What does it mean to take care of your toilet in an eco-friendly way?
It refers to cleaning it using products which do a great job and which do not harm the environment.
In the category of such products, we can include an eco-friendly toilet cleaner and an eco-friendly toilet bowl brush.
Eco-friendly products are designed to help you do the cleaning chores, while still taking care of nature. Conventional products may not be as eco-friendly and may contain dangerous harsh chemicals.
After you’ve cleaned your toilet and flushed the water, chemicals go down the drain, reaching wild waters.
Eco-friendly toilet bowl brush benefits
Some conventional products can have some toxic effects on the environment.
Eco-friendly alternatives such as an eco-friendly toilet bowl brush can be a better choice and can bring you great benefits.
They are made of eco-friendly materials
The toilet bowl brushes are made using eco-friendly materials. This means they cause little to no harm the environment.
In order to be 100% sure you are purchasing such a product, look up the manufacturing company and information about the products they make. This will help you have a more clear idea.
Product reviews are another great way of finding out more about an eco-friendly toilet bowl brush.
Do a great job of cleaning your toilet
Although they are made of a different material, these eco-friendly toilet bowl brushes do a great job of cleaning your toilet.
What’s more, when it’s time to change them, you may recycle them easily.
It’s like having a vegan hair brush for your haircare routine.
Because you now know more details about eco-friendly toilet bowl brushes, it’s essential you understand the effects these cleaning products have on the environment.
What conventional toilet cleaning products do to the environment
Toilet cleaning products can be divided into two main categories:
- cleaners
- bowl brushes
Each of these affects your health and the environment in different ways. Let’s take a look at them.
Toilet cleaners
Toilet cleaners contain several chemicals which help them do their job. Some kill the bacteria, others give the product a pleasant smell.
Here are a few examples of such ingredients:
- hydrochloric acid
- chlorine bleach
- sulfates
- triclosan
- phosphoric acid
- sodium hydroxide
- chlorinated phenols
Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive chemical, which burns down dirt in the toilet. It has been linked to eye, skin, and respiratory irritations.
Chlorine bleach is a caustic chemical which is also known to cause skin and respiratory problems, especially to people suffering from asthma.
Chlorine-free products are a healthier alternative. Unrefined Celtic sea salt is a wonderful example.
Triclosan is an antibacterial ingredient which kills germs and bacteria. It’s an endocrine disruptor and a suspected carcinogen.
These are only the effects they have on our bodies. Think of what happens when they reach the environment. They can harm the lives of wild animals or cause disbalances in the ecosystem.
Take into consideration that these effects do not happen once and then they disappear. They can affect the environment for months or even years.
Toilet bowl brushes
Toilet bowl brushes are usually made of plastic. You may find some products made of wood or bamboo, but most of them are made of plastic.
Plastic is one of the most toxic materials that ends up in the environment.
First of all, most products are non-biodegradable and they take tens or even hundreds of years to decompose. During this time, they release dangerous toxins which affect the soil, air, and water.
Can these products be recycled? Of course, they can. Unfortunately, few of them are.
In fact, in the US, only 2% of the total plastic bags are recycled. This happens because the costs of recycling an old plastic bag exceed the costs of producing a new one.
The plastic industry affects the environment even before the material is actually produced.
Plastic is produced using petroleum or natural gas, two non-renewable natural resources. In order to extract them, companies use energy-consuming processes.
Plastic production releases toxic fumes and can contribute to greenhouse emissions, and thus to climate change and global warming.