How To Clean A Toilet Bowl And Remove Hard Water Stains

This post will help you learn how to clean a toilet, the best toilet bowl cleaner, green cleaning options, and how to remove hard water stains.

As a real estate investor and parent to three potty-training kids, I have cleaned many toilets in my life.

I love finding and sharing hacks for cleaning my oven, cleaning my Keurig, washing machine cleaning, cleaning our mattresses, and much more. This time I wanted to figure out how to clean the toilets quickly and easily.

Don’t you hate those hard water stains in your toilet? Even though the toilet is clean, it appears dirty with those dark colored stains.

If you have toilet bowl stains from hard water problems, you have probably found your way here looking for easy and quick ways to clean a toilet and how to remove hard water stains.

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What Causes The Inside Of The Toilet Bowl To Look Gross?

The first thing to cleaning a toilet bowl is to understand what’s causing the stained toilet bowl to look the way it does. The rust stains are generally hard water stains and not urine or other human waste.

Usually, it’s limescale caused by minerals in the toilet water like calcium, magnesium, and iron that attach to the surfaces of the toilet bowl. After understanding that you just need to pick your preferred green chemical or all purpose cleaner to break down those minerals. 

You can try getting a water softener. Amazon has a variety of discounted water softener options. Even with water softeners, you may still get some mineral buildup.

Fast and Easy – How to Remove Hard Water Stains

I did some research and experimented on the easiest ways to remove hard water stains from toilets and how to clean a toilet.

In addition, I wanted to find toilet cleaner and bathroom cleaners without harsh chemicals. I prefer not to use bleach or any other chemicals the require a mask to be worn during cleaning.

* With all of these methods, try it on a small section of your toilet first before using the method on the whole toilet.

For best results, drain the tank first. Turn off the water valve behind the toilet. Then flush to remove all of the toilet water.

How To Clean Your Toilet Without Putting Your Face in it!

Good news! They now make extra long toilet wands and brushes so you don’t even have to put your face in the toilet bowl!

Follow the tips below and be sure to grab one of these extra long toilet brushes.  There are often Amazon coupons and deals on cleaning products.

Quick Easy Ways To Remove Hard Water Stains And Clean Your Toilet

How To Clean Your Toilet: Use It!

The less a toilet is used, the worse the water stains are. So, one way to limit the stains is through use. Occasionally, use or flush each toilet in your house. 

This will only help with decreasing the hard water stains. Issues with poor “aiming” may still exist.

Baking Soda And Vinegar For Toilet Cleaning:

For natural green cleaning, I use baking soda and vinegar to clean a lot of my household items. To remove hard water stains:

1. Start by pouring a cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl and swish it around using a toilet brush.
2. Then, add a cup of baking soda.
3. Swish.
4. Add one more cup of white vinegar
5. Let it fizz and sit for about 15 minutes.
6. Swish the mixture around making sure to remove all of the dirt and stains.
7. Extra scrubbing with a toilet brush or sponge may be needed for extra-tough stains.
8. Let it sit for as long as possible before use.  

White vinegar and Baking soda is the cleaning method I prefer to use.

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How To Remove Hard Water Stains With Borax And Vinegar

Very similar to method one except use 1/4 cup of Borax instead of baking soda.

How To Clean A Toilet With Abrasion

Scrub the toilet bowl with a rough scratchy item. Use sandpaper or a pumice stone to remove hard water stains. To avoid scratches on the porcelain, never sand or rub dry.

This method can also be used to clean the exterior of the toilet and the base of the toilet.

Dip the sandpaper or pumice stone in water first. Always check a small section to be sure scratches don’t appear.  This Pumie Toilet Bowl Ring Remover is a pumice stone made just for toilet cleaning. It shapes easily to flat or curved surfaces.

Harsh Chemicals In Toilet Bowl Cleaners:

If you are willing to use some harsh chemicals, many people recommend The Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner. It has Hydrocloric Acid, kills 99.9% of household bacteria, and removes rust, lime scale & hard water stains.

Using hydrochloric acid to clean a toilet can be an effective way to remove hard-water deposits and other buildups, but it is important to use caution when doing so. Hydrochloric acid is a corrosive chemical that can cause serious damage if not used correctly.

Pros: Hydrochloric acid is one of the most effective ways to remove hard-water deposits and other buildups from toilets. It is also relatively inexpensive and easy to find in stores or online.

Cons: Hydrochloric acid is a very strong chemical and should be handled with care. If it comes into contact with skin or eyes, it can cause severe burns or blindness.

Hydrochloric acid should never be mixed with other chemicals as this could create dangerous fumes or reactions. It is also important to make sure the area being cleaned is well-ventilated as hydrochloric acid produces toxic fumes when used.

Since we have three small kids, we prefer other methods.

How To Clean A Toilet With Coke!

I heard that you can clean with Coke. So I thought I’d try it in the bathroom.   There are so many times we have a party and there are half drunk Coca Cola cans around the house.  

This would be a great use for leftover cola.  I poured Coke around the toilet bowl.  I used a toilet brush to loosen up the stains.

Then, I soaked a rag in Coke and stuffed it in the rim of the bowl as well.  After letting it sit for a couple of hours, I flushed, and voila! So much better!  This is an amazing green cleaning alternative to harsh chemicals!

Picture Before Pouring Coke In Toilet

During Pouring Coke In Toilet

After Pouring Coke In Toilet

How To Keep Your Toilet Bowl Clean And Prevent Future Stains

Instead of waiting until your toilets look as gross as the pictures in this post, try the below methods to prevent toilet bowl stains.

Brush Your Toilet Regularly

To keep your toilet clean brush the toilet once a week to remove minerals/particles. This only takes a few minutes. I do this every week as I empty the trash can in the bathrooms.

Install A Water Softener

Try a water softener. Here are some of the best sellers of water softeners and related products.

Or consider installing a whole house water softener.

These will help with the toilet bowl. The best way to keep your toilet seat clean, is by telling the men who use the toilet to lift up the seat when they are going potty!

Have Boys And Men Pee On Toilet Seats Less

It’s a common problem for many parents, wives, and girlfriends: How to stop boys and men from peeing on the toilet seat. Fortunately, there are some simple tricks you can use to help keep your bathroom clean and hygienic.

One of the most important things is to teach proper etiquette when using the toilet. For men, this means lifting the seat before urinating and then cleaning up any spatter or stray drops afterwards.

You can also invest in a P-flector, which is a urine deflector that prevents potty training kids (and adults) from peeing through the gap between the toilet seat and bowl.

Another way to avoid messes is by teaching your children how to urinate without touching the toilet. This involves standing slightly further away from the bowl and aiming downwards at an angle. This helps reduce splashback and keeps your bathroom cleaner.

You can also add a glow in the dark target to help improve aim.

Finally, it’s important to remember that when using restrooms, you should always put down the lid before flushing. Not only is it common courtesy, but it also traps germs and splashes when flushing.

Want more?

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