First, flush the toilet and then pour a quarter of a cup of Borax into it, using your toilet brush to swish it around. Next, add one to two cups of vinegar and let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes. You should be able to scrub the stains away and flush the toilet to reveal a fresh, and clean bowl.
Vinegar and baking soda: Add 1 or 2 cups of vinegar to the toilet bowl along with a few sprinkles of baking soda. Swish the solution around the bowl with your brush for a few minutes and then let it sit for about 15 minutes. Scrub the stains with your brush (or pumice stone).
Urine scale and limescale leave visible deposits in the toilet. Whereas limescale is a mineral, urine scale contains several mineral salts. The waste in urine contains phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. These substances produce brown or yellow stains in the toilet bowl.
“Like when removing limescale from a toilet bowl, only using bleach does just half a job – the stains will become invisible, but the route of the problem will still be there, causing stains to return quickly while becoming deeper-set in the surface of the seat.”
Vinegar. Vinegar is a safe, all-natural household cleaner with the amazing ability to combat hard water stains. Pour some in a spray bottle and squirt any surface where you find hard water stains. Let it sit for five to 15 minutes to give the vinegar time to break down the minerals in the chalky, white stain.
To remove limescale from the bottom of your toilet you will want to pour vinegar into your toilet bowl and leave that on there for three to four hours. After the vinegar sits, you can scrub those stains with either a toilet brush or a wet pumice stone and flush the toilet.
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.
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.
Vinegar will not damage your toilet in any way if it's left in your toilet overnight. In some cases, leaving the vinegar in your toilet overnight is recommended to get the best cleaning results. No matter what material your toilet is made from, the vinegar will not damage your toilet.
Yellow Water Stains
Cause: If you're seeing a yellow tint to your water and/or yellow stains on your sink, tub, fixtures and laundry, this is may be caused by natural organic material known as tannins. Tannins are typically a well water problem, but may occur in city water as well.
Chances are these issues are caused from a mineral in your water called manganese. Seeing manganese stains from your water isn't an emergency, but at high levels, it can have an effect on the quality of your drinking water, laundry, appliances and plumbing.
Water is better than nothing.
As The Art of Manliness pointed out, treating any stain immediately with water is always better than nothing. Use what you have, even if that's only a splash of water and a speedy drive to the laundromat.
Rinse with a soft cloth moistened with clean water. Allow the area to dry completely. If the stain remains, moisten a soft cloth with hydrogen peroxide and rub it over the area. If the stain is severe, pour a small amount of peroxide on the stain and allow it to set for several minutes.
Put straight white vinegar on the yellow stains. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Rinse the area with cold water. Check that the residue is gone.
There are so many good reasons to add Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach to a load of bleach-safe whites, but you do need to use the product as directed to avoid yellowing, which is unfortunately permanent if it was caused by misuse.
You can clean toilet stains with a toilet brush, baking soda, and white vinegar. Household cleaning ingredients like Borax or a wet pumice stone can also scrub away tough mineral stains.
Vinegar works well on dirt, mold and mineral deposits as well as on other acid stains including coffee. Therefore, you may have found vinegar did a good job removing your coffee or tea stain. Hydrogen peroxide works differently than vinegar and is better at removing different types of stains.
OxiClean™ Bathroom Cleaner can help you thoroughly clean both the toilet bowl and around the base in an effort to keep scum buildup at bay.
For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging. If your toilet remains clogged or continues to get clogged, this may be an indication of plumbing problems such as mineral buildup or pressure issues.
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!