How to Remove Hard Water Stains From Toilet | 4 Best Ways
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Removing hard water stains from a toilet can be one of the trickiest household cleaning tasks. Hard water often leaves tough stains in toilets that are harder to clean than sinks or faucets. Since toilets have standing water, the stains can become quite stubborn.
Luckily, there are some easy and effective ways to tackle these stains using common household products. This article will explore simple methods to remove hard water stains from your toilet.
Contents
What is Hard Water, and What are Some Signs of it?
Sometimes water consists of a high amount of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium; we call it hard water. Along with calcium and magnesium, water also can carry iron, brass, manganese, or copper.
These minerals come in contact with water during passing in the soil and rocks. The hardness of water is measured in mg/L (milligram per liter), GPG (grains per gallon), and ppm (parts per million).
If you find stains, deposits of minerals, and some white film on various surfaces such as stainless steel, glass, fiberglass, tile, porcelain, and enamel, then it may be caused by hard water.
Besides this, you will notice some unwanted stains on your sink, faucet, dishes, and bathroom fixtures. If your water is ironic, then it will leave red or white slime deposits, while green or blue stain around the installation refers to the slightly acidic water.
4 Best Ways to Remove Hard Water Stains from the Toilet
Removing hard water stains is a severe problem, and you solve it using any commercial cleaning product. But most commercial cleaning products are dangerous also. Even they are not eco-friendly.
So, you should try some safe methods. You can try the following ways, they are entirely safe for both you and the environment.
1. The Use of White Vinegar
White vinegar is an essential ingredient in various recipes like salads. So, most of our kitchen pantry has a bottle of vinegar. Vinegar is not only useful for your cooking. It is also very useful for cleaning toilet bowl stains. It can easily remove hard water stains from your toilet.
Necessary ingredients
- White vinegar
- One pair of rubber gloves
- Toilet paper and
- Old cloth/towel
Cleaning method
- Before you start your cleaning, you need to dry the bowl. Use a plunger to remove the last drop of water. Wipe with an old cloth or towel to dry the bowl thoroughly.
- Spray white vinegar all over the bowl. It should be covered up the entire hard water stain area. Do not forget to spray under the rim of the toilet.
- If there is any old, thick, and stubborn stain wet toilet paper with vinegar and stick over the dirt parts.
- Leave your toilet overnight to dissolve stains.
- The next morning, wipe the bowl and rinse with warm water.
2. Use White Vinegar and Baking Soda
White vinegar and baking soda both are popular cooking ingredients. The combination of both can excellently remove hard water stains. It is a multifunctional, magical, and completely natural solution for your toilet stain.
Necessary ingredients
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Toilet brush
- Plunger
- Measurement cup
Cleaning method
- Take about one cup of white vinegar and pour it all over the toilet bowl. Wait for 10 minutes.
- Take another full cup of baking soda and spread it over the bowl’s surface. Now you need to pour one more cup of vinegar. It will create a fizzing reaction along with a hissing sound.
- Use a toilet brush to spread the mixture all over the toilet bowl surface and leave it for at least 30 minutes.
- Brush out all stains and rinse with water. Get a shiny new-looking toilet.
3. Use of Borax
Necessary ingredients
- Borax
- Toilet brush
- Vinegar
- Stiff-bristled nylon brush
- Old towel/cloth
Cleaning method
- Take approximately half a cup of borax and sprinkle it into the bowl. Make sure that it can cover all the hard water stains.
- Now scrub the stain with a toilet brush and leave the bowl overnight.
- The next morning, flush the bowl and get rid of all stains.
- If this method does not work to your expectations, you need to go for some advanced method.
- First, you need to empty the bowl to remove all the stains. Drain the bowl and turn off the valve. Use an old towel or soft cloth to wipe down the remaining water.
- Make a paste with a half cup of Borax and the required amount of vinegar. The consistency should be thick.
- Apply the paste over the stains and leave it for at least 20 minutes.
- Take a hard nylon brush and scrub out the paste along with the stains.
4. Use of Some Commercial Chemicals
Necessary ingredients
- Necessary chemicals
- Plunger
- Old towel
- Toilet brush
Cleaning method
- Use a plunger to remove the last drop of water from the bowl. Wipe down the remaining water with an old cloth.
- Apply the cleaner to the stains of the bowl and scrub with a brush. Do not leave any hidden parts of the toilet.
- Rinse the chemical immediately after cleaning. Flush the toilet several times to remove chemicals completely.
- You should be very careful while using chemicals as they are acidic. You should also wear rubber gloves when you are going to use chemicals.
Some useful tips for cleaning hard water stains
- Sometimes only vinegar not be enough, so you should use a stiff or hard bristle toilet brush to scrub out stains.
- An old toothbrush is quite helpful in cleaning hard-to-reach areas.
- Pumice stone is also useful for scrubbing away hard stains, and it will clean without any unwanted damage.
How to Prevent Hard Water Stains in the Toilet
We have discussed some effective methods of how to get rid of hard water stains in the toilet, but it will be better if you can prevent them. We know that the presence of a high level of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and limestone in the water creates rusty, mineral stains in the toilet.
You may have to make much effort to get rid of it. But if you can prevent creating these stains, it will be easy to keep your house clean and fresh. The following tip can help you to prevent hard water stains.
Keep dry the surface
Hard water can deposit mineral stains in the toilet if you allow it to store on the surface for a long time. The easiest way to solve the problem is to keep the surface dry.
Do not leave the least amount of water at the surface so that it can deposit minerals. Especially those areas that come in contact with water frequently like the sink, showers, and toilet surfaces try to dry them as soon as possible. An old towel or cotton cloth will be helpful to wipe water.
Clean toilet frequently
Hard water stains indeed become more stubborn over time. The longer you will make the duration between two cleaning sessions, the more stains will be more prominent and harder. So, try to make cleaning a part of your daily routine. You should clean your toilet at least once a week.
If you find any specific area that is prone to stain, take prompt action to remove it. Spray some lemon juice or vinegar before it becomes a visible stain.
Use water softener
The use of a water softener is the most straightforward method to avoid unexpected hard water stains. A water softener works great to remove excess minerals from water.
As a result, when water reaches the faucet, most of the minerals are removed, and the water becomes soft. Your house will be free from hard water stains.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I get rid of brown limescale in my toilet?
As always, vinegar and baking soda can be the savior against the brown limescale of your toilet. You have to pour the vinegar into the bowl and then add one cup of baking soda into it. Let it sit there for 10 minutes and then press the toilet flush. You will see a magical change soon.
What is the best hard water stain remover?
Hard water stains can be quite stubborn but vinegar beats it all. Just pour a cup of vinegar and let it be there for 5 to 15 minutes. In the meantime, the vinegar will break down the minerals. Therefore, you can also use a brush to break the stained areas. The stain will be cleared in the best way.
How do you remove hard water stains from a porcelain toilet?
Borax works best to remove hard water stains from a porcelain toilet. Pour a quarter of a cup of Borax powder into the toilet and then scrub it using a toilet brush. You have to pour vinegar onto it. Let the vinegar rest for half an hour and then scrub the stains away!
Does vinegar damage toilet bowls?
Vinegar is an amazing household product to deal with any kind of stains and rubbish. So you can easily use it on your toilet bowls. It won’t cause any harm to the toilet bowl or other components.
Wrapping up
To remove hard water stains, you should brush your toilet daily. Once the smallest sign of stain appears, use baking soda, white vinegar, borax, or scrub with a toilet brush. Coca-Cola also works amazingly on removing various stains so that you can try it.
Overall, whatever you want to try, it doesn’t matter, you just have to take prompt action before the stains become tougher.
You are welcome to follow any of the above-listed methods. If one attempt is not completed, repeat the entire process of trying another method. With minimum effort, enjoy a sparkling toilet.
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