Hard water is water with especially high mineral content, containing mainly magnesium, calcium, bicarbonates, and sulfates. Mineral buildup from dried hard water, also known as limescale, can form chalky white residue and rust-colored stains on toilets, faucets, showers, and sinks.
Pouring acidic cleaners down the toilet can help you prevent hard water stains and mineral deposits. Some people recommend lemon juice, but the most reliable and affordable product to use is white vinegar. Each month, pour a cup of white vinegar into the toilet tank. Leave it for 30 minutes before flushing it.
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.
As water flows through your pipes, some of those calcium and magnesium minerals get left behind. Over time, those minerals can build up, causing unsightly stains and scaling. One of the most obvious signs of hard water buildup is in the toilet.
Pour about 2 cups of vinegar into the toilet bowl. Give the vinegar and water a good swish with the toilet brush, making sure to cover any hard water stains that you can see. Let it sit for about 1 minute.
Vinegar will not damage your toilet in any way if it's left in your toilet overnight. Regardless of your toilet's material, the vinegar is not strong enough to damage the toilet or the toilet's plumbing. So, you can leave the vinegar in your toilets overnight without worry.
Water softeners prevent brown stains through a process called ion exchange. A water test can help you find your ideal water softener. Whole house water filters and chlorine injection systems could also help with removing brown stains.
Hard water stains on glass or in the toilet can be frustrating, but they're not as difficult to remove as many people think! 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.
If you get brown stains in your toilet bowl, the good news is that it's not caused by anything that you, ahem, do in the bathroom. It's actually due to high concentrations of minerals in hard water, like calcium, iron, and manganese, that build up inside the toilet bowl over time, according to Hunker.
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.
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.
"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.
If you want to really get your toilet tank clean, then you need to make sure you have the right cleaning products for the job. 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.
For a more heavy-duty approach, you can pour an entire bottle of white vinegar over and around the bowl, remembering to cover all of it. Then, leave the vinegar to work for a few hours or overnight. Use your toilet brush to scrub any leftover limescale deposits away the next day.
A much better solution is to use some WD-40 Multi-Use Product. 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.
Best for Rings: Pumice Stone Toilet Cleaner – Amazon and Walmart. For stubborn toilet rings, try the Pumice Stone Toilet Cleaner. You can use this product to scrub off stains and rings before selecting a cleaning solution.
Bear in mind that the longer you allow the bleach solution to soak the toilet ring, the more effective it will be in breaking down those hardened stains. NOTE: You should not leave bleach in the toilet bowl for too long as prolonged exposure to the product can eat away at your toilet's finish.
It happens because of the evaporation of hard water that leaves behind mineral deposits. These minerals dry out and catch other dirt and bacteria around the buildup, creating layers of green and brown stains.
Typically these problems clear up within a couple of hours, but can take as long as several days to return to normal. In temporary situations like this we recommend not using hot water at all if possible, to keep the discolored water from being drawn into your water heater.