Reassuringly, those brown stains taking over your toilet bowl aren’t dirt. It’s simply mineral deposits, otherwise known as limescale, in the toilet. This includes minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and lime, which slowly turn the limescale brown.
Limescale stains set like cement, after all, and no amount of scrubbing with a toilet brush will shift it. But then it turns a horrible brown colour, and your toilet looks filthy even though you clean it frequently. Before you bust out the bleach, know that bleach doesn’t remove limescale. All it does is bleach it white, so it is harder to see.
Luckily, Jottie, behind the TikTok account @jottiesjournal, has shared that the “perfect” natural solution to get rid of toilet limescale is citric acid, claiming that it also works on mould.
She said: “Citric acid is a great naturally powerful product to remove both limescale and mould, making it perfect for our toilets.
“I simply diluted two tablespoons of citric acid in warm water and poured it into an empty spray bottle.
“I also placed two teaspoons in the toilet; you may need more depending on how bad your limescale is. I left for 15 minutes, but if bad, leave overnight.”
Often hailed as one of the most diverse natural cleaning agents, citric acid is the perfect addition for cleaning your toilet.
Its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, de-greasing and whitening power has been used by thousands of people across the globe.
When limescale reacts with citric acid, it breaks down to form calcium citrate. This is a soluble salt that is easy to wash away without needing to scrub.
Cleaning expert Lynsey Crombie also recommends using citric acid when cleaning toilets. She said, “Using citric acid to clean your toilet is not only an effective but also a safe alternative to commercial cleaners.”
However, she recommends leaving the citric acid to sit in the toilet for “at least one hour” or “overnight” for the “best results”.