A stained toilet bowl is unsightly and can be embarrassing when guests ask to use the loo. With this short guide on how to clean limescale stains in your toilet, all you need are a few household products and a little bit of effort and you can be left with a sparkling toilet bowl that doesn’t breed horror in the household.
What is limescale?
Limescale is the result of calcium and magnesium being left behind when hard water evaporates. It is the chalky, scummy residue that you may be familiar with on your shower screens, showerheads, drinking glasses and taps.
Limescale can take on a host of colours depending on the different compounds that can be found in the water coming into your home. Colours are usually off-white or grey.
Why do I have limescale in my toilet?
Hard water can very easily and quickly build up on sinks, showers and toilets which can leave nasty rust and scale stains that are challenging to eliminate, whilst also causing a list of issues for appliances such as impeding the movement of water in pipes and household appliances.
Out of all the areas and appliances in our homes, the toilet is one of the most problematic and this is because it sees a lot of use and constantly has still water sitting inside of it, which is the perfect environment for limescale to thrive.
How to remove toilet stains with home remedies
Bleach won’t solve the problem, and neither will scrubbing with a toilet brush. Even though it may appear that the bleach is working at first, it is actually just bleaching the scale, and therefore changing the colour – so it won’t be long before it’s back to looking dark and unsightly once more.
The best way to tackle this problem is with an acidic solution, which can cut through the limescale. This can be achieved by using household products like baking soda and white vinegar.
To remove the toilet stains, you will need:
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup baking soda
- Toilet brush
Step 1: Pour 1 cup of white vinegar directly into the toilet bowl and use a toilet brush to mix this around in the water. Leave it to sit for around one minute.
Step 2: Then, add 1 cup of baking soda to the toilet bowl, followed by 1 to 2 cups of white vinegar. When it begins to fizz, you should let the solution sit for about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Now, use the toilet brush to swish the solution around the bowl, ensuring the solution coats any stains that are above the waterline. Don’t flush the toilet just yet.
Step 4: Let the vinegar and soda mixture sit for up to 30 minutes, swishing it and scrubbing it with a toilet brush a couple of times until the stain has gone. Flush the toilet to rinse the mixture away and you’re finished!
How to prevent limescale build-up in your loo
To maintain your sparkling toilet, it is recommended that you regularly do a white vinegar wash – once a week should be enough. You can do this by adding 4 cups of white vinegar to the toilet bowl and then letting it sit overnight before flushing it in the morning.
In terms of a long term fix, the best way to prevent limescale build-up in the first place is to prevent the hard water that causes limescale from being present in the toilet bowl, this can be achieved with a soft water solution.
A water softener works by removing the magnesium and calcium present in your water supply through a process of ion exchange and is installed by one of our fully qualified plumbers. You can have a water softener installed under the sink, in the loft, in the garage or outside – whichever suits you best.
If hard water is an ongoing problem within your household then why not get a quick quote and see if you are eligible for a three month trial of Harvey’s water softeners. You can trial the positive effects of soft water within your own home!