Asked on Nov 05, 2013

Stubborn hard water stains in toilet

Help! I've tried everything to get rid of the hard water ring and stains on my toilets. Any suggestions?
  16 answers
  • Julie Julie on Nov 05, 2013
    Better than a pumice stone, use the sanding mesh used to sand sheet rock. (The finest grit). Then pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet once every couple of weeks and let it sit.
  • Cindy Cindy on Nov 05, 2013
    When we first moved in our home The downstairs bathroom toilet had awful rust stains I thought we would have to replace the entire toilet. I used The Works toilet bowl cleaner. It took the whole container but it (works pun intended) great. It is also very cheap can be found at most dollar stores.
  • Linda Gilmore Linda Gilmore on Nov 05, 2013
    use "Lime Away"
  • Shari Shari on Nov 05, 2013
    If your toilets are older, years of scrubbing and chemical cleaners may have worn away the protective glazed finish. If nothing you've tried seems to make those stains budge, it just might be time to replace the toilets, which is what I finally did after we purchased a house that had the original, 1978 toilets. Although I tried all kinds of cleaners and a pumice stone, I could never get them clean enough. Now the new toilets take minimal effort to clean.
  • We have sulpher water and it leaves stains in our toilets so we discovered that if you drop a chlorine tab (those that you use in your pool) in the tank maybe 1 a week it keeps the stains dow and cleans the toilet as well as the tank.
    • @Lanelle Hart Causey Schramm We use the chlorine tablets. They do work OK, but I've still got a faint stubborn ring. I haven't tried replacing them every week, though. I'll see if that helps.
  • Sandra Wright Sandra Wright on Nov 05, 2013
    Pool acid, but be careful to leave a window open the acid can really get toxic. Make sure to look away or use safety glasses.
  • Becky P Becky P on Nov 05, 2013
    this stuff works pretty good.
  • Marlene Wilson Marlene Wilson on Nov 05, 2013
    Well I live in the country and have a septic tank so we can't use just anything,I use Lysol toliet bowl cleaner,no bleach, white & blue bottle.Last week I found it with peroxide added,worked good. Speeking of septic tanks the first of every month I buy ridex and it has kept our system going now on 44 years,also don't be afraid to but spoiled milk,cottage cheese or sour cream down your toliet,it helps also.
  • TJ TJ on Nov 06, 2013
    With a private well, we have a lot of iron and something called black magnesium in our water. None of the typical rust or toilet cleaners worked. Finally tried the pumice stick and that did the trick. Now I also put rust guard tablets in the tank and that seems to help, especially with the black stuff.
  • Sharry Knight Sharry Knight on Nov 07, 2013
    Have you tried efferdent or polydent. Works on stains on plastic bowls as well as porcelain.
  • M M on Nov 07, 2013
    Alka seltzer works for me! Drop them in and wait til they are done fizzing then use toilet brush! That how I clean coffee pot as well is with alkaline seltzer!
  • Carrie Riley Carrie Riley on Nov 07, 2013
    Here's what really works and I know it will sound crazy... WD40. Turn the water off to your toilet then flush until all the water is out of the bowl. Spray WD40 inside the toilet bowl, coat well, and let sit for about an hour or so. Then scrub really good with a scrubby like Scotch Brite brand. You may have to do this 2 or 3 times but once you get the hard water stains off you only have to clean the bowl with WD40 maybe once every two or three weeks to keep the hard water stains away, use your regular cleaner in between. WD40 is safe to use, it is made of fish oil.
    • See 1 previous
    • Kimberly Hitchens Kimberly Hitchens on Jul 19, 2019

      I'm sorry, but for the safety of other people in this thread--WD-40 is NOT safe for any septic and really, shouldn't be used with "city water," either. It has Kerosene and several other not-safe-for-consumption ingredients in it. Fish oil my butt.


      Yes, the formula is proprietary, but one whiff will tell you it's loaded with Kerosene AND has silicone in it. Do NOT USE IT anywhere near a septic tank or water aquifer. Seriously, folks, do NOT.

  • Kelly Christianson Kelly Christianson on Nov 09, 2013
    I used "The Works" Toilet Bowl Cleaner on our old toilet. Worked great!
    • Marion Nesbitt Marion Nesbitt on Feb 06, 2015
      @Kelly Christianson Where can you buy "The Works" ? Sounds like a good product. Thanks.
  • Leah@GraceLeeCottage Leah@GraceLeeCottage on Feb 05, 2015
    We live on a farm and have spring water so I have the same problem. I've found that Bar Keeper's Friend (the powder kind) works really well at removing these stains. When we first moved in I removed the water from the bowl and sprinkled on the cleaner and let it set, then I took a scratch pad and scrubbed...alot.....but it worked. Now that they are clean I still use the cleaner, but i only have to clean it with a brush like I normally would for regular maintenance cleaning... no draining out the water and all that.
  • Nola Baker-Ramirez Nola Baker-Ramirez on Feb 06, 2015
    SaniVac Lime Remover!!! I promise you this will work! It can be purchased at Cleaning Ideas. If you don't have a Cleaning Ideas in your neck of the woods, google SaniVac Lime Remover and see where you can order it. I buy it by the gallon jug - about $23, but it will last a year + and is SO well worth it!!