Hard water stains in toilet

[Fern]

anyone know how to get rid of hard water (blue) stains from a toilet bowl?

[flash]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

If it's a copper build up, you can pumice it off. That can damage the surface, though. If you can drain the water down (plunging usually works), vinegar or a lime remover.

If it's a stain through, remove whatever crust you can, and use a denture cleaner (like Efferdent). Strange, but often true...

[boefixepa]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

Plunge the water out.
Get a good coating of the toliet bowl cleaner on it and let it sit for a long while. Mine generally comes off with a light scrubbing of the toliet brush after that.

Course...mines never blue either...

[shelbylovesmelby]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

have your tried "the Works" bowl cleaner??? We get alot of mineral deposits on our fixtures.

[ummabdullah]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

try sand paper.. I always use it on my bowls to get the ring out.. works a charm.. as for scratches.. well not really noticable but then its inside the bowl anyway.. so whos gonna notice... ?????????

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

I would not use sand paper it scratches the heck out of things!

Her is a site to take a look at.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/housing/pubs/fcs397.html

Best of luck!

[starving_student]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

anyone know how to get rid of hard water (blue) stains from a toilet bowl?

I am having some success with a toothbrush and tons of baking soda. It takes a looooooong time though

[yummy64]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

Find a pumice stone, rub on yellowish brown stain in toilet. Watch stain disappear.

The next step is the most important. Put pumice stone in cleaning supply bin, else you'll find your sweetie using it on his/her heels.

Then again, depending on your mood and love for your sweetie, you can skp that step.

[flash]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

Baking soda itself won't have much impact if it's a lime/metal stain. Pumice works but it still scratches.

Alka Seltzer is highly recommended, but haven't tried it. There are some free samples of denture cleaner running around, might try it.

[Bookie]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

Anybody every tried Coca-Cola? That showed up in a cleaning hints article I read a while back. I think the active ingredient is supposed to be critric acid in this application.

[lynclarke]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

Fern- Once you get the bowl sparkling clean, you may want to invest in a product like "clean shield". It is a surface protectant that prevents furthur build up for quite a long time. For the life of me, I can not remember where I got it. I use it in the shower stall and mirrors. The package says, "...gives invisible protection on glass, porcelain, ceramics. marble, granite, fiberglass, laminates, and stainless steel. I think it was a couple of bucks. lynclarke

[cbmeeks]

Re: Hard water stains in toilet

You do know you're not supposed to use those blue tablets in your toilet right? I can't tell you how many plumbers I know that tell you not to use those things.

In fact, you're not supposed to use any kind of anti-bacterial soap/cleaner in sinks or toilets because it kills the bacteria in your septic (assuming you use septic). Those little critters are what keep your toilets flushing. :-)


It's better to use mild soap for everything.

[Wringer-Washer]

DH emptied a bucket of hot water into our basement toilet along with a half bottle of CLR, and allowed the chemical and hot water mixture to sit for 20 minutes, before taking a scouring pad to the staining and working them out.

It took two treatments, and the before and after was astonishing. He did another follow-up a few weeks later, and to this day the toilet looks new.

[frugal saver]

Since this thread got revived, I'll throw in my two cents.

A long time ago my plumber gave me a small strip of plastic mesh and said only use that on the toilet. No chemicals, just rub the mesh over the hard-water stain.

Works like magic. Doesn't scratch.

I found a full size sheet of it at my hardware store for like $1.99 and I cut off strips of it as needed--the strips will last for years.

I don't know what it's called, but if you go to Amazon and search for Winco Griddle Screen, that's the same thing--but a lot more expensive.

[greenskeeper]

ironout