Toilet Duck(*)
by Johnson
toilet cleaner
(*) Many of the comments below refer to toilet cleaners in general, not just this product. This is the one that I have used. This is the one with the dodgy container.
used in August 2016
rated 3/10: so bad it's embarrassing
I've taken over cleaning the household toilets. Toilet Duck has always been in the house. My views on toilet cleaner are not new. It is only recently that I have used the product for myself. Hence this review.
First: the product.
I checked the various toilet cleaners where I go shopping. They fall into two categories: (1) those which contain "Benzalkonium chloride" (2) those which contain bleach. If you make skin contact, or swallow, the first, the recommended first aid is fresh water. Rinse or swallow. For the bleach cleaners, first aid involves a doctor.
As a nervous consumer, I chose the less dangerous chemical. For my next purchase, however, I will be looking for a completely non-toxic soap or detergent.
Then: the package. And this is why Toilet Duck gets such a low rating.
Toilet Duck has a "Unique Neck. Better reach = better cleaning". According to the label. The bulk of this review (below) explains why -- in my opinion -- "better reach" is pure marketing rubbish. In short: the place which it can better reach does not need better cleaning.
Worse than that, the "unique neck" causes waste of product.
I get near the end of the container. There is still a centimetre or so of liquid at the bottom, I can hear it sloshing. When I tip the bottle and squirt -- nothing comes out.
The "unique neck" means that the last 10% of liquid is trapped in the bottle. It takes some effort -- tilt, hold, tilt differently -- to get that last 10% to squirt out.
The "unique neck" design causes consumers to waste the last cleaner in the bottle. The design is pointless for the consumer. And profitable for the producer.
Finally: the purpose. Which applies across the board, to all special purpose toilet cleaners. Well, those used for general household purposes, anyway.
Why does a toilet need cleaning? Okay, we know what goes into a toilet: poo, pee, paper -- and lots of fresh water.
Poo is variable. If you are sick, your poo is very likely to contain pathogens. Is that the right word? Your poo will contain the germs that are making you sick.
Poo also stains. With a modern low flush toilet, the stains are highly unlikely to be washed away by flushing. With our own low flush toilets -- models recommended by our own Water Corporation of WA -- the amount of flushing water is not enough to remove solids, let alone the stains created by solids sliding across porcelain.
It can take up to six full flushes to remove the visible lumps of poo. So poo in the toilet will leave stains. And, possibly, invisible germs.
The next toilet input is pee. Pee smells. One or two full flushes will remove all visible signs of pee in the toilet bowl. (In an old-fashioned toilet, a single flush could be enough.) But what about all those invisible germs?!
Pee is notoriously sterile. Sure, it smells. But it is so sterile that bush lore recommends flushing wounds with pee. True? I don't know. Certainly, pee will have no more germs than poo.
Then we add paper -- toilet paper -- to the toilet. Toilet paper does not leave a stain. Toilet paper does not carry any human pathogens -- not until it is used. And then it is quickly flushed away.
Finally: fresh water. I don't know about your house but ours is supplied with very clean water. Chlorinated. No germs. But is does contain some iron salts(?) which can -- over time -- leave a stain.
So the toilet bowl has poo, pee, paper and water. Poo may contain germs. Poo and water may leave stains.
What are we trying to clean from the toilet bowl?
Why are we cleaning the toilet bowl?
I'm not too worried about germs in the toilet bowl. It's not as though I eat or drink out of that particular bowl. Even the cat has a separate supply of clean drinking water.
I clean the toilet bowl to (a) remove stains and (b) remove the smell of pee.
The smell of pee?? Not such a problem since the children grew up. Yes, blokes are not always accurate with their pee. It's worth the occasional wipe-down of the toilet bowl, inside and out. Less of a problem with no small boys in the house... Even then I found that a weekly rinse with fresh water was enough to clear the air.
Yes, there was the smell of stale pee. I would pour fresh water -- straight from the tap -- on and around the bowl. Problem solved.
So why does Toilet Duck want us to clean under the rim of the toilet bowl? All that comes from there is fresh water! The same fresh water that -- in other parts of the house -- we are happy to drink!
Is the water creating a stain? So find out what is staining... find a cleaner which removes that stain... use that. There is no need to use a dangerous generic chemical. Identify the staining agent in your water. Remove that stain.
If you're worried that your dog is drinking the "germ filled" water in your toilet bowl -- leave the lid closed. If it's your children... I'm sorry, that's a problem with your children, not with the sterility of your toilet bowl.
A special -- and dangerous -- toilet cleaner is a waste of time. And a waste of money. Find a cleaner which just removes stains. One that is useful in a range of areas. One that does not require first aid instructions on the packet.
Hmmm... even my dishwashing liquid comes with a warning about too much contact with skin. On the other hand -- dishwashing liquid leaves dishes clean enough to eat off. I wonder if it cleans toilet bowls?!
Don't be sucked in by marketing. Don't be fooled by packaging which causes you to waste the final few percent of expensive product.
Consider why you want to clean the toilet bowl. Then use a product to suit that purpose.
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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
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