Green or brown stains are a sign of lime buildup. 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.
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. What's good for those caked-on pots and pans after cooking dinner is also good for removing a brown stain on the bottom of the toilet bowl.
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 stains that you see at the bottom of a toilet are usually limescale, or calcium carbonate to use the scientific name. Limescale arrives as a result of water travelling through specific rocks, such as chalk and limestone, on the way to reservoirs and then to our water filtration systems.
For simple cleaning, you can use your toilet brush and distilled white vinegar. Let about ½ cup of vinegar sit in your toilet for a few minutes. Then scrub with your toilet brush. You can also clean the rim with vinegar.
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.
Stained Toilets: Limescale and Urine Scale Buildup
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.
Calcium buildup creates a white or rust-colored rim around the toilet water line and leaves hard water stains in toilet bowls.
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. Simply spray on the affected area, wait a minute or two and brush it away with a regular toilet brush.
So does coke remove limescale? Yes. The acid in coke will help to dissolve limescale and there are several examples of it being used to clean toilets, descale kettles and in other circumstances.
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.
You can clean toilet stains with a toilet brush, baking soda, and white vinegar. Household cleaning ingredients like Borax or a wet pumice stone can also scrub away tough mineral stains.
3. 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.
For really stubborn toilet bowl stains, use undiluted vinegar directly on the stain and scrub with a brush.
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.
It's totally safe to let your pee sit in the bowl, BTW
“Unless you have a urinary tract infection, your urine is sterile. Even if it isn't, municipal water contains residual chlorine that can kill pathogens introduced into it.”
Another said a dishwasher tablet removes even stubborn stains, commenting: "Drop a dishwasher tablet in the toilet and leave as long as you can before flushing it removes even thick and stubborn limescale." Cleaning experts at Kitchn also recommend using this kitchen essential to remove limescale from the toilet.
Urine sitting in the bowl will cause stains. Mineral deposits, also known as lime scale, from hard water compound the problem.
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.
For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging. If your toilet remains clogged or continues to get clogged, this may be an indication of plumbing problems such as mineral buildup or pressure issues.
Rust stains in the toilet bowl typically indicate that there are higher levels of iron in the water supply. This may not pose a health risk, but the iron particles can oxidize and turn to a distinct red-brown color. If you have an older home, the iron may be coming from old pipes that are deteriorating.
"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."