There are four kinds of toilet bowl stains: hard water, rust, mildew, and mold. If you have mold, you may want to leave it to the experts because of the toxicity. However, you may be able to handle all four types of stains with household remedies.
The contaminants notorious for causing brown stains in toilet bowls are iron, manganese and sulfur. These pollutants can also produce iron bacteria, manganese bacteria and sulfur bacteria, which also can produce brown stains.
The best way to clean toilet stains from tough mineral buildup is with lemon juice or any source of citric acid. Spray on the lemon juice and leave it overnight. Then spay on another light layer and wait a few minutes before scrubbing your toilet. Flush to rinse away the stain.
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.
Toilets often develop a pink or slightly orange ring around the bowl right at the waterline, especially if the toilet is rarely used. It probably isn't rust or a mineral. The bad news is that slimy, anaerobic bacteria called Serratia Marcescens cause this ring.
In particular, iron oxide, or rust, is the main problem. If you don't clean your toilet regularly, these stains will naturally show up and darken over time. To remove brown stains in the toilet, you may want to turn to a heavy-duty acid cleaner that will dissolve the rust.
Hard water stains are known by many names – limescale, mineral deposits, mineral buildup, hard water deposits – but the meaning is the same. Hard water stains appear as chalky white residue that results from buildup of excess minerals present in hard water.
It is bacteria known as Serratia marcescens, according to Roxanne Johnson, North Dakota State University Extension Service water quality associate. You may find this bacterium in moist areas such as toilet bowls, sinks, tiles, shower stalls, bathtub enclosures and even your pet's water dish.
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.
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.
WD 40 is great for cleaning out keyboards or loosening bike chains – but did you also know it is really good at removing limescale from your toilet? 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).
To control Serratia marcescens in toilets
Clean the bowl thoroughly and spray chlorine bleach into the bowl and under the bowl rim. Also add 1/4 cup of bleach to the toilet tank.
Once established, Serratia is difficult to eliminate entirely. However, regular and thorough cleaning, followed by disinfection with chlorine bleach, is the best means to control the organism.
Hard water prevents soap and detergents from lathering. Unattractive white or brown, crusty stains or rings in bathtubs, sinks, shower areas, toilet bowls and around the foundations of taps and fixtures. A thin film of rough powder on glass, plastic and porcelain surfaces (like shower doors, tiles and curtains).
Limescale, which is mainly composed of calcium carbonate, will appear in your toilet as a brown, orange or pink coloured stain.
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.
Can you put bleach in a toilet bowl? Yes, Clorox® Bleach is safe to add to the water in the toilet bowl. Always flush the toilet first before scrubbing, and then again when toilet cleaning is finished.
The carbonic acid that is in coke is what helps to clean toilet stains. Picture the acidity slowly working its way through the stains, melting them away. It can take a while depending on how stubborn the stain is which is why it's vital to have a suitable cleaning method depending on how bad the toilet condition is.