Toilets and what you put in them is a surprisingly colourful subject when it comes to caravanning, with blue, green and pink chemicals all vying for your attention on the shelves.

The nuances between these options are a lot more subtle than the smells they prevent, as all three aid in:

• Odour control
• Prevention of gas formation and pressure build-up
• Compatibility with wastewater treatment
• Liquidise the waste
• Keeps your toilet working

So what are the main differences between the toilet chemicals available? In short, blue is the most powerful and popular of the three for initiating the breakdown of nasties in the waste tank. Its green counterpart reduces gas build-up and smells but is also safe for disposal in a septic tank, as it's more environmentally friendly. The third additive option, pink, is for the flush tank to keep things fresh and bacteria free every time you rinse away your waste.

To get further insight into the world of additives, we spoke to Norbert van Noesel, marketing manager with industry experts Thetford, for advice from the makers of these products.

Are more expensive chemicals always the best? Why?

"More expensive doesn't always mean a better product. On the other hand, good quality does have its price!"

"Of course we can only openly speak about our own products and the way we develop them. Thetford products are the result of intensive R&D, long-term and costly product development, high-quality and pure raw materials, a controlled production process, compliance with all laws and regulations and the use of relatively expensive environmentally friendly materials."

"In general, we can state that cheap products contain materials that are cheap due to the fact that they are not always friendly for humans and nature."

"Cheap products also usually have less functionality and, even more importantly, much shorter lifespans. Therefore cheap products have to be replaced earlier and are often more expensive in the long run."

Why do so many people say Thetford chemicals are the best?

"Thetford uses raw materials from natural and synthetic sources, combined in optimally constructed mixtures that offer the best possible price/performance ratio whilst balancing the impact on man and the environment. We’re still learning new things every day, and keep improving our products in all relevant aspects."

"Thetford's Aqua Kem Blue is world's number one toilet additive, with proven best performance. Several years ago, Thetford successfully introduced the Aqua Kem Blue Sachets, the dry version of the AKB."

"Last year Thetford introduced the AKB Lavender - a new fragrance which was received very positively by the market."

"Many customers informed us on the fact that they prefer a compact and lightweight product. However, due to the fact that they want to be in charge of the dosing themselves they are not in favour of a single dose product like the Aqua Kem Blue Sachets. Therefore Thetford took two years in developing a concentrated range of AKB, the Aqua Kem Blue Concentrated and the Aqua Kem Blue Lavender Concentrated. Both products are concentrated 2.5 times, meaning that the (most sold) bottle of two-litre AKB can be replaced by a bottle of 780 ml AKB Concentrated. The odour control is on the same level customers are used to from Thetford, the preventing of gas build up and the waste liquefication even substantially improved, meaning that people can empty their cassette tank easier!"

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