TOILET BOWL CLEANERS
Toilet bowl cleaners are formulated to prevent or remove stains caused by hard water minerals (e.g., calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], etc.) and rust deposits resulting from iron (Fe) oxidation. These products allow for and contribute to the maintenance of a toilet bowl with pleasant odors, and some products contain active ingredients that disinfect. Most toilet bowls are manufactured from ceramic material with an applied tight glaze covering to prevent the soaking of water into the porous china-like materials. This glaze coating is relatively resistant to the decay- ing effects of acidic chemicals, so many toilet cleaning products contain a fair amount of acidic active ingredients. The buildup that forms within toilet bowls is mainly derived from calcium carbonate deposited from hard water minerals, along with discoloration attributable to iron com- pounds and the growth of fungal organisms. Acids readily dissolve cal- cium carbonate. The classic active ingredient for solid crystalline toilet bowl cleansing products is anhydrous granular sodium bisulfate (NaHSO4). This chemical is mainly sulfuric acid for which one of the hydrogen ions has been neutralized by sodium hydroxide. The addition of sodium bisulfate to water within the bowl will yield a highly acidic pH of approximately 1, which provides an environment for the cleaning away of most hard water deposits, iron stains, and residual bowl-adhering fecal matter.
Many common liquid toilet bowl cleansers now contain 7 percent to 9 percent hydrochloric acid (HCl), citric acid (2-hydroxy-1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid; C6H8O7), or some other acidic material. Hydrochloric acid is an especially good product for removing calcium carbonate-based hard water deposits and iron deposits (Fe2O3) because of the very high solubility of the chloride salts of calcium and iron in solution.
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