We're on well & septic, and before we added a conditioning system we used them. Chlorox brand I think. They keep the toilet very clean. However, some say they shouldn't be used if you're on a septic system. Also, I believe they take a toll on the tank bolts and flush mechansim. If you're on city water, you might try them. If you're on a well, be sure your water is in good shape first. Ours was so acidic, the water could eat copper. After adding the conditiner (sediment filter, acid neutralizer, and iron reducer) the bowls stay much cleaner on their own.

The only one I have good luck with is the 2000 Flushes.

Pricey little devils, they are. They do work very well. I've never had to replace anything.

I have used them and they rotted the rubber gaskety bits in the tank. Had to replace parts.

I use the clorox ones - they really work. No ring buildup in between cleanings, and I feel it keeps the potty more sanitary. Have not had any mechanical problems, and I've been using them for about nine years.

I've used the Clorox tablets, but stopped because I thought they may damage toilet parts. The main reason is,if the lid was left up, there was a distinct odor of bleach in the bathroom.

I used them once, but stopped when I read about how poisonous those things are for the environment and how they interfere with many of the processes used by waste treatment facilities. Besides, there's nothing more effective a good, old fashioned brush!

Our plumber told me that the chlorine bleach will erode the flapper (or anything made of rubber) so we should never use in-the-tank cleaning products. I do use a fizzy cleaning tab in the bowl once a week, letting it soak for 10 - 20 mins. & then brushing.

So how do you clean a toilet that has sat in an unoccupied house and has developed a real ring around the bowl?

Your basic Lysol cleaner has had no effect.

Then if we can get it clean, how do we keep this from happening in a vacation home?

Could it be rust? I bought a house that had been unoccupied for nearly two years. It took several treatments with a rust remover before the stains faded.

It is just bleach. It is not going to interfere with waste treatment facilities any more than laundry detergent and bleach in waste water do.
Also as far as deterioration goes, that's why the package says to not use in a toilet unless it's flushed at least once a day. So I don't use one in my least-used basement bathroom. But we have used them for 9 years now, and no ill effects on the inner workings of the toilet so far.

Yep, husband is a plumber & he makes me stay away from bleach products in my toilet tank. It's fine to use one of the disinfectant/perfumey products though.

I use these on my toilets and have had to replace the flappers on them once since I moved in a year and a half ago. So I think they do put wear on the toilet parts. For me it is a very favorable trade off- save a large amount of time cleaning the toilet and spend a little replacing the flappers.

I've found that Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Gels help on the cleaning aspect and the hard water ring buildup. The get goes inside the bowl rather than in the tank so do not affect the flapper, etc.

I was told anything in the bowl was fine but not to use things in the tank. I don't know if that's true, but that's kind of what I've stuck with.

I usually have one or two of the hanging ones on the bowl rim.

I realize this is a very old thread but I thought someone may benefit from my experience. As a young person I tried all the things advertised to make cleaning my home easier like blue stuff in the toilet. As I grew older and more experienced I learned the ads we are bombarded with only makes our purse emptier. I learned soap and water and cleaning often is the key to cleaning. I have cleaned my toilet bowls with soap and water for years now and have none of the problems you all mention, no calcified rings or yellow stains. My friend was shocked when I told her I only used soap and water in the stool and she said but that doesn't kill the germs. My replay to here was, "I am not going to drink it". One of the ways she kept a home germ free was to shut a sick child in their bedroom away from the rest of the family, then disinfect the entire room when he is well.

I don't have the experience of cleaning granite, marble and "wood?" floors and I will never have, because I planned to buy a new home that has all of the above mentioned finishes and the developments all have covenants. I asked around at the places that sell granite, marble, etc. etc. etc. and the reply was soap and water or just a wet rag.

Oh, after thought here. I do find Fantastic wonderful if I don't get around to cleaning the tub if I don't clean it often enough. It melts the bath oil and you can see it running down the side of the tub. Love it.

@sherry3 the ring is removed using a pumice stone (for cleaning sold near cleaning products in the USA) and some elbow grease, it will come off. The only hard water stains I can't get off are on glass shower doors. :( Nothing works.

I originally came to this post to see if anyone thought that urinating in the water from the bleach tablet could hurt you. For instance chloramine vapor from the ammonia in urine mixed in. .... I haven't found any factual evidence but my toilets sure do smell like bleach. :/ I wish they smelled nice.

a friend recommended some bleach tablets to ease the toilet bowl cleaning in my ensuite toilet .......after a week i found my sleeps were fitful, I had nose irritation and a raw throat........the bathroom had a strong chloring smell and I believe that the chlorine gas emptied into my bedroom despite me sleeping with the windows open all year around .....I live beside the ocean and so I get good ocean breezes all year long ......I removed the chlorine tablet, flushed the toilet twice and not ill effects or impact to my sleeping.......I'll stick to a scouring pad and some cleanser once a week instead of chlorine gas poisioning