all, though, considering the average price of liquid toilet cleaners is around $2.
The toilet bowl cleaner’s formula also plays a role in its overall value. Whether or not it’s made with eco-friendly ingredients can increase its value if that’s important to you—though the price tag may also be higher.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Kenedee Fowler is a shopping writer for The Spruce, specializing in cleaning tools and products. She is constantly researching the best home products. Kenedee has experience with several of our best toilet bowl cleaner picks, such as our overall pick, the Lysol Power Toilet Bowl Cleaner and our best wand pick, the Clorox Toilet Wand with Refills. She loves how easy they are to use and how effective they are. She’s also used our best automatic pick, the Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gel Stamps.
For this roundup, Kenedee developed our list based on the toilet bowl cleaners our team loves and uses in their normal bathroom-cleaning routines. She also read through verified customer reviews and ingredient lists, and looked at many before-and-after pictures and videos to find additional options.
Our Experts:
- Marisa Viglione, senior editor at The Spruce