Struggling with toilet bowl stains? Discover how common household items like vinegar, baking soda, and borax might help tackle stubborn mineral stains. Learn effective cleaning methods to keep your toilet sparkling clean.
If a light cleaning can’t break through stubborn toilet bowl stains, you’re probably dealing with mineral stains.Hard waterhas a higher level of dissolved minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron — which can coat the surface of your toilet bowl with grody stains.
But you can clean toilet stains with clever (and common) household potions like vinegar and baking soda. After a good scrub, regular maintenance should slow that menacing stain buildup and leave you with a sparkling throne.
How do you clean toilet bowl stains?
No one wants to get elbows deep in a grungy porcelain palace, but eyes on the prize, friend! Follow these steps to prep and scrub your toilet bowl for an ultimate clean:
Want more deets on the actual cleaning part? Here are our top toilet stain cleaning methods from “gentle but tough” for light rings to “nuclear options” if you can’t see the bottom of your commode.
1. White vinegar
Distilled white vinegaris super acidic with apHof about 2.5. This helps it dissolve mineral scale by charging particles so they are attracted to water and wash away easily.
Safety note
NEVER combine bleach and vinegar. If you usually clean with bleach, don’t even think about adding it to the mix. A bleach and vinegar combo actually creates a toxic gas.
2. Baking soda and vinegar
To punch up the power ofvinegar, add another housekeeping star —baking soda.
Give your bowl a daily sprinkle of baking soda to help keep scale and stains from building back up.
3. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda
Hydrogen peroxideis alegit disinfectantthat can clean up stainsandkill nasties like viruses, bacteria, mold, and fungi. Like vinegar, pairing it withbaking sodagives you even more scrubbing power.
4. Borax and vinegar
Borax is another commonhousehold cleanerthat interacts with the minerals in hard water to prevent them from being deposited on surfaces. Paired with vinegar you may clean up those toilet rings similar to the baking soda combo.
5. Borax paste
If you’re dealing with extreme toilet stains, you can make a paste fromBoraxand vinegar and apply it directly to those stubborn rings.
6. Pumice stone
For some stains, a toilet brush just doesn’t have the muscle for the job. After applying the cleaner of your choice or using good ‘ol water, you can also try scrubbing with something more abrasive like:
Note: These methods can permanently scratch your toilet’s porcelain finish, so only try this if nothing else works. Keeping your abrasive tool and the toilet wet should help you avoid scratches.
7. Coca-Cola
Sounds more like a party trick than a seriouscleaning hack, but if you want to flush your precioussoda popin the name of stain-fighting, Coke can get the job done. Coca-cColaismildly acidic (with a pH of2.6 to 2.7) due to its phosphoric acid content. In theory, it cleans the same way vinegar does.
FAQs on cleaning toilet stains
How do you clean a badly stained toilet?
Toiletso nasty you want to toss it? Just bring out the big guns: Apply a paste of borax and vinegar, let sit for an hour and then scrub with0000-grade steel wool to scrub away stubborn stains.
Why is my toilet seat stained yellow?
When you flush, water can splash onto the toilet seat and leave behind mineral deposits. Minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron can all leave behind a yellow stain. Stray pee drops can also build up into a yellow stain.
Why is my toilet bowl stained green or brown?
Limescale buildup via calcium and magnesium deposits is most likely to blame for green or brown stains. The crusty stuff attracts particles of whatever you flush into layers of gunk.
Does WD40 Clean toilet bowls?
You may think WD-40 is just for lubricating squeaky doors or removing stuck nuts and bolts, but the makers ofWD-40say it can also break down toilet stains. For best results, spray it on rust stains, wait a few minutes, and then scrub away. Just note that your bathroom will smell like an auto shop.
What is the best cleaner for toilet stains?
Not into DIY? you may tackle toilet stains with store-bought cleaning products likeCLR PRO Calcium Lime and Rust Remover.
Reviewers note this longstanding mineral stain fighter is tough on toilet stains and beyond. Plus, it’s also septic safe and part of theEPA’s Safer Choice Program, which means it has safer ingredients compared to traditional chemicals used in cleaning products.
Keep your toilet bowl stain-free with regular cleaning habits
It may take time and several cleanings to fully get rid of toilet stains. But once you get your porcelain throne stain-free, regularmaintenance cleaningshould keep things looking fresh.
Add these tips to your cleaning schedule to prevent more buildup between cleanings:
