Toilet limescale can look like unsightly brown marks around the bowl, but it often cannot be removed using bleach or other harsh chemical products. Limescale is a buildup of mineral deposits leftover from water evaporating, and over time, it will harden to become a tough, crusty stain that can feel impossible to remove.
Jo Boyne, a mum and founder of A Rose Tinted World has confessed that the limescale on her toilet looked “dreadful”, and she had tried everything to remove it, including bleach, specialist cleaning products and even fizzy cola. She said: “Nothing seemed to be working, and I was getting more self-conscious about my loo. I hated using some of the products, as they certainly were not environmentally friendly and were full of surfactants and chemical agents. And then I realised I had the solution in my cupboard since making my bath bombs.”
Instead, Jo found a box of citric acid crystals lurking in her cupboard and was shocked at how effective it was.
Jo said: “I needed to clean away the final staining using an old toothbrush, but actually, I was amazed with the results! My bowl was spotless!
“Now, I know that citric acid is a great natural cleaner for everyday use when diluted, but this just shows how effective it can be even in the most extreme circumstances. I am delighted to get my toilet back to looking pristine.”
Bleach is handy in your bathroom as it is a disinfectant that kills germs. However, it cannot remove limescale stains as it will only whiten them.
Limescale becomes more difficult to remove the longer it is allowed to fester at the bottom of your toilet bowl, and bleach will simply disguise the problem rather than deal with it.
However, citric acid is one of the best ways to get rid of limescale. It is an acidic substance that naturally dissolves the minerals in limescale, making them easier to scrub away.
What is fantastic about citric acid is that it originally comes from the juice in citrus fruits like lemons, but a more potent crystallised version can be found in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets.
This is an eco-friendly way to clean your toilet without having to use a harsh cleaner, and it will break down the stains, so you will not have to do much scrubbing.
How to effortlessly remove toilet limescale
Before you begin, put on a pair of gloves and pour around 120g of citric acid down your toilet.
Pour some hot water down the toilet as well, but do not use water recently boiled from the kettle as it could crack the toilet.
Then, wait and give the citric acid time to dissolve the limescale. You can wait 10 minutes, but it is better to wait a few hours if you have the time.
Once the time is up, the limescale should have broken down, and the water in the toilet bowl will be discoloured. Simply flush it away and wipe any remaining limescale residue with a toilet brush or an old toothbrush.
Your toilet will be completely limescale and stain-free, so you will have a completely clean bathroom without much effort.
