How to Remove Limescale from Toilets

We can all agree that having limescale stains in our toilets is just nasty and awful to look at.

To make things even worse, it’s not that easy to clean these stains as well. However, every problem has its solution, right?

Yes, it does!

Therefore, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about limescale and how to get rid of it for good.

So, to start things of, first, we should know what we are up against. What exactly is limescale?

What is Limescale and why it needs to be removed

In order to clean limescale properly, you should know what you are dealing with. So, limescale is coming into our homes through the water that was enriched with minerals from soft rocks.

As you could suspect, these soft rocks usually are chalk and limestone.

Because of these minerals from stones, regular water becomes ‘’hard water’’ which leaves limescale build-ups all across the bathroom. And, the place where it can be seen the most is the toilet.

Also, these limescale build-ups are usually white, but they can easily turn into hideous brown or yellow color.

In that light, the number one reason to get rid of the limescale is that it makes your toilet look unhygienic and ugly, even if it really isn’t.

However, there also a risk of getting a lot of built-ups in the water pipes which will decrease the water stream power.

All in all, limescale is a nasty thing to have in your toilet, and therefore, it needs to be taken care of properly. So, we are going to show you how.

How to Remove Limescale from Toilets

Actually, there’s more than one way of cleaning limescale from your toilet so we will discuss only the most successful ones here.

Let’s see how to get limescale out of your toilet!

1. Get a Little Help from Vinegar

We all have some vinegar sitting somewhere in our home, and, that vinegar can help us a lot when it comes to limescale stains. So, here’s how to use it properly to clean your toilet from limescale.

• Pour it in the toilet

First of all, you need to make sure to take the undiluted white vinegar and pour it directly inside the toilet bowl. Now, you can actually aim for the limescale stains – that way, you will increase the chances of success.

Also, make sure to pour about 1L of vinegar into the toilet. Otherwise, the whole cleaning process might not have the same results.

• Patience is the key

Now, you need to let the vinegar do its job and dissolve all the limescale inside the toilet bowl. So, you will want to let that vinegar sit there for about three to four hours.

After the waiting is done, you can go to the next step.

• Scrub Scrub Scrub

Use a toilet stick cleaner that sits right next to your toilet to scrub the limescale stains. But, before you actually start scrubbing, it is often a good idea to pour some vinegar on the stick as well.

That way, you can maximize the results and the limescale stains are easier to clean.

• Flush the toilet

The last step requires you to flush the toilet and let the clean water rinse your toilet bowl. If you still see some stains inside the bowl, just repeat the process of scrubbing until it’s totally clean.

2. Use Sandpaper as a Tool

A second way of cleaning limescale in your toilet is pretty convenient and fast. Namely, you need to get the sandpaper since these stains are stubborn and not that easy to deal with.

So, it is recommendable to get two types of sandpaper, the medium grain and the fine grain. Both of these types have their purpose in the process of cleaning. Anyhow, let’s see the whole method.

• Use medium grain

You should start with the medium grain sandpaper because it is not that easy to remove these stains. Remember that you need to gently rub the limescale build-up so you don’t damage the toilet walls inside the bowl.

• Rub the bowl

Now, it is pretty important to know that you don’t need to remove all the stains with the medium grain. You simply need to rub until most of the stains are gone, so leave a little bit stains inside the bowl.

This will ensure that you don’t scratch the bowl.

• Use fine grain

As you could suspect, it is time to use fine grain sandpaper now to remove those stains that you left. The fine grain is not that efficient versus stubborn stains, but, it is quite good against left-over stains.

• Rinse the toilet

It is time to rinse the toilet now and let the water get rid of the nasty built-ups that you just scrubbed down the toilet. Also, it is highly recommendable to clean the toilet after this process – just clean it normally, as you usually do.

3. Use of Acid Cleaner

This method is possibly the most efficient but it is also the most expensive one. Simply put, it requires you to get the acid cleaner and use it to get rid of the stains. So, let’s learn how.

• Prepare the toilet

First thing you need to do is to empty the toilet bowl – just turn off the tap that allows the water into the toilet bowl. After that, you should also scoop the rest of the water from the bowl if there’s some left.

• Pour the acid cleaner

Now, it is time to fill the bowl with the acid cleaner and let it do its work. There are lots of different acid cleaners on the market, so get the one you like for this kind of job.

Suggested: The Best Drain Cleaners for Toilets

• Use steel wool

If the stains are really hard to clean, it is recommendable to use some steel wool and start rubbing it against the stains. However, you need to wear protective gloves for this kind of job.

• Flush and rinse

The last thing you want to do is to get the water back to the toilet and flush everything down the drain. The water will rinse the toilet bowl, and you are good to go.

Conclusion

As we can see, it’s not that hard to get rid of the limescale stains inside your toilet. All you need to do is to follow some simple instructions we provided here and the results are guaranteed.