Here's the hint: Add several drops of blue food coloring to 1/2 gallon of vinegar. Remove the tank lid and pour the vinegar straight into the overflow tube. You will see the blue vinegar seep into the bowl. Let the acid of the vinegar do its magic for 30 minutes; the vinegar will dissolve the calcium.
"If you see any mineral buildup or crud, pour four cups of vinegar into the tank. Allow this to soak for up to an hour." Before scrubbing, empty the tank. "Start by turning off the water supply valve, which is located either behind the toilet on the wall or on the floor," says Stoffelen.
Vinegar is a natural acid that can dissolve calcium deposits. You can pour vinegar into the toilet bowl and let it sit for a few hours before scrubbing with a toilet brush.
Cleaning professionals and plumbers recommend cleaning with vinegar to remove buildup and stains from toilet tanks and other surfaces. Mix it with baking soda, however, and you could damage your tank and plumbing.
You'll need about 3-7 gallons of white vinegar. Fill the tank to the overflow tube. You want to make sure that you cover any rust, mold or algae that might be in the tank. Allow the vinegar to sit in the tank for 12 - 13 hours.
The vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap will penetrate tough stains and hard water buildup. Leave the mixture in your toilet tank for about an hour while you tackle the rest of your bathroom, then come back to it.
Use Vinegar & Baking Soda
White vinegar is a natural solution that can be utilized to dissolve calcium buildup. Sitting overnight, you will be able to remove lime buildup from the drain while avoiding the harsh chemicals in traditional drain cleaners.
Simply soak a sponge with clean, warm water and spray some cleaner onto the sponge itself. Then, wipe down the ball float, flapper, and other toilet tank workings with the diluted disinfectant. Rinse and re-soak the sponge as needed. Turn the water back on and let the tank fill.
Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight. The next morning, sprinkle a little baking soda into the bowl, scrub, and then flush clean.
Clean Toilet Stains FAQ
Pour a 120ml bottle of white vinegar into the toilet bowl and put down the lid. Don't use or flush the toilet for eight or so hours, then use a toilet brush to scrub.
Vinegar is a great toilet cleaning solution. Not only is it free of chemicals and naturally antibacterial, it's also an acid, so it will remove minor lime and calcium deposits. All you need to do is pour a couple cups of vinegar in your tank and let it sit for an hour or so, then scrub and flush to rinse.
A frequent cause of smelly drains and dirty toilets are urine sediments. Urine scale occurs as urine particles build up on the porcelain. As hard water evaporates, it leaves behind calcium and magnesium deposits which combine to form limescale.
Vinegar (acid) breaks apart the solid calcium carbonate crystals (base) in the eggshell into their calcium and carbonate parts. The calcium ions stay dissolved in the vinegar (calcium ions are atoms that are missing electrons), while the carbonate goes on to make carbon dioxide — the bubbles that you see.
Solution 3: Using WD-40 to remove limescale
Yes, it's that simple. The best part about using a cleaning solution like WD-40 is that its specially engineered formula works its way under the build-up in no time, making the cleaning process easier and more convenient.
The biggest issue is that most household cleaners don't work on hard water stains. Bleach, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, and store-bought glass and toilet bowl cleaners just don't cut it.
Two of the most effective substances are lemon juice and ordinary vinegar. Lemon juice is usually the best (and will also leave a lovely smell behind). Stronger pickling vinegar and lime juice are both even more acidic and can be used for really stubborn deposits.
Quickly and easily dissolves and removes tough calcium and lime deposits.
As previously mentioned, baking soda does a bang-up job at dissolving calcium deposits left behind from hard water, but this pantry staple doesn't act alone. By introducing an acid (i.e., white vinegar), a chemical reaction takes place that may be short-lived, but highly effective.
If the clog still seems to be intact, start over at step 1 and repeat the process a couple of times. For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging.
Pour one cup of baking soda into the clogged toilet, and then chase it with the hot water/vinegar mixture. Leave the volcano mix to do its job, checking in about 30 minutes. In most cases the clog will have come apart, and a simple flush with send it all down the drain. Plus your toilet bowl will be cleaner!
A popular TikTok video promises your bathroom will smell like clean laundry every time you flush the toilet if you pour a cup of fabric softener into the toilet tank. However, like many social media hacks, this one is too good to be true, and plumbing experts warn that you'll actually be ruining your septic system.