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.
Citric acid
More importantly, it's probably even more effective than vinegar for getting rid of that brown stain in the toilet. Simply pour a kettle of almost boiling water into the bowl, follow up with 250ml of citric acid, and leave it for some hours – preferably overnight. The next day, scrub and flush.
Hard Water Mineral Buildup. If you regularly notice brown water inside your toilet bowl, it could be due to hard water mineral buildup. Hard water contains high levels of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron that can build up over time inside your pipes and fixtures.
A few different things can cause the brown build-up at the bottom of your toilet bowl. One possibility is that your water contains a high level of iron, which can leave behind rust-colored stains. Another possibility is that you have hard water, which can also cause mineral deposits to accumulate in your toilet.
Hard water buildup in your toilet can be one of the most obvious signs. A white or rust-colored ring forming at the waterline or staining at the base of the bowl may appear. In more extreme cases, limescale and calcium accumulation can plug the water jets under the toilet rim, resulting in slow, weak flushes.
Another popular method to remove limescale from your toilet is to use vinegar and baking soda. Pour about one cup of white vinegar into the toilet bowl, followed by about one cup of baking soda, then let it rest for around 10 minutes.
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.
To prevent calcium carbonate from piling up into your cistern, pour a single cup of white vinegar into it. The mixture should be three parts white vinegar to one water. After you pour it into the cistern, mix it slowly and carefully until it's evenly distributed.
Use Coke specifically when you need to remove problem stains like limescale or rust. If you want to avoid the risk of tinting your toilet with Coke, a light-colored carbonated soft drink such as 7UP or tonic water will also suffice.
Let It Sit For 12 Hours
Leave the vinegar and water mixture in the toilet tank for 12 hours without flushing the toilet. This is why this cleaning process is best done overnight, as you are less likely to need the bathroom throughout the night than during the day.
"The biggest don't when it comes to toilet tanks is bleach—do not use bleach or products containing bleach inside the tank, as it can corrode the internal parts of your toilet. If you are aiming to remove tough stains from the tank, I also recommend white vinegar diluted with water."
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 and baking soda produce that oh-so-familiar chemical reaction that powers through buildup and loosens tough stains. While it might seem like it's chewing its way through grime, it's not powerful enough to damage the porcelain finish of the toilet bowl.
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.
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.
Cleaning your toilet tank is pretty quick and easy with vinegar and baking soda. You only need to do it once or twice a year, and it can help get rid of bacteria, mold, and mineral deposits to keep you and your family healthy.
Pour a cup of Dawn liquid dish detergent into the toilet bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour a bucket of hot water from waist height into the toilet bowl to clear it out. This tip comes from Merry Maids: Mix 3 drops of Dawn in 1 gallon of water and fill a spray bottle with the solution.
Most people don't know that WD-40 can solve many of their household cleaning needs quickly and easily. When cleaning a toilet bowl, WD-40 works by softening the rust and lime deposits, so they can be easily wiped away. You don't need to use much of it.
Don't leave CLR for longer than two minutes.
Again, CLR is acidic, which makes it effective, but also means it can cause damage if left in contact with surfaces for too long. Always rinse away with cool water after two minutes of contact.
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.
Getting rid of limescale doesn't require expensive cleaning products! Lemon juice and vinegar can help you tackle most of your limescale problems — a win for your pocket and for the environment. Lemon juice and vinegar are both acidic, meaning that they can break down the calcium carbonate that limescale is made from.
For this cleaning task, the more, the merrier, pour vinegar (about 1 litre) and a few cups of bicarb will work fine. Give the solution a mix until you have a paste. Then, add it to the toilet bowl and leave it to soak for as long as possible, at least an hour.