I’m sure you’ve heard of toilet tablets. The first thing that would have sprung to your mind after hearing about them would be how much easier it would be now to clean the toilets. But are they actually effective? Is it safe to use them?
Toilet tablets are undoubtedly the simplest method of toilet cleaning, but they also carry the biggest risk of harming your toilet. Toilet tablets include chemicals that corrode toilet bowls and may leak those chemicals into the environment, which is unsafe.
Now, allow me to walk you through the harm that toilet tablets do. And what you can do if you’ve already ruined your toilet by using these.
Keep reading!
What Are Toilet Tablets?
Toilet tablets are tablets designed specifically to make cleaning the toilet as simple as possible. They are placed in the toilet tank, where they slowly dissolve and add chemicals to the water. When flushed, the chemically contaminated water ultimately cleans the toilet bowl.
The toilet tablets are commonly used to remove stains in the toilet bowl. But plumbing professionals strongly discourage using them.
It certainly removes the stains and works quite well, but is it safe to use, and should you? Check out the answers to these queries provided below under the headings.
Are Toilet Tablets Safe?
Toilet tablets are not at all safe for your toilet! They can harm your toilet tank’s flapper, flush valve, and other components. Consequently, you will need to get it fixed, or your toilet may even need to be replaced.
The chemical qualities of the toilet tablets cause damage to the components of your toilet tank as they sit in your tank for a considerable amount of time. This occurs as a result of the alkaline nature of toilet tablets, which cause tank components to corrode in highly alkaline water.
Using toilet tablets causes your toilet to age faster than it should, costing you a lot of money to fix.
How Do Chlorine Tablets Damage Your Toilet?
Your toilet is harmed by the chlorine tablets since they induce corrosion, which leads to toilet leakage. The chemicals in the tablets are harsh, which causes weaker materials in the toilet tanks to break down.
The tablets undoubtedly keep the toilets white and gleaming, but the toxic chemicals they contain can destroy the entire toilet and prevent it from functioning properly.
The chemically contaminated water that results from the toilet tablets dissolving in the tank’s water interacts with the gaskets, washers, and other plastic and rubber components of the toilet. These parts of the toilet tank are indeed fragile, prone to corrosion, and broken down.
It subsequently leads to a variety of issues, such as toilet leaks, improper flushing mechanisms, and more.
When a toilet corrodes, it turns into a breeding ground for bacteria that could be dangerous and filthy for you.
Negative Effects of Using Toilet Tablets
If a toilet tablet happens to become stuck in the flush valve, it could cause a blockage in the pipes, ultimately preventing water from flowing. Even the need to repair the damaged toilet may result in high costs for you.
Pipe Blockage
There are numerous low-cost toilet tablets on the market, but they should never be used in your toilet. They certainly don’t have a good quality, and they don’t even completely dissolve.
When you flush your toilet, there is a very high likelihood that it may break into pieces and get stuck in the flush valve.
The presence of toilet tablet pieces in the pipes indicates a blockage in the water flow. This will stop the tank from filling up and your toilet from flushing. And, of course, it is not favorable to a hygienic household environment.
High Costs
Who would have thought that toilet cleaning would be so expensive? But using toilet tablets costs a lot of money, unfortunately!
You clearly need extra water to clear out pipes or flush manually when your flushing system and pipes become completely clogged. You might even require chemicals to clear your pipes if the situation is difficult.
Increased water usage is clearly a sign of high water bills. Water expenditures are likely to arise in situations when the toilet leaks and the tank does not fully refill.
And if things get out of hand, you must certainly call a plumber. So, while toilet tablets clean your toilets, they also drain your bank account, and you wind up spending to clean your toilet in the wrong manner.
What to Do Instead of Using Toilet Tablets?
You can manually clean your toilet on a regular basis instead of using toilet tablets. This may be time taking and energy-consuming, but it won’t harm your toilet at least. The best course of action is to stay away from anything that goes in the tank because you don’t want to harm your toilet’s key components.
You can use a brush and cleaner to clean the toilet bowl gently. However, to avoid scratches on your toilet bowl, make sure to use a soft bristles brush.
While there are many cleaners available that you can use to clean your toilet bowl, using bleach is the best way to clean any particles of waste that might be present in the toilet bowl.
Distilled White Vinegar
Another efficient technique of cleaning is to use distilled white vinegar as a solution in the toilet bowl. It is naturally antibacterial and chemical-free.
The best part of it is that it contains acid in it, which will help clear calcium and lime deposits, which is essentially what a toilet tablet does as well.
It can assist you in quickly and effectively removing the stains from your toilet bowl.
Non-Chemical Cleaner
Even though non-chemical cleaners are less effective than chemical cleaners at removing stubborn stains, non-chemical cleansers can nevertheless be used to clean your toilet bowl to a certain extent.
Given that it is composed of ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, citric acid, etc. A non-chemical cleaning solution can also be made at home.
Anti Lime Cleaner
If your toilet bowl has a dark ring around it, you may benefit from using an anti-lime cleaner. It is most effective in removing deposits.
However, ultimately, it comes down to personal preference so that you can choose an alternative to a toilet tablet in accordance with that.
What Should You Do if Your Toilet Has Been Damaged by Toilet Tablets?
As soon as you detect issues with your toilet, make sure to stop using the toilet tablet. If you stop using them, corrosion and deterioration will ultimately slow down, and your toilet will continue to work as intended.
However, if you feel that it has already been too long since you first realized the problem and significant harm has been done, you should get in touch with a professional immediately to have them look into the situation.
It would be great if a plumber could fix your problem, but if the plumber cannot assist you in any way, you will have to consider replacing your toilet and ensure that you read about anything in the future before using it in your toilet.
How to Remove the Tablet From the Toilet Tank?
To remove the tablet from your toilet tank, flush the toilet and get the tablet out before the tank refills. It’s preferable to turn off the shut-off valve first, so the tank doesn’t refill, and you can get the tablet out without introducing new chemical contamination into the water.
Wear rubber gloves while doing this to avoid damaging anything or harming yourself.
If the tablet has already completely dissolved in the water, turn off the shut-off valve once more and keep flushing until the entire tank is empty. Then, turn on the shut-off valve to allow the tank to refill with pure water this time.
Conclusion
Avoid using toilet tablets now that you know their potential harm to your toilet! Not simply a toilet tablet, but anything else that might include harsh chemicals as well, as these compounds have a significant likelihood of causing harm to the inside components of your toilet.
In order to avoid difficulties down the road, it would be best to develop the practice of reading about the product you intend to use first.
Amos Christen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Drexel University — Philadelphia, PA. Since 2003, Amos has worked with top interior design professionals in this area, including architects and interior/graphic/lighting designers. As a skilled interior designer, Amos Christen is highly versed in fine arts and crafts and uses that to supplement his main area of expertise. He often publishes articles related to home décor on several websites, including Sprucetoilets.com, Sprucebathroom.com, and Mybesuitedhome.com. He also contributes to leading interior design magazines.