A method for sanitary cleaning using a sanitary cleaner in liquid or solid form containing organic substances inhibiting microbial action in a quantity of at lest about 0.5 g/kg sanitary cleaner, usual lime-dissolving water-soluble acids, organic substances promoting microbial action, which are resistant against the lime-dissolving water-soluble acid, in a quantity of at least 10 mg/kg sanitary cleaner, and optionally further additives, in which after the dilution or flushing the germs degrading the organic substance of the water are promoted in their effectiveness. The sanitary cleaner contains as germ-promoting organic substance a compound of the general formula (I) R.sub.1 R.sub.2 N--CO--NR.sub.3 R.sub.4 in which R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 are present independently from one another in open-chain form or cyclic and may have the following meaning: hydrogen, a low alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, an aryl group in form of a phenyl or naphthyl residue, an aralkyl group having 7 to 18 carbon atoms, an alkylaryl group having 7 to 18 carbon atoms or a heterocyclic group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms and containing O, S or N. The method and the sanitary cleaner used therewith promote the respiratory activity of the microflora in the municipal sewage water. With this method there is also achieved a desirable inhibition of microbial action function in the first phase of action of a sanitary cleaner, such as e.g. in a toilet bowl.