Hard water, or water containing high amounts of calcium and magnesium, can create a white or cream colored build up on any of your plumbing fixtures, water using appliances and dishes. These stains can be tough to remove and are particularly problematic on the toilet.
At Kinetico, we have water softening systems that make sure you and your family don’t have to deal with these kinds of stains. If you’re still waiting on a water softener installation and need some help cleaning tough hard water stains from your toilet there are a few methods you can try.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Using these two basic household products, you can usually get rid of most basic stains. Pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet and use a brush to swirl it around a bit, let it sit for a minute or so and add a cup of baking soda, now quickly add another couple cups or vinegar to create a fizzing solution. Let this sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.
From here, use the brush to swirl the solution around to make sure all of the stains get ample contact with the solution. Do this for about 30 minutes total, regularly moving the solution around. Many stains will go away, if they don’t, use the toilet brush or a nylon brush to scrub.
Borax and Vinegar
Borax is a common cleaning product that can help remove hard water stains on plumbing fixtures. Pour a quarter cup of Borax into your toilet and swish it around, add a cup of vinegar and let the solution sit for 20 minutes. Then scrub the bowl to get rid of the stains.
Borax Paste
If your stain is a bit stubborn and won’t come off using the above methods, consider a Borax paste. First shut off your water to the toilet and flush it, then mix a half-cup of Borax with as much vinegar as you need to form a thicker paste. Quickly spread this onto your stains in the toilet until they’re completely covered – the paste will harden fast. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then scrub the area(s) with a stiff brush.
Sandpaper Scrub
For the toughest stains, you might consider fine grades of steel wool sandpaper. You can use this either with plain water or with other household cleaners. We recommend 0000-grade wool, which is the finest grade and will not scratch your porcelain.
Chemical Cleaners
And finally, if nothing else works, you can purchase chemical cleaners like limescale remover, toilet bowl cleaner or other similar products. Make sure you know the safety recommendations and be sure none of these chemicals will damage any of your plumbing fixutres.
For more on ridding your toilet of hard water stains, or to learn about any of our water softener or water filtration systems, speak to the pros at Kinetico today.