The toilet

Toilets are gross. I absolutely hate when they get a ring in them. I was using Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, but we just ran out. I decided to switch to Seventh Generation brand (Emerald cypress and fir). I thought the scent was a bit strong when I sniffed it at the store, but I just cleaned the downstairs toilet with it and it smelled pretty good. It's definitely better than the fumes from the Lysol and certainly better for my lungs. The toilet had a slightly pink ring (okay I'm a slacker, I have 4 babies, whatever). I was able to get the toilet beautifully white without any trouble. Sure, I wish it could kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria like Lysol does, but I suspect that isn't as important as it seems psychologically.

Ingredients in Seventh Generation toilet bowl cleaner:
Water, lauryl polyglucose and decyl glucoside, lactic acid, xanthan gum, essential oils and botanical extracts

Lauryl polyglucose and decyl glucoside both appear in the EWG database in shampoos scoring a zero, so if you can put it on your head I guess it's safe enough if you come in contact with it cleaning your toilet. I'm not too worried about lactic acid (scores a 0 or a 4 on EWG depending on its form). Xanthan gum gets a zero as well. Essential oils and botanical extracts? Sure. Water? Well, duh.

Cost comparison on Amazon (single bottle):
Lysol: $5.99 for 16 ounces
Seventh Generation $4.84 for 32 ounces

Convenient access:
Equal to Lysol (easy to get at Target)

I think I could also try a mix of vinegar, water, and baking soda, but most of the recipes say you have to let it sit for a long time or dump half a box of baking soda in the toilet or something. I am not really into having a ton of baking soda around, it's just random. I also like that the Seventh Generation stuff has a classic toilet bowl cleaning spout and clings (although not as well as Lysol brand) so that it's easier to use with the scrub brush and gets in all the parts of the toilet (like under the rim). I like the scent, and it's cheaper than what I was doing before. I gave up almost nothing with this switch. My one hesitation would be if your toilet is seriously disgusting. You might need to bring out the ol' Lysol for that.

Overall, it's a win for green.