Nature Clean Toilet Bowel Strips | Green, Plastic-Free Eco-friendly Toilet Bowl Cleaner
The Top Line:
We think that Nature Clean Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is a buy! We like how it dissolves and foams up nicely, is biodegradable* and comes in slim, recyclable paper packaging and very convenient to not have to deal with a bottle of liquid. However, you are paying a bit of premium for this strips format (versus a bottle) so we’re mainly using this for the powder room and guest bathrooms when we need to quickly clean up before company comes over!
*Note: This product does include Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) — which, while it can biodegrade, it requires very specific conditions in order to do so that most US wastewater treatment facilities in the US are not set up for (study on degradation of PVA in US Wastewater Treatment Plants), which can lead to partially degraded plastic in the environment. TLDR: Biodegradable products that include PVA (which is found in many dishwasher and detergent pods) isn’t quite as clean as it is advertised to be, but still a pretty big step up from traditional bottled cleaners.
The Breakdown:
Cost & Products: $16.99 for 36 strips.
How ‘Clean’ Is This? No liquid means a much smaller carbon footprint for transport. The strips themselves are biodegradable. However, the active ingredients of the strips are on a Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) — which, while it can biodegrade, it requires very specific conditions in order to do so that most US wastewater treatment facilities in the US are not set up for (study on degradation of PVA in US Wastewater Treatment Plants), which can lead to partially degraded plastic in the environment. TLDR: Biodegradable products that include PVA (which is found in many dishwasher and detergent pods) isn’t quite as clean as it is advertised to be, but still a pretty big step up from traditional bottled cleaners.
Packaging: Amazon packaging, so just a bag for safety. Comes in a recyclable cardboard envelope. Very low profile / lightweight - so carbon footprint friendly from a transport perspective.
Purchasing & Shipping: Our purchase was on Amazon
What’s Your Impact? Standard toilet bowl cleaners are highly toxic, full of bad ingredients for the environment. Nature Clean Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner have much better ingredients that are all biodegradable (with the exception from PVA which we included more detail on above), while also being liquid free and in paper packaging — all in all, pretty good step up!
The Good:
✔ Scented with essential oils only (Lime, Tea Tree and Lemon Peel oils)
✔ No chlorine, bleach, synthetic fragrances!
✔ Dissolves easily and foams up nicely
✔ Ease of use - especially for a powder room or guest bathroom
✔ Cleans the bowl well
✔ Septic and gray water friendly, biodegradable
✔ Compact, lightweight (liquid-free), plastic free packaging
The Bad:
✗ This product does include Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) — which, while it can biodegrade, it requires very specific conditions in order to do so that most US wastewater treatment facilities in the US are not set up for (study on degradation of PVA in US Wastewater Treatment Plants), which can lead to partially degraded plastic in the environment. TLDR: Biodegradable products that include PVA (which is found in many dishwasher and detergent pods) isn’t quite as clean as it is advertised to be, but still a pretty big step up from traditional bottled cleaners.
The Experience
Context: We’ve tried other ‘clean’ toilet bowl liquid and powder cleaners, like Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner Powder as well as their liquid versions, and Better Life Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner :
Dissolves easily and foams up nicely
We like the convenience of the strips — especially for a powder room or guest bathroom
Smells great - lemony and a hint of tea tree oil
Cleans the bowl right up!
The Cost
We compared the cost of Nature Clean Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner to the likes of Seventh Generation, Method, Clorox, and Mrs. Meyers’s toilet bowl cleaners, as well as Blueland’s toilet bowl cleaner tablets.
*We assumed that each ounce of powder toilet cleaner is equivalent to 2 ounces of liquid toilet bowl cleaner, and that the average household (with two toilets) was cleaning each toilet every 2 weeks.
Money Nature Clean Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is priced higher than liquid and powder toilet bowl cleaning options, but less than a similarly convenience option like Blueland’s toilet bowl cleaner tablets.
Our Recommendation:
We think that Nature Clean Natural Toilet Bowl Cleaner is a buy! We like how it dissolves and foams up nicely, is biodegradable* and comes in slim, recyclable paper packaging and very convenient to not have to deal with a bottle of liquid. However, you are paying a bit of premium for this strips format (versus a bottle) so we’re mainly using this for the powder room and guest bathrooms when we need to quickly clean up before company comes over!
*Note: This product does include Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) — which, while it can biodegrade, it requires very specific conditions in order to do so that most US wastewater treatment facilities in the US are not set up for (study on degradation of PVA in US Wastewater Treatment Plants), which can lead to partially degraded plastic in the environment. TLDR: Biodegradable products that include PVA (which is found in many dishwasher and detergent pods) isn’t quite as clean as it is advertised to be, but still a pretty big step up from traditional bottled cleaners.
We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!
