Keeping your toilet clean can sometimes feel like a never ending chore, but if there are any stains that will not budge then you might need something a little stronger than a loo brush. Limescale is a stubborn stain often found in toilets and forms due to mineral buildup from hard water left behind when it evaporates.
Many people make the mistake of trying to remove these toilet stains with cleaning products like bleach, but it will not work as no disinfectant can break down the minerals. Using bleach to remove limescale will only lighten the stain, but the mineral deposits will still remain and become even harder to remove as it will continue to build up over time.
Instead Sophie, a cleaning expert and founder of Sustainably Lazy, has shared that the best way to remove toilet stains is to actually use natural cleaning alternatives such as citric acid.
Sophie said: “The acid of my choice is citric acid because it is cheap and plastic-free. Alternatively, you could use white vinegar but I find citric acid is more effective and works out cheaper.”
Limescale will harden over time and will bind itself to a surface, so these stains need to be dissolved with an acidic substance to get rid of them completely.
Citric acid naturally comes from the juice in citrus fruits such as lemons or oranges so will be gentle on your toilet and safe to clean with, but is strong enough to break down limescale.
It is eco-friendly, biodegradable and really cheap as a crystallised version of citric acid can be found in most supermarket cleaning aisles. At Tesco and ASDA, a box of citric acid only costs £1.75.
You can also use white vinegar to get rid of limescale if you have any in your kitchen, but it has a very strong pungent smell so many people dislike using it in an enclosed space like a bathroom.
How to get rid of limescale using citric acid
To begin, pour hot water down your toilet as this can help loosen the limescale, but be careful and do not use boiling water from the kettle as this can break a toilet.
Instead, boil the kettle, let the water cool down slightly and then tip it down the toilet bowl. Then, add 120g of citric acid to the toilet bowl.
Let the citric acid and warm water sit for at least 30 minutes but preferably leave it overnight. Citric acid needs time to break down the limescale, and it will need longer if it is a particularly stubborn stain.
When the time is up, simply wipe your toilet bowl with a toilet brush and any remaining limescale stains should easily come away.
This is an easy and almost effortless way to keep your toilet clean so you never have to spend ages scrubbing at it ever again.