DIY Toilet Bomb Recipe | Pinterest Fail…and Redemption

Never scrub your toilets again with these easy, fizzy, DIY toilet bombs. These DIY toilet bombs deodorize, disinfect, and clean your toilet bowl. No scrubbing necessary. Plus if you have a ‘Pinterest Fail’ when making them, like I did, (photos below) they still work just as well. I call that a win/win!

 

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Let’s face it, life is not perfect.  In fact, it’s not even close to perfect.  Besides, perfect is boring; life is meant to be messy and full of ups and downs. 

I love Pinterest but it sure can make people feel badly about themselves, myself included.  Parties have to be over the top, meals have to be gluten free, dairy free, organic and vegan.  Pictures need to be breathtaking and houses must be spotless. 

Forget that!  I’m a hot mess and I’m okay with that.  Or at least I try to embrace my inner crazy and just live. 

About a month or so ago our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer so we decided that we really wanted to visit her for spring break.  Financially we were not able to buy plane tickets so we drove the 20 plus hours to get to her.  Two days before we were supposed to leave I was getting this blog post ready. 

 If you remember the title and are wondering when the heck you will get a recipe for toilet bombs, don’t worry you will!  But first keep reading so you can laugh at me. 

 

My Pinterest Fail!

I gathered my ingredients for said toilet bombs.  I’ve made them before and every single time I make them I put too much water in and ruin them!  If you use too much water, the bombs start to expand and won’t dry up and hold their shape.  

 

 

I’ve read lots of articles that give various instructions on how to troubleshoot that.  I am a lazy crafter and sometimes I cut corners to make things easier or faster.  This time was going to be different!  This time I would succeed!  Or so I thought.

I filled up my spray bottle with water and set it aside.  I combined the citric acid and baking soda and then added my essential oils.  My house was smelling A-MAZING.  

I was getting excited to have these done so I could use them so I started to use the water bottle to spray my mixture a little at a time, mixing as I go.  Everything was looking great.  

Then, I got my molds out and started putting my mixture into the mold to sit out and harden.  As I was doing so, I noticed they were starting to expand!  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

 

 

I got them all done and they were about twice the size they should have been, but I’d take it!  I took a picture and giggled to myself that I just can’t get these things right.  Then I went upstairs to shower and start packing. 

 I could smell the toilet bombs all the way upstairs.  It smelled heavenly.  When I came downstairs to eat lunch and check the bombs I actually laughed out loud.  They had continued to expand and were alllllllll over the molds and had spilled out onto the counter.  Epic fail, guys! 

 

 

Roll With It

Who couldn’t laugh at that, right?  At this point I was thinking, “Okay, what can I blog about instead?” I didn’t have time to make new ones. Then it hit me…who cares if they expanded and didn’t make perfect toilet bombs?  Who cares if they are a Pinterest fail?”  Not me!  If they work, they work. 

So I quickly broke a piece off one of these “toilet bombs” and threw it in the toilet. It still fizzed up and helped freshen my bowl. Isn’t that the most important part?  In my opinion, the answer is yes!  

So instead of toilet bombs, I broke the pieces into bits, threw them into 3 mason jars (because I have three toilets) and put one in each bathroom.  I pour a little into the toilet when I want to freshen it up.  Let it sit for ten minutes or so and flush.  Super easy.  

 

 

Again, things do not always turn out perfectly.  Make the best of them anyway.  Tell yourself it is okay to fail and then figure out if there is a way to turn that failure into something useful.  

I ended up with toilet powder instead of toilet bombs….it still has the same effect and I didn’t have to waste my ingredients.  I still call that a win.  

I encourage everyone to talk about your failures with your kids, family and friends.  I love posting my fails on Facebook and Instagram because I want people to know that I am not perfect.  I am SO far from it. 

I really feel hope posting those failures gets others to feel less embarrassed by their mistakes.  Everyone makes them, so embrace them and learn from them!

Now on to the recipe for DIY toilet bombs!

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DIY Toilet Bombs

1/2 cup citric acid (you can use our affiliate link, but I got mine in the canning section of my grocery store).

1 1/2 cups baking soda

20 drops lemon essential oil

20 drops peppermint essential oil

20 drops tea tree oil

1 teaspoon water

 

I’ve read a lot of DIY toilet bomb recipes and ultimately I decided to add the tea tree oil for its different antibacterial properties because we know how much bacteria and other gross things live in our toilets.

1. Combine citric acid and baking soda and mix well. 
2. Add in essential oils.  Mix.  
3. Use a spray bottle to spritz mixture a tiny bit, then mix.  Keep this process going until it starts to stick together but isn’t muddy (that’s when it expands and you get a Pinterest fail like me!).  
4. Spoon mixture into molds.  
5. Let sit out for several hours, or over night.  
6. Pop out of molds and store in jars.   
7. When your toilet needs a freshening up, just pop one in and watch it work its magic!  
8. If, like me, you get ugly bombs, put the mixture in a jar and then you can just sprinkle it into the toilet.  It should still fizz but even if it doesn’t, it’ll still be working some magic in that dirty toilet bowl.  
9. Flush down ten minutes later and see how much nicer your toilet looks and smells.  

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Let me know if you get the recipe right the first time.  I would love to know it’s possible to make these successfully.  For now, I’ll just keep sprinkling my toilet powder in and keep feeling good about myself anyway. 

Have you ever had a Pinterest fail? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

 

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