How do I remove a brown stain from the toilet?
By Donna from Wallsend, NSW, Australia
Just go to a pool supply store, or a hardware store like Lowes or True Value and ask for a pumice stone. Price is about two dollars. That is a volcanic stone made for the purpose of removing hard water or any other difficult stains from ceramic or porcelain surfaces. People clean tiles around swimming pools with them. They are used in antique restoration. All that is needed to remove stains is to rub it over the stain and stain is gone. No harm, easy, safe, cheap, and fast. You will be happy to have found this product.
Lime Away Toilet Bowl cleaner! It is fairly new and in a container shaped like all the other toilet bowl cleaners. It is awesome! It also removed hard water buildup from sinks, faucets and tubs. Be careful, it's really strong and can discolor some metals.
I had black mineral stains on three toilet bowls due to the flapper not making a good seal. Replace all three flappers and used 320 and 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. The sandpaper did the trick. good luck.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
We have iron and sulfur in our water. Our toilet has a brown water ring at the water's edge. One time, when I cleaned the the toilet, I forgot to flush. Now it has a blue ring around the brown ring. I have tried different things with no success. Please help.
By Cindy I.
Slip on some cheap rubber gloves, grab a pumice stone, ( found in personal care area of stores like Walmart, which are used for removing calluses from feet), gently rub around the stained area, using a "throw away rag" to see when you have accomplished the job completely. This was told to me by a woman who had worked at a hotel, and it does not damage the toilet bowl.
I found that using a pumice stone really works. You can get them from the hardware store and it will not scratch the surface. Just gently scour the ring in the toilet and they disappear.
Yes, I just used the pumice stone the other day & it works when nothing else will!!! I bought mine (on a handle and made especially for that) at my local grocery store for $7.50. It wore down some, but I probably have 20 more uses out of it, at least. You can buy it at most hardware stores.
What is the best way to clean a hard brown stain in a toilet?
By Dee from Covington, KY
I used "The Works" and it got rid of all the brown gunk on the toilet. I hope this helps.
What works for me is a product called "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. I used to clean rental houses after the old tenants moved out and this stuff takes things off you wouldn't believe.
I cannot get a brown stain out from right underneath the toilet bowl rim. It goes around a large portion of the bowl. I suspect the porcelain was not finished properly (coated) and is still porous. What can I do?
We'll be putting our house on the market within the next year, and I don't want such an ugly stain to repel potential buyers (and us, in the meantime). Thanks in advance.
By Kat from USA
Try using BarKeeper's Friend cleanser on a sponge (the kind with a rough scrubbing side). The stain sounds like a mineral stain to me, and BarKeeper's will remove that kind of stain whereas the bleach cleansers won't.
My question is how do I remove the "pinkish" water stains in my toilets, due to our soft water? I have tried so many different products without success. I am so frustrated I hope someone may have a solution.
Our toilets are only a year old, and I clean them 2-3 times a week. I would appreciate any information anyone who may have this similar problem. Thank you so much.Could be bacteria re the color. Try 3 cups of bleach, swish and let stand for a hour or so.
I have a toilet in a vacant rental house that was used many times (by someone who broke in) after the water was turned off, so basically it was never flushed and full of nasty. I have cleaned it numerous times.
It was a new toilet, a $400 low water energy efficient one. I cannot afford to replace it. The stains (brown) are not from hard water, as there was no water in it. The "solid" material is out, but how do I get it white again? I have used every cleaner, bleach, and vinegar I have and no luck.
By mom-from-missouri
Use a Pumice Stone that has soaked in water. That will get it sparkling clean. Available at Lowes, Home Depot, and any Swimming Pool Supply.
The toilets in our retirement home are six years old and some genius had taped over a couple of the holes under the rim (or just never removed them). We've tried everything including a brass bristle brush used for cleaning handguns. Zoom foam doesn't work, CLR doesn't work and I'm not enthusiastic about using sandpaper on the porcelain glazing. We are on a septic tank so very strong bleach is also out.
By J.F.
Empty the toilet of water or get it very low. Take some light weight cotton cloth or washcloth, and dip it in vinegar and ring it out. Stick it under the rim covering the stain. You will need about six cloths. You can cut washcloths in half. The cloths should stick to the porcelain. This also works for stains around the water line.
Let the cloths stay their for at least six hours. You can check to see if the stain is lessening. If the vinegar does not work, try dipping the cloths in CLR or any mineral remover, instead of the vinegar. Read the label on the product because some are very strong and can etch the coating off the porcelain. You would need to dilute it first.
Basically, the stains under the toilet rim are minerals that have stuck to the porcelain. They make a pretty tight bond so you need to dissolve them with acid to remove them. Rust removers are acidic. Vinegar is acetic acid.
You can also try lemon juice which is citric acid. For stains at the bottom of the bowl, empty all the water out of the toilet and pour in straight vinegar high enough to cover the stain. Then just let it sit until gone. Use a stronger acid as above if needed.
If you have hard crusted stains, the acid will loosen them but you may need to chip them away with a plastic spoon. You can also remove stains from under a faucet with the same cloth and acid technique.
Check out these tips.
To clean stubborn stains from your toilet bowl, first if you have a wet/dry vacuum, suck out all the water so you have a virtually liquid free bowl. Then, pour in hydrogen peroxide. It will get rid of all stains and lime.
Trying to get rid of those stubborn sink and toilet mineral deposits? Use a superfine grit sandpaper and gently run a folded corner around the faucet or drain area with the hard water or mineral deposits and voila, they are gone!
Our toilets are still fairly new, so there is no need for them to have brown stains. I had a ring around my bowl and streaks coming down where the water runs into the bowl.
I read most toilet cleaning testimonies. I'm in this business, and my best advice is to use "Iron Out". Fill your tank and bowl above the "dirt" line and add 1/2 cup in each. Leave overnight if possible, or at least 5 to 6 hours. You will be amazed.
This is a page about cleaning hard water stains from a toilet. Hard water leaves mineral deposits on many surfaces.
This page is about cleaning blue stains in a toilet. Determining what is causing blue cleaner stains to develop in your toilet bowl can be a mystery.
