Before You “Go” Toilet Sprays
Here’s a bathroom “cleaning” spray to have fun with. Before you “go” toilet sprays make sitting on the throne a (pleasantly) aromatic experience!
Several years ago a new line of products was introduced to the cleaning aisle. These were the floral potpourri-scented toilet sprays. Since then hundreds of thousands of 2-ounce bottles have been sold.
The manufacturer claims they’re made from plant based ingredients, but because the bottle doesn’t show any ingredients, who knows what’s really in it.
Well, you can make your own Before You Go Toilet Sprays and you’ll know exactly what’s in them!
[This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links I may earn a commission. This does not impact your price. For more information, please see our disclosure.]
In this Post:
The Ingredients
The ingredients for this DIY toilet bowl spray are simple:
- water,
- isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol),
- glycerin,
- liquid soap,
- polysorbate-20 (solubilizer), and
- essential oils.
💚PRO TIP: The Right Tools Make it Easier
I recommend using a 50ml graduated cylinder to make Before You Go Toilet Sprays. This will make measuring and transferring the different phases to the spray bottle very easy! I also recommend using a long thin spatula to combine the ingredients and scrape the sides of the cylinder—polysorbate-20 is a bit sticky!
⭐️Before You Go-Go Toilet Spray Recipe
- 2oz PET or Aluminum spray bottle
- 30ml Water (filtered or distilled) warmed, divided
- 5ml Glycerin
- 5ml Liquid Castile Soap
- 15ml 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- 5ml Polysorbate-20
- 35-45 drops Essential Oil blend (see my favorite blends below)
🌺See my Recommended Suppliers below
Make Your Before You Go-Go Toilet Spray
First we’ll combine some of the warm water with the glycerin, castile soap, and isopropyl alcohol.
- Measure 20ml warm water into the graduated cylinder.
- Next add 5ml glycerin (to the 25ml line). Glycerin dissolves more rapidly in warm water than cold.
- Then add 5ml liquid castile (to the 30ml line) and 15ml isopropyl alcohol (to the 45ml line).
- Using a long thin spatula, stir gently until all ingredients are incorporated. Remove stir spatula and set aside on dry, clean paper towel.
- Pour the entire contents into the 2oz spray bottle.
- Tighten the spray cap and rock gently to combine.
🔶️You may notice that the graduated cylinder becomes warm to the touch after adding the isopropyl alcohol. This is perfectly normal and due to an exothermic chemical reaction that occurs when water dilutes alcohol. It will return to room temperature in a few minutes.
Next, we’ll combine the polysorbate-20, essential oils, and remaining warm water.
- Measure 5ml polysorbate-20 into the graduated cylinder.
- Add the essential oils and swirl to combine.
- Allow 5-10 minutes for the essential oils to completely solubilize into the polysorbate-20.
- Add remaining 10ml water to the graduated cylinder (to about the 16-17ml mark).
- Stir with spatula to combine water and essential oil blend, scraping the sides as you stir.
Finally, we’ll package the Before You Go-Go toilet spray.
- Remove spray cap from bottle and pour essential oil blend into the spray bottle.
- Return the spray cap to the bottle and tighten.
- Rock the bottle gently to combine all ingredients.
- Affix a fun eye-catching label.
- And place your new Before You Go-Go toilet spray near the toilet where it can be seen…and used!
Using Before You Go-Go Toilet Sprays
Give a little shake, then pump 3-4 sprays directly into the toilet before you go to help trap odors in the bowl.
Before you go toilet sprays can also be used to freshen the air after (or before, if necessary!) by spraying a single pump into the air.
Before You Go…On the Road
When you’re out and about chances are at some point you’ll need to use a public restroom. When you gotta go, it’s nice to have a little portable Before You Go Toilet Spray when you need it.
For just these occasions, I make a recipe and split it among several tiny 10ml atomizers. These are the perfect size for a backpack, purse, or even a pocket. With a single recipe you’ll have enough portable toilet sprays to share.
Take this On the Road, too!
When you’re on the road having a way to clean your hands when soap and water aren’t available is handy (pun intended).
Make an easy DIY hand sanitizer that meets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline for at least 60% alcohol content. Make it with Everclear, Vodka, or Isopropyl Alcohol using this homemade hand sanitizer recipe.
Essential Oil Blends for Toilet Sprays
Here are a few of my favorite essential oil blends to use in our toilet bowl sprays. You can see the fun I’ve had with naming them.
Use these blends as is or come up with your own creative names and essential oil combinations. Just stick with no more than 45 drops of essential oil in 5ml polysorbate-20.
Each of the blends below has 40 drops of essential oil, so they are mid-range on the aromatic intensity scale. You can easily vary the intensity of the aroma by decreasing or increasing one or more of the essential oils by a drop or two.
💛PRO TIP: Toilet sprays are an excellent way to use up expiring or recently expired essential oils!
🌺See my Recommended Suppliers below
Lavender (Toilet) Wand
- 19 drops Lavandin essential oil (Lavandula x intermedia)
- 15 drops Grapefruit essential oil (Citrus x paradisi)
- 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
- 1 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata)
Citrus (Toilet) Bowl
- 15 drops Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus x sinensis)
- 15 drops Lemon essential oil (Citrus x limon)
- 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
- 5 drops Lime essential oil (Citrus x aurantifolia)
(Toilet) Tank You Very Much
- 19 drops Green Mandarin essential oil (Citrus reticulata)
- 10 drops Lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon martinii)
- 6 drops Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita)
- 5 drops Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)
🔶️IMPORTANT! Please do not use this on any pets. It is not designed for use in or around a litter box. As with any cleaning product, if you have pets in the home, please ensure they can leave the room where the product is in use, and the space is well-ventilated.
The Last Square
If you wish, your can certainly make your before you go toilet bowl sprays in glass spray bottles and in larger volumes. I prefer to use PET or Aluminum spray bottles for these blends because
- With multiple people using them, the likelihood of the bottle being dropped is high and I wouldn’t want the bottle to shatter or the porcelain bowl to crack.
- Aluminum and PET plastic are non-reactive to isopropyl alcohol and this small percentage of essential oils. This makes them a safe alternative to glass.
And, finally, the reason I make our Before You Go-Go Toilet Sprays in small volumes is a simple one: I like to provide a variety of fragrance choices!
So, whether you have one toilet or several, create multiple essential oil blends and have fun naming them! Your efforts will make using the toilet an aromatic experience (in a pleasant way!).
📌Green Cleaning Pins
Mom’s Before You Go-Go Shopping List
Here are the exact ingredients I use in my Before You Go-Go toilet spray blends:
- Castile Soap
- Vermont Soap, organic (on Amazon)
- Also their organic Dog Shampoo! (on Amazon)
- Aromatics International, organic.
- Vermont Soap, organic (on Amazon)
- Glycerin:
- Seven Minerals, organic, for skin care & crafting (on Amazon)
- Starwest Botanicals, organic, for tinctures & baking (on Amazon).
- Polysorbate-20:
- Velona natural oils, USP (on Amazon).
- Pink/Rose Grapefruit essential oil (Citrus x paradisi):
- Aromatics International, organic, Rose
- Plant Therapy, organic, Pink (Direct and Amazon).
- Lavandin essential oil (Lavandula x intermedia):
- Lemon essential oil (Citrus x limon):
- Aromatics International, organic
- Edens Garden, sustainable (on Amazon)
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon).
- Lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus / C. flexuosus):
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Aromatics International, sustainably wildcrafted
- Also Aromatics International’s skin-gentle, organic Lemongrass ct rhodinol.
- Lime essential oil (Citrus x aurantifolia):
- Aromatics International, organic, distilled
- Plant Therapy, sustainable, distilled (Direct and Amazon)
- Edens Garden, sustainable, distilled (on Amazon).
- Green Mandarin essential oil (Citrus reticulata):
- Aromatics International, organic
- Edens Garden, sustainable (on Amazon)
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon).
- Peppermint essential oil (Mentha x piperita):
- Aromatics International, organic
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon).
- Aromatics International‘s Peppermint hydrosol is cooling to skin and can be added to beverages!
- Sweet Orange essential oil (Citrus x sinensis):
- Aromatics International, organic
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon).
- Tea Tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia):
- Aromatics International, organic
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- TIP: Plant Therapy’s Tea Tree Hydrosol is excellent for skin care (Direct and Amazon).
- Ylang Ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata):
- Plant Therapy, organic (Direct and Amazon)
- Aromatics International, organic.
This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is for educational purposes only.
All recipes provided are for personal use and are not designed for re-sale or large-scale manufacturing.
Please consult your doctor, naturopath, herbal practitioner, or other qualified health professional for medical advice and before starting any herbal regimen, particularly if you are pregnant or nursing, have any existing medical conditions, or are taking any medications.
Chris P | Author, Certified Aromatherapist, Natural Skin Care Formulator
Chris (“Mom”) enjoys formulating bespoke aromatherapy, skin care, and herbal products to support her family, pets, friends, and clients. She also loves experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. An avid reader, writer, and lifetime learner, Chris enthusiastically explores research rabbit holes and then writes about her discoveries.💚 (Learn more >>)
