Denture Tablets?

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Stan Burnett

Peggy, A friend uses denture cleaning tablets (like Polident) in her head. She fills the bowl with a little fresh water, adds the tablets and lets it sit for 5 - 10 minutes and then flushes with fresh water again. Do you seen any problem with this practice? Thanks, Stan
 
P

Peggie Hall/HeadMistress

Every time I think I've heard everything...:)

This is the first I've ever heard of anyone using denture cleaners to clean a toilet. I just spent the last hour researching MSDS for Polident and others. I haven't found any information about whether denture cleansers are harmful to the rubber parts in marine toilets (dentures don't have any rubber parts), but I did learn that they're not particularly environmentally friendly...there are biocides and acids in 'em, which means that they prob'ly don't help bio-activity in holding tanks. Without knowing exactly what chemicals are in 'em, I dunno whether any of those chemicals can react negatively with the chemicals in some holding tank products. So I dunno yet whether this is a bad idea or not. But it's definitely a unique approach to toilet bowl cleaning!
 
Jul 1, 1998
3,062
Hunter Legend 35 Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
Used 'em For Years

We've used denture cleaner tablets for years to remove the "ring" caused by water near the base of the bowl. When we leave the boat there is always some water left in the bottom of the bowl and it can stay at the same height for weeks at a time until we take the boat out again. Without the denture tablets the ring can be very hard to remove. If there is a problem with the chemicals in the tablets I'd like to know about it. On the other hand, maybe I wouldn't!
 
Mar 21, 2004
2,175
Hunter 356 Cobb Island, MD
Double your cleaning power by -

Soaking your dentures in the toilet while your cleaning. It's a two for one *bzz Jim ;D
 
P

Peggie Hall/HeadMistress

Double your pleasure, double your fun...

Clean ALL the porcelain, get the runs...:) Otoh, I don't think that'll ever catch on as a jingle for denture/bowl cleansers. On a serious note...be VERY careful about what you flush or mix together to clean your boat...'cuz products by themselves may be harmless...but when the chemicals in each one combine, they can produce gasses that are highly toxic, even fatal. Everyone knows that combining bleach with ammonia produces lethal gasses...less well-known is vinegar and bleach, which produces an even more lethal gas than bleach and ammonia. Other combinations may not be harmful to humans, but will eat through rubber or even metal. Mfrs aren't required to list ingredients on any products except food. So if you don't know what's in something, better to err on the side of caution and avoid it till you not only know what's in it, but what shouldn't be combined with it.
 
Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Hey Jim, can you imagine sitting down to use the

head, then finding the teeth grining at you while you are,,,,,you know what? *yks
 
D

Darrel

Good job Peggy

I agree with Peggy. Why use stuff that was designed for different applications. There are enough products out there that are designed for specific uses, ie: toilet bowl cleaner, why would you waste your time and run a risk trying to use something a little off the wall. Follow manufacturers recommendations and you generally won't go wrong.
 
P

Peggie Hall/HeadMistress

Thanks, but that's not quite what I said

There are many "job specific" household products that should NOT be used for the same job (or any other) on a boat...household toilet bowl cleaners being one of 'em. There are also plenty of products made to do a particular job on land that work well for other jobs on a boat...for instance, white wall tire cleaner does a bang up of cleaning fenders and rub rails...and somebody had to be the first to try it. So there's nothing wrong with experimenting, as long as you know what's in it and how it can interact with any other products or materials in a system. Denture cleaners may do a dandy job of keeping a porcelain bowl clean and free of hard water stains...but I don't know yet whether the active ingredient(s) in 'em can damage hoses or the rubber parts in a toilet pump, or the electrode pack in a Lectra/San...or what kind of chemical reaction can happen between whatever is in denture cleanser and certain holding tank chemicals. John Nantz, you said you've been using it keep the hard water stains out of the bowl for some time...leaving it to stand in the bowl for days or weeks. If denture cleansers are harmful to rubber, the first thing to go would be the joker valve in the toilet discharge...have you checked it or replaced it since you started using denture cleanser? If so, and you haven't seen any sign of damage--swelling, distortion, cracks, etc--I'd say it's safe to use in a toilet that goes into a holding tank. However, Raritan warns against putting ANY chemicals--especially bleach and household bowl cleaners--into a Lectra/San, for two reasons: 1) they can damage the electrodes...2) they can combine negatively with the hypochlorous acid produced by the electrodes to produce a toxic gas...or both. I just talked to Raritan, and this is the first they've heard of using denture cleanser in marine toilet. Till they know what the impact in a Lectra/San is, they advise against using it if you have one.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.