A Review Of The Top Portable Toilet Chemicals In Australia
Are you ready to take on the road armed with your coolers and spirit for adventure, but struggle to find the right portable toilet chemicals and other solutions to keep your camping vehicle clean and fresh?
Portable toilet technology for camping, caravans, and other travels have come a long way, with a handful of options available on the market. Yet from portable units to cassette toilets and the more novel gravity loos, you would need a reliable portable toilet chemical to neutralise odours coming from your mobile loo and sanitise it regularly for when you and your family are on the move.
Why Clean Portable Toilets Matter
A regularly cleaned portable toilet in your camping expedition is important not only for aesthetics and to control smells inside the van or vehicle. It’s also a must to stop the spread of disease; without regular cleaning, portable toilets can easily become filthy and become contaminated.
The world has just started to bounce back from COVID-19. At this time and in the future, hygiene becomes doubly important in homes and communities, including in mobile dwellings like caravans. When homes and communities are sanitised, family and community members are healthy, enjoy longevity and keep the fun and economic benefits of travelling intact.
A clean portable camping toilet when camping or caravanning is a first crucial step towards a safe environment. The mission: to eliminate, store and neutralise odors from waste accurately and efficiently.
This then makes the use of portable toilet cleaning products a must, from deodorisers to chemicals that keep the bowl immaculately clean, ease waste removal, fight off odours and create a clean, attractive mini-environment.
From waste tank deodorising liquids to discs, the toilet chemicals come in various forms but have the common objective of providing a fresher scent for a long time.
Preview: The Different Types of Chemicals
Porta potties are lightweight and easy to tow along with other camping essentials such as hammocks, awnings, hiking tents and even portable washers.
There is a wide variety of portable toilet units with adaptability features. Through pairing your portable water or camping toilet with bathroom toilet bowl cleaners such Aqua Kem Blue, Thetford Aqua rinse or other tent toilet cleaner product, you can save up. Convenience that's available year round in your home toilets could be within reach in your caravan with such products.
An important consideration would be the environment friendliness of the product, which ProTreat Portable Toilet Sachets pretty much cover. Find out more below.
Portable Toilet Chemicals to Try
We’ve taken the liberty of listing the top portable toilet chemicals available in the market today, each with unique cleaning ingredients and benefits. Not only do you want to keep your caravan toilet clean and smelling fresh, but you also need to do your share for the environment through an eco-friendly chemical solution (hint: we’ll review the products based on this factor, too!) Remember: One smart step taken by avid travellers is one less impact on the planet.
Let’s get started with what the market has in store for you.
What it is
Specially formulated to eliminate odours in portable toilets, buses, boats, trains, RVs, vault toilets and more. These packets are promoted as formaldehyde-free, water-soluble, portion-controlled, with an odor management component available in multiple long-lasting fragrances available.
How it works
The packet toilet chemicals works to break down paper and waste continuously, which then eliminates mounding for improved odour control in the holding tank. It’s also thought to ensure long-term safety in the harshest environments.
How to use
Place the recommended two packets in a bucket containing 20 litres of water. Add it to the waste tank. Add one packet every fortnight. These are purpose built for larger black water holding tanks.
Our thoughts
The drop n’ go packets score high in convenience and ease of use. Simply drop a packet into the holding tank of your portable toilet and watch it instantly go to work.
It causes little to no hassle during extreme heat and traffic conditions. Furthermore, you get 60 packets per bag, and storage in your caravan won’t be much of an issue.
It has moderate strength as a deodoriser, although of course not all in the multiple fragrance range will be to your liking. If you can get over that quickly, then the packets are an easy fix for the journey onboard your caravan.
What it is
A drop and go solution, these are pre-portioned water-soluble sachets that eliminate the need for messy chemicals and product overuse. Suitable for virtually all types of portable toilets, a ProTreat sachet can be used in grey water, black water, holding tank, cassette style as well as composting portable toilet units.
How it works
Like any reliable portable toilet chemical, the waste in the portable toilet is well broken down, including the paper. This makes ProTreat fine for disposal even in a normal toilet. However if you plan on doing this in a public loo or caravan park, you might as well check with the owners or authorities first.
If you’re curious about what it’s made of, the sachets contain a blend of naturally occurring microbes, green anionic surfactants, enzymes and fragrance.
How to use
Each time you empty the tank you need to add a sachet and two litres of cold water. Each sachet lasts in the tank until the tank is full, which can range from three to seven days or longer in larger black water tanks.
Our thoughts
ProTreat makes the bold claim of being safe for all environments, with a combination of probiotics and eco-friendly ingredients to help break down waste and remove odours from your caravan, boat, RV and motorhome toilets.
If you’re wondering what probiotics are doing in a portable toilet chemical (or anywhere other than your gut, really): the advanced probiotic technology is a critical feature of the unbeatable odour protection, tackling the cause of odours in the holding tank.
No poisons, just naturally occurring probiotics, green surfactants and a distinct fresh fruity scent. ProTreat is also deliberately marketed as an Australian made and owned solution to treat portable toilets. Therefore its selling point is not just its natural, environmentally friendly qualities, but also its proudly local status.
What it is
Touted as an all-in-one portable toilet chemical solution, 4-in-1 is a toilet bowl cleaner, flush rinse, tank cleaner and multipurpose bathroom cleaner. It’s powered by a concentrated probiotic formula to provide 10 times the natural cleaning value. It’s suitable for all caravans, motorhomes, RV along with boat bathrooms.
How it works
4in1 is used in conjunction with its cousin, the portable toilet chemical ProTreat. This way you get to treat waste comprehensively with the potent combination of active ingredients.
How to use
Add the 4in1 (75 ml) in cold water in the trusty trigger bottle provided. From then, use it as a general purpose bathroom cleaner. To use it as a rinse additive, simply add 100ml to your rinse tank with fresh water.
Our thoughts
4in1 may not be the standalone portable toilet chemical you have in mind, but it stands out from the rest as the only solution for all caravan bathroom needs.
It’s thought to be safe for all environments with its mix of probiotics and environmentally friendly ingredients, helping break down waste and get rid of odours from portable toilets of nearly every kind.
It may not be a portable toilet chemical in the strictest sense of the word, but its versatility more than makes up for that: 4in1 can remove odours from kitchen sinks, clean mould off awnings, deodorise portable fridges and treat even pet urine odours. It's even recommended for treating and cleaning your grey water tank.
Thetford Aqua Kem Blue
What it is
Promoted as a "very powerful," easy to use toilet chemical for the waste holding tank, offering the best performance for one's cassette or portable toilet. It's a competitive additive designed for mobile toilets, with a global marketplace presence to boot.
How it works
This portable toilet chemical acts as a fluid to keep your portable or cassette operating efficiently. However, it's not to be placed into the septic tank. How to use To eliminate unpleasant smells and reduce gas buildup in the holding tank, use a recommended dose of 75 ML per 10L holding tank capacity, with 2L to 3L of fresh water added. With average use, it can last four to five days in the holding tank, stimulating the breakdown of waste matter and paper.
Our thoughts
There's little question on the efficacy of Aqua Kem on portable toilets, acting as an odor control toilet chemical for holding tanks. It can completely mask smells with its pleasant fragrance.
A serious point to consider is Aqua Kem contains formaldehyde. This potent chemical has been identified by the current body of knowledge as well as user experiences as bad news for black water tanks whether in portable toilets, RVs and boats. You would of course expect to see the manufacturer show literature that Aqua Kem is safe and that formaldehyde is 100% biodegradable, but not without stating the big IF: if the product is used properly, which can be code for not too much or don't dump your tank until it's full.
If safety is not high up on your list in considering portable toilet chemicals to use, then start to keep stock of it alongside product performance.
More Than Using Toilet Chemicals, Here's How to Keep Your Portable Toilet Clean
It’s upon you to keep your portable toilet clean and smelling decent, not a dirthole that even the most non-squeamish person would refuse to use or come near to!
Here are five radically simple ways to give your portable toilets the TLC they deserve while camping or when hitting the road - keep stock of this practical advice:
- Use your portable toilet chemicals right. Throw a deodorising tablet or sachet in every two weeks or so to freshen up the waste tank and fight any odours. The fragrance will also be a welcome treat for the users.
- Promote air circulation. Let your portable toilet breath -- leave the door open for some time after you disinfect the unit and the bathroom. This will get rid of stuffy smells and help dry out the inside.
- Keep sanitary products close. Stock up on toilet paper, soap, hand sanitiser and paper towels and keep them close by. No one wants the emergency of having kids come in fresh from the pool or outside, and needing a nice, good soak or wipe off.
- Empty the trash bin regularly. Just like your regular bathroom bin, make sure to empty your portable toilet rubbish bin every week or more frequently.
- Remove all unwanted dirt. Don’t let dirt pile up and get left unattended for a long time inside your portable toilet unit. Remove graffiti, mould and other unwanted elements using a dependable all-around cleaner.
Keep Camping Fun With a Clean RV and Portable Toilet
Camping and exploring the outdoors in your caravan spell so much fun and excitement. Part of the journey, though, is keeping your portable toilet and other amenities in great shape and a clean state. One place to start is choosing the right portable toilet chemicals for your needs. Pay close attention to the chemicals you're using not just based on quality and performance but also safety and eco friendliness.
Keen to get further information and guidance on portable toilet chemicals and cleaning? Start here with our starter guide.
Keep posted as we’re featuring the best portable toilet chemical bundles next! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.