The Alka-Seltzer Cleaning Hack That Will Get Your Toilet Spotless

Alka-Seltzer, an over-the-counter heartburn and digestion medication, is known for its fizzy, effervescent tablets that, when dropped in water, dissolve in a flurry of bubbles, leaving behind a drinkable remedy for your tummy issues. Composed of key ingredients like calcium carbonate, citric acid, and sodium bicarbonate, antacids that work to neutralize acids in the stomach, Alka-Seltzer is a common sight in a medicine cabinet. But did you know that there are plenty of genius Alka-Seltzer home hacks for cleaning the most icky of spaces, including the bathroom toilet?

The same ingredients that work wonders on heartburn can also be used to leave your toilets spotless. Simply drop one to two tablets in the toilet bowl and let them do their fizzy dance. Once dissolved, wait about 20 minutes before scrubbing the bowl with a toilet brush, working away at any unwanted spots. Flush when you're satisfied with how clean the bowl is. Repeat this cleaning hack regularly (once a week) to prevent bigger buildups of germs and unsightly stains. In the long run, you'll find that you're scrubbing much less and much more easily than if you leave this task off for too long. The Alka-Seltzer hack makes your life even easier when it comes to bathroom hygiene, so there's no excuse for getting this chore done.

Like we mentioned, Alka-Seltzer is packed with antacids, including citric acid, sodium, and calcium bicarbonate. All of these ingredients are also fantastic cleaners that you may know by a different name. Sodium bicarbonate, for example, is more commonly known as baking soda. Baking soda and vinegar solutions are incredibly effective, natural, homemade cleaning mixtures that harness the mild abrasiveness and deodorizing qualities of baking soda with the acidic nature of vinegar to break down stains and grime without scratching surfaces.

Additionally, citric acid is a great, mild, yet effective acid that works away at mineral deposits like limescale, and hardwater stains — all qualities that work well on surfaces like toilet bowls. It's possible to make your own citric acid cleaner to tackle stainless steel appliances, coffee machines, and tea kettles as another natural alternative to chemical cleaners. Meanwhile, calcium carbonate, another slightly abrasive yet gentler cleaner commonly found in name brand products like Comet, works equally well to polish surfaces. In Alka-Seltzer, though, all of these ingredients are combined, and with the tablets' effervescent action working together to disperse these ingredients in your toilet, you can harness the polishing power of all three natural cleaners. This hack turns what would be one of the most unpleasant cleaning tasks into an easy checkmark on your list of home chores.