Why ‘Poo-Pourri’ Stinks: You Can DIY It For Less

A woman’s voice asks the magic question: “How do you make the world believe your poop doesn’t stink — or in fact that you never poop at all?”

The only option is to buy Poo-Pourri, according to the commercial for this relatively new product described as a “before-you-go toilet spray.” Essentially, it promises to trap No. 2 odors beneath the surface of the water in your toilet bowl and release only flowery fragrances into your bathroom’s air.

Of course, the humorous commercial viewed nearly 32 million times online is a marketing tactic.

So is the manufacturer’s registered trademarking of “before-you-go.” The measure prevents potential competitors from using the phrase, helping the manufacturer convince you that Poo-Pourri is the only way to fool the world into thinking your poop doesn’t stink.

Poo-Pourri’s money-back guarantee also helps coax consumers into buying the product, because they seemingly have nothing to lose by trying it. But with Poo-Pourri’s retail price of $10 for a 2-ounce bottle — equivalent to $640 for a gallon — consumers do stand to lose by buying into such marketing magic.

For example, Leah of the Fabulous Farm Girl blog concocted her own spray for about 75 cents per ounce. Karrie of Happy Money Saver made hers for 17 cents per ounce — and she says it works as well as Poo-Pourri.

“I’ve had family members try both products (original and homemade) in a double-blind test and the results clearly indicate the DIY is just as effective as the original,” Karrie wrote. “In other words, we use them interchangeably and they both work great.”

What is Poo-Pourri?

The product doesn’t have to list its ingredients on the bottle because it’s not a food or cosmetic regulated by federal labeling laws. So the product website’s FAQs provide perhaps as close to an ingredient list as consumers will get.

“Poo-Pourri is made of essential oils and other natural compounds and is no worse for your wastewater system than natural shampoos and conditioners,” it states. “In fact, Poo-Pourri contains many of the same elements found in natural household cleaners.”

Another Web page describes the product as a “proprietary blend of all-natural air fresheners and essential oils.”

But that’s enough of an ingredient list for people like Leah and Karrie to develop recipes for homemade versions that you can copy.

Do it yourself

We have rounded up several DIY recipes from which to choose:

• Fabulous Farm Girl‘s recipe calls for water, rubbing alcohol (or vodka), vegetable glycerine (or castile soap), bergamot essential oil, grapefruit essential oil, lemongrass essential oil and blue food coloring (optional).
• Happy Money Saver‘s recipe calls for water, rubbing alcohol and essential oil(s) of your choice.
• One Good Thing‘s recipe calls for water, lemongrass essential oil, grapefruit essential oil and bergamot essential oil.
• Fresh-Picked Beauty‘s recipe requires a little stove-top cooking and calls for distilled water, fractionated coconut oil or another light carrier oil, vegetable glycerine, emulsifying wax, lemongrass essential oil, sweet orange essential oil, bergamot essential oil, grapefruit essential oil and stearic acid.

For more ways to keep your home smelling clean without overspending, take a look at this video from How to Cut the Cost of Daily Chores (Plus 5 DIY Cleaning Recipes to Try):