Pour lemon juice or vinegar on the deposits. Don't dilute the vinegar or lemon juice, or you'll reduce its effectiveness. Leave the acidic liquids in place for a few hours to do their work, preferably overnight. Scrub the scale with a stiff-bristled toilet brush before flushing the toilet.
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Pour a cup of vinegar into the bowl, then mix it around with a toilet brush. Add a cup of baking soda to the coated areas and immediately follow up by adding another cup of vinegar. Wait about 10 minutes to allow the baking soda and vinegar to interact, creating that effective fizzing action.
Red-brown rust stains result from the presence of iron in water, making itself at home in your toilet bowl, tub, and sinks. Air combines with the particles, causing them to oxidize and color. Over time, they build up on surfaces where water drips.
Use vinegar or another acidic cleaner to clean calcium buildup from your toilet. The acid will break down the mineral deposits so you can brush them away. Be sure to take the necessary safety precautions when working with cleaners. Wear gloves and eyewear and open windows for ventilation.
Baking soda
It neutralizes acids, deep cleans, and releases a pleasant scent. To use it, simply sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the bowl, let it sit for about 20 minutes, then scrub with a brush. A quick flush and your toilet will be as good as new!
Excess minerals in your water supply might be the reason behind that brown color. Common culprits include iron and manganese.
While it can be put to a number of helpful uses around the home, WD 40 is particularly good at softening rust and limescale deposits in the toilet (and bathroom). All you have to do is spray it on the desired section of the toilet, wait a few minutes, then scrub it away with a toilet brush.
Who knew that dishwasher tablets could help keep your toilet sparkling clean? Just drop a dishwasher tablet in toilet bowl and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, use a toilet brush to scrub the bowl and flush it. The tablet will help to break down any stains or buildup in the bowl, leaving it fresh and clean.
Flush the toilet to wet the surface of the bowl. Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and heavily mist the bowl surface. Allow the vinegar to sit for half an hour. Use a toilet brush to scrub away any stubborn stains.
Iron, Manganese and Sulfur
So, it's no surprise that as water flows through the earth, it collects a lot of these elements. Studies show that water with an iron concentration higher than 0.3 parts per million (ppm) or over 0.05 ppm of manganese can cause brown staining.
The following tips can help remove brown deposits: Get started with cleaning vinegar. Pour it on the spot where the tarnish occurs and leave for a few hours. Afterwards, rinse again with water.
Always wear gloves when cleaning with vinegar to protect your skin from the acid. A special tip: Coca Cola – this fizzy drink contains phosphoric acid which also removes limescale and urine scale.
When it comes to being good for the environment, CLR has a slight advantage. It's biodegradable and part of the EPA's Safer Choice Program, which recognizes products with safer ingredients. Lime Away works well, but it doesn't have the same environmental certifications.
Bleach only masks the problem—it doesn't get rid of it for good. Instead, try citric acid and a toilet pumice stone for a permanent solution. 🧽✨ Citric acid breaks down those mineral stains, and the pumice stone gently scrubs them away. Say goodbye to those marks for good!
In this case, a basic toilet cleaning product may not be enough, and you will need to use undiluted bleach. As a one-stop cleaning solution, pour one cup of bleach around the bowl. Then tackle every inch with a toilet brush or a handheld scrub brush. Let it sit for five minutes, then flush.
Pour half a bottle of vinegar essence into the toilet bowl in the evening and leave it to work overnight. The next morning, you will be able to easily clean off any urine scale, thanks to the acetic acid it contains. You can also use this method to remove urine stains in toilet bowls and pipes.
Common Culprits for Stains and Odours
Mould and mildew also thrive in the high humidity around the toilet base and rim. Additionally, hard water can leave unsightly cloudy limescale deposits that make bowls look dirty faster.
Let the acid of the vinegar do its magic for 30 minutes; the vinegar will dissolve the calcium. Then flush.
Final Verdict. The best overall hard water stain remover is CLR Brilliant Bath Foaming Action Cleaner.
Heat 1 to 1 ½ cups of white vinegar to about the same temperature you'd take your coffee – not scalding, but warm enough. Add it to the overflow tube and give it about 30 minutes to work. Flush, then go to work on the jet holes, chipping away the scale with something small but solid.