How to Get Rid Stains in the Toilet Bowl
Thanks to the glory of the porcelain bowls, the human race doesn't have to do unpleasant squats over the hole. Guess that is why humans also get easily upset when a brown stain in bottom of toilet bowl greets them.
Buildups at the bottom of your loo are probably on the list of the most disgusting things you would have to do when cleaning the house – no doubt.
Yet, that hideous colorful stain messing with your gut is about to disappear.
Today, we have a couple of tricks that will clean up hard water stains in just a couple of minutes (without damaging or scratching the porcelain).
Where This Awful Stain Came From At All?
This has a lot to do with hard and soft water.
As the rainwater goes through soft rocks, it picks up calcium, magnesium, chalk, and lime bit by bit.
The end result of this process is hard water.
And then, we have soft water on the other hand.
It contains a much lower concentration of dissolved materials (sodium is the only exception).
Yet, aren't you curious why we use products to soften hard water now that you know it contains some of the super important, even essential minerals such as magnesium and calcium?
Why would anyone mess up the water of good quality?
Well, hard water creates mineral buildup, which is hard on appliances, taps, and toilets.
Yet, more importantly – this buildup is so hard to clean (which is why you are reading this article).
Now, we have the main culprit for the appearance of the brown stain in bottom of toilet bowl.
That ugly ring in your toilet is truly a creation of hard water buildup.
Don't take this for granted – you may be seeing other, complex shapes down there as well.
Those stains sitting in the bottom of your toilet bowl appear regularly, but you can't always spot them.
Limescale (calcium carbonate) appears as a white powdery film at the very beginning.
If not taken care of, limescale starts changing its color – going from gray-ish to green and finally – brown.
The reason for discoloration is iron or manganese compounds, which make limescale transform to beige or even orange.
Toilet Bowl Stain Removal Myths
We decided to test two of the most common myths on how to remove toilet stains.
However, it was almost already clear magical recipes don't work with cleaning tasks.
Don't waste your time experimenting with:
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Bleach
We won't deny the fact bleach is a life-saver when it comes to numerous household tasks.
The reason why people reach for this product lays in the fact bleach is truly a master of killing tough stains (except for the toilet bowl ones).
Even though bleach may make the stain appear more neutral by lightening it, the stain will stay down there and become more visible with time (again).
We can't blame anyone for assuming an efficient chemical product like bleach can remove these stains, but we wouldn't recommend you to apply this method if you truly want to get rid of that nasty fleck.
What's more, using bleach solely (without mixing it with another compound) for this purpose may actually make water oxidize, and make the buildup almost impossible to solve.
In this case, you would have to replace the bowl completely.
However, we must mention bleach is a cleaning agent you should use on a regular basis.
Don't give up on it just because it doesn't remove stains.
Bleach is indeed one of the best toilet cleaners and works wonders with germs and any type of virus and bacteria.
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Coca-Cola
We have another rather ridiculous idea about toilet stains here.
Pour a bottle of Coca-Cola down the bowl and leave it overnight.
Then, flush the toilet in the morning and the stain will be wrong gone.
You wish!
The acidity of this worldwide drink won't make a situation better.
What is more, things are going to get even worse if you decide to try out the magic trick.
If you would like to risk and make the stain more colored, go for it. Just kidding!
However, we won't write off Coca Cola completely.
Stay with us a little bit more and you can see how you can use Coke as a solid cleaning agent.
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Cistern block
What is more, having such a high concentration of stain dissolver in a small cistern block would be rather toxic to own and use at all!
How to Remove Brown Stain in Bottom of Toilet Bowl?
Reading those myths, you probably asked yourself: If this doesn't work, what does?
We tried out a whole bunch of stain removal methods and the following ones proved themselves as the most efficient:
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Vinegar
Even though Coca Cola wasn't the best choice for stain removal, it gave us one idea.
Maybe the acidity of the beverage is not enough. Maybe we need something stronger.
Something like vinegar!
The acidic nature of vinegar works perfectly when you need an agent for softening and lifting buildup from the bottom of your toilet bowl.
We love affordable solutions!
Here is how to do this right way:
- Pour one liter of undiluted vinegar around the sides of the toilet bowl,
- Let it be for about three hours,
- Scrub off any leftover stains with white vinegar,
- Flush the toilet off to get rid of residue,
- Repeat if needed.
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Sandpaper
In case you tried to remove the stain with vinegar and it didn't work, don't you dare thinking about replacing the whole toilet.
It is true – toilet bowl stains are sometimes incredibly stubborn.
We have something even more efficient for that embarrassing buildup.
However, this method is slightly less enjoyable as it requires you to get closer to the stain.
Sandpaper has proved itself as the most efficient stain killer.
You are going to need both medium and fine grain, so it would be best to visit a home improvement store before getting to work.
Medium grain sandpaper will do 90% of the task, while fine grain will polish the bowl up.
- Gently rub the stain with the medium sandpaper,
- Pressing too hard may damage or scratch the bowl (and we are trying to help as much as we can to prevent additional costs),
- Buff the stain away with the fine grain sandpaper,
- Clean the toilet and flush it with water.
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Baking soda and Coca Cola
Just like we mentioned in the previous section, Coke is not the happiest solution for removing toilet bowl stains when used individually.
Yet, a mixture of baking soda and Coke can do wonders down there – no kidding.
This indeed weird combination actually acts just like vinegar.
Sip a few spoons of baking soda in the loo and pour some Coke into the bowl.
This will create a chemical reaction – sprinkles and foam.
Just leave this sit for a couple of hours and you will see the bottom of your toilet bowl stain-free.
However, you don't have to use these two combined at all.
Baking soda is widely famous for its incredible properties, especially when it comes to cleaning.
If the stain is not that bad, try baking soda alone.
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Baking soda and vinegar
We have a secret weapon here – baking soda and vinegar mixture, which is almost unbeatable when it comes to yucky stains.
Basic cleaning never misses, while these two babies can't miss when acting together.
Natural cleaning agents are sometimes way better than the chemical ones, even though some stains react only with combined methods.
Make sure to put your rubber gloves on before getting to work.
- Lift the toilet seat,
- Pick up a toilet brush, add some regular cleaning product to it, and rub the brush across the bowl,
- Don't apply too much pressure, but make sure to scrub everything you can thoroughly,
- Try to reach the U-bend as far as you can,
- Let this sit for about 30 minutes to one hour without flushing the toilet, and flush it when you get back to the bathroom.
- Vinegar has a strong smell, so make sure to open the bathroom window before you start with this part of the job,
- Pour 250 ml of vinegar down the bowl (we suggest using the cheapest type of vinegar you can buy),
- Next thing you do is to add approximately 200 grams of baking soda, then vinegar again (go for another 250ml),
- Don't get surprised when the thing starts bubbling and fizzing like crazy, as that is exactly what we want to achieve,
- Leave it to sit for 5 minutes,
- Scrub away stains with your toilet brush,
- Finally, flush the toilet.
This should be more than enough to wipe off even the most stubborn brown stains down below. Just make sure to ventilate the space after the trick with baking soda and vinegar.
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Vinegar and lemon juice (alternative)
If you don't have any baking soda at hand, lemon juice can do the magic as well.
This is one more natural stain removal solution we tried out, and guess what – it wiped everything off!
Simply mix a few drops of lemon juice with vinegar and sip the mixture down the toilet, leaving it for 5 to 10 minutes down there before flushing it down, all together with those awful stains.
Tools Required
- Rubber gloves,
- Toilet brush,
- Flexible toilet cleaner,
- Bleach,
- Coke,
- Baking soda,
- Vinegar,
- Sandpaper,
- Mineral or baby oil.
Why Is It So Important to Remove Stains?
Despite the fact visual effect of the stain in your loo gives off an impression of a terrible, unhygienic toilet, the situation can get even worse.
The biggest reason for removing buildup from your stained toilet bowl is to prevent flushing the deposits down the drain.
Just as we suggested above, buildups pose a threat to your taps and pipes. If you ignore the stain for too long, deposits can restrict the flow of water in pipes.
After all, the very fact you are here with us at this moment speaks a lot how much you care about the hygiene of your home.
Bonus Tips
It is always way easier for you to stick to a routine cleaning regime if you want to get rid of those nasty deposits in your toilet bowl.
Taking one more step towards saying goodbye to disgusting brown stains, here is what else you can do to prevent long-term piling up:
- Use cleaning product or bleach, scrubbing brush and cloth, making sure to clean everything both inside, out, and under the seat lid,
- Leave the product for a bit longer to sit if some areas are slightly more stubborn than the others,
- If the product doesn't dissolve stains and sediments within the bottom of the toilet bowl, apply one of the above-mentioned methods,
- An automatic cleaner can save the day if you have a busy schedule and can't find time to do the cleaning once in two weeks.
- To keep your toilet bowl stain-free on the side, you can use baby oil for removing limescale stains. This works great with shower heads and taps as well, and it is completely harmless.
Brown Stain in Bottom of Toilet Bowl : Summary
Staining may be yucky sometimes, but it will get worse day after day if you don't deal with it.
Are you eager to purchase another toilet bowl?
That's what we thought!
Well, we are pretty confident about the above-mentioned methods, as we tried them all out.
If you want to get rid of those horrible splotches on the bottom of your toilet bowl, make sure to give it a proper clean once a month, and you will see a brown stain and other nasties in the bottom of toilet bowl never again.
How to Get Rid Stains in the Toilet Bowl
Source: https://plumbertip.com/brown-stain-in-bottom-of-toilet-bowl/