Clean a Stained Toilet – 6 Methods and Unbelievable Results


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Introduction

In this post, I’ll explain how to clean a stained toilet with 6 easy methods anyone can use.

All the products I list in this post are easily available globally so you’ll be able to choose whichever of the 6 methods you prefer.

A little about me:

If you’re new to my blog you won’t know a thing about me, so here goes. My name is Sarah Goldsmith, I own a 6-year-old cleaning company called Purple Cleaning here in the UK.

I’m passionate about cleaning and as a result like keeping my space clean, sanitised and organised.

Over the years I’ve learned a shed load of tricks, tips and hacks that will save you time and money. 

I’m sharing all of my secrets to help you live a cleaner and more organised lifestyle.

After all, who doesn’t love that just cleaned smell and feeling?

It is definitely true what they say……. Tidy home, tidy mind.

How does my toilet get so badly stained?

Regular toilet cleaning can help prevent your loo from becoming stained in the first place. Develop and implement a regular cleaning routine for your toilets. Daily is best but you can go every other day.

Hard water. If you live in a hard water area, you’ll notice around all your water outlets that there are calcium deposits clinging to the ends of the outlets. This is hard water buildup and the same thing happens in your toilet.

To prevent hard water build up a regular cleaning schedule (like I mentioned above) will certainly help. In addition to the cleaning, you will also need to pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl and let that sit for half an hour to an hour then flush. 

The acid in the vinegar breaks down the calcium deposits and it is simply washed away when you flush.

There are water softeners available for the home too. However, these can be costly to buy and install. A few minutes a day scrubbing is all you really need.

Before You Start Cleaning The Toilet

There are a few things you need to do before even starting to think of pulling out your cleaning supplies.

  1. Empty the toilet of water
  2. Dry the toilet 
  3. Clear the area
  4. Wear protective gloves and clothing

Emptying the toilet.

To empty a toilet of all water, you will need to find the fill-up valve and turn it off.

Flush the toilet and all the water will empty away.

For any remaining water, you can use a plunger to push it through and down the drain.

Dry the Toilet

Just as it says. Dry the toilet, for most of the methods I’m going to talk about, you will need the toilet to be dry. 

You can use a microfiber cloth to dry out the inside of the toilet bowl.

We do this so that the cleaning products we use won’t be diluted with the remaining water.

Clear the Area.

Clear away anything that might be in the way or may stain if it comes into contact with the chemicals we are about to use. 

Also, lift the toilet seat. Chemicals can permanently stain a toilet seat. We don’t want to ruin it.

Wear protective gloves and clothing

As an absolute minimum, wear protective gloves, a protective apron is good too and if we’re getting all PPE about it, let’s throw in some goggles for good measure.

6 Methods of Cleaning a Toilet and Unbelievable Results

How to Clean a Toilet with Vinegar and Baking Soda – Method 1

Using vinegar and baking soda is probably the most environmentally friendly way to clean a stained toilet of hard water stains.

I find this method of cleaning a toilet so satisfying and I’ll tell you why.

Pour one cup of white vinegar into the toilet and one cup of baking powder in the toilet as well. And here comes the satisfying part, watch it fizz up and form lots of foam.

Let that sit for 15 to 30 mins and scrub with a stiff-bristled toilet brush. 

Not only does this method clean away the regular stains, but it also cleans away the hard water stains too.

How to Clean a Toilet With Bleach – Method 2

Cleaning a toilet with bleach is by far the easiest method and most convenient in my opinion. 

All you need to do is layer on the bleach around the toilet last thing at night. Then leave it to work its magic for 6-8 hours.

Because you emptied and dried all the water out as well, the toilet will be whiter than it’s ever been the next morning.

Just give it a good scrub with the toilet brush and bob’s your uncle.

Cleaning Toilet Bowl Stains with Coca Cola – Method 3

Cleaning the toilet with coca-cola is a favourite bathroom cleaning hack of mine, it’s not necessarily the most cost-effective but it works a treat on limescale build-up.

As before, with your empty toilet before you. Pour in the coca-cola and leave that to work all night, 12 hours is optimal. So if you can use another toilet until then, great!

The next day, take out the toilet brush, stiff bristles again! And give it a good scrub. You may need to repeat the process the following night if your build-up is particularly bad.

How to Clean a Toilet with Toilet Bowl Cleaner – Method 4

This method for cleaning a stained toilet bowl requires some Harpic Black for the UK or Lysol Black in the US.

These toilet cleaners are awesome! You must be cautious though. They can do serious damage to fabrics and other surfaces, which is why we cleared the area and lifted the seat before we started. 

With the toilet bowl empty and dry, simply squirt the toilet cleaner all around the bowl, making sure it coats every inch.

The black variety of these toilet bowl cleaners are the strongest you can buy as a consumer. They are extremely powerful and work well on yellow-brown stains as well as hard water build-up and limescale. 

These are your all-rounder staples if you live in a hard water area.

After you’ve given your black toilet cleaner the manufacturer recommended time to dwell. Scrub with the toilet brush to reveal a sparkling thrown.

It’s important to note that you should not use this toilet cleaner to clean any other part of your home, it will tarnish stainless steel and dye fabrics.

How to Clean a Toilet with Dish Soap – Method 5

This method requires water in the toilet.

I’m not kidding, I clean a stained toilet with dish soap all the time. 

Why?

Because “bodily fluids” or poo are made up of the waste products your body doesn’t need. 

What is one of those waste products? 

Grease. Our body has no use for it so what goes in, must come out.

And what is dish soap good for? 

Breaking down grease!

I often clean the toilet with just a bit of dish soap squirted into the bowl, maybe half a teaspoon or a little bit more.

Once the dish soap is in the toilet, give it a good scrub with the toilet brush.

The water will foam up just like when you’re washing the dishes.

And when you flush, the bowl is left sparkling clean. So sparkly that you’ll need sunglasses to see it.

How to Clean a Toilet with a Pumice Stone

This method requires water in the toilet.

Cleaning a toilet with a pumice stone is a fab way of removing hard water build-up, minerals build up, limescale and that dirty ring that forms where the water line is.

It’s so simple and so effective, first, you wet the pumice stone in the toilet water, then you rub it around the whole toilet bowl.

Taking extra care not to scratch the ceramic. You can avoid scratching by keeping the surface and pumice stone wet.

It will easily rub away all the stains, is environmentally friendly and reusable. 

You can finish off with a squirt of your favourite toilet freshener.

How To Clean the Rest of The Toilet

I recently recorded a video for you with step by step instructions on how to clean a toilet properly. In this instance, I used bleach, however, you can choose whichever method you like above. 

Conclusion

Overall, bleach and black toilet cleaner are the most powerful, least time consuming and least labour intensive methods of cleaning a stained toilet.

Moreover, the baking powder and vinegar mixture and the pumice stone were the most environmentally friendly.

I’ll leave this decision to your personal preference.

This post contains affiliate links.

Sarah Goldsmith

Sarah Jane Goldsmith is the owner of multiple award-winning cleaning company. Purple Cleaning. With 7 years of industry experience and working with some of the most exclusive clients the Northeast of England has, she's gained a wealth of knowledge in cleaning and home organization. Her company, Purple Cleaning Services have won multiple awards for service in the commercial and domestic sectors. They are corporate members of the British Institute of Cleaning Science, leading the way in safe, effective, and aesthetic cleaning. Sarah runs many social media channels including her successful YouTube channel where she teaches people how to clean and how to get the most from their homes. Her private community of raving fans love being part of her exclusive membership programme, Keep It Clean Club, which can be found at sarahjanegoldsmith.com In her spare time, Sarah enjoys nothing more than spending time with her family, she has 2 young daughters and a teenage son. By day she is engrossed in helping many people stamp out the mess in their homes and live happier cleaner lives.

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