It may seem simple to keep a toilet clean by pouring bleach into the bowl, but this powerful cleaner will not work if you notice discoloured stains on the porcelain. Limescale is a stubborn deposit made from the minerals in hard water, and it bonds tightly to surfaces, so scrubbing alone is not enough to remove it.
Although bleach disinfects and can temporarily whiten limescale stains, it will not work to remove the build up which will continue to harbour bacteria and make a toilet unhygienic. However, Francesca, a cleaning expert and founder of Thoroughly Modern Grandma has shared that removing limescale stains is very easy as long as you clean your toilet with citric acid.
Francesca said: “Once a week; if you don’t have hard water this can be less often, just as and when required; give your loo a clean with Citric Acid to remove the mineral / limescale deposits.”
Citric acid is a natural substance originally found in the juice of lemons and other citrus fruits, but a more concentrated version can be found in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets.
Limescale is an alkaline stain that can only be removed with a acidic substance, and if you use citric acid it will quickly break down from a surface to make it much easier to clean.
Not only it is much more effective but bleach is also non-toxic, so it is much safer to use when cleaning the bathroom as you will not be breathing in any toxic chemical fumes.
It also tends to be quite cheap as at Tesco and ASDA a 250g box of citric acid costs £1.75. At B&Q citric acid costs £2.25 while at Lakeland a 50g tub costs only 49p.
How to remove toilet stains with citric acid
To begin, pour a jug of warm water from the tap down the toilet bowl, then add 400g of citric acid. Do not pour boiling hot water from the kettle into your toilet as you risk cracking the bowl.
Then, leave the solution to sit in your toilet as you need to give the citric acid solution time to break down the stains. Leave it for at least an hour but for best result leave it overnight.
When you are ready, gently scrub the toilet with a brush, flush it, and all the stains should be gone.
Limescale takes time to build up so if you live in a hard water area, particularly in the South East of England, then use citric acid on your toilet once a week to stop stains appearing in the future.
If you live in a soft water area like Northern England, Scotland and Wales, then it is best to use citric acid roughly a month to keep limescale away.