How to Clean Toilet Bowl Stains when Nothing Else Works

If you’re reading this, it might be because you’ve tried everything and still can’t work out how to clean toilet bowl stains.

Those yellowy brown stains inside your toilet bowl look terrible. They’re not what they look like. But your guests don’t know that. What they are is a build-up of iron deposits from the water supply.

But they look like you don’t clean your toilet properly.

We’ll outline two methods for getting rid toilet bowl stains depending on the severity of your staining.

Getting rid of them is actually quite simple.

So without further ado we present method number one.

The Pumice Stone

When people ask how to clean toilet bowl stains, this is our go-to.

It’s quick, easy and cheap. No soaking, no draining the bowl, and only a single product.

To start with though, a word of warning.

Pumice stone is only suitable for use on porcelain. If your toilet or any part of your toilet is not made of porcelain, do not use a pumice stone on it.

Toilets commonly have plastic seats. If you use a pumice stone on it, it will be irreparably scratched.

So only use pumice inside the bowl and once you have confirmed that it is porcelain.

Then the process is simple.

Pumice is a fine volcanic rock that works as an abrasive.

Use it wet, and rub lightly against the staining until it disappears. Keep wetting the pumice stone and applying more pressure as needed.

Your pumice stone designed for foot exfoliation won’t have the right angles, (or a handle, gross) to get your toilet clean.

What you need is a pumice stick to be able to clean toilet bowl stains. They’re available over at our online store.

With a pumice stick you’ll be able to get right into the bends and the bottom of the bowl.

Don’t forget under the rim.

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Vinegar

The other way to clean toilet bowl stains is an acidic cleaner.

Our favourite is vinegar because it’s eco-friendly, cheap and accessible.

You can use something stronger like CLR or Zep acidic toilet bowl cleaner, but in our experience vinegar works great.

This method requires applying and leaving the product for a few hours.

First, you need to empty the toilet bowl of water. You do this by using your toilet brush to push the water back up into the S bend.

Do this until the toilet bowl is empty.

Then apply the vinegar liberally. Pour it in, making sure that you cover the staining, and don’t miss anything underneath the rim.

Then leave it and make sure that no one uses it for at least a couple of hours, but the longer it stays on, the more effective it will be.

We recommend overnight, even reapplying the vinegar if the stains are stubborn.

The acid in the vinegar will soften the rust stains making it easier to remove.

Now you can use your weapon of choice to remove it.

A pumice stone will be more effective now. We recommend this as it’s most likely to work on the most stubborn of stains.

You can use your regular toilet brush with detergent.

Or you can use a mild abrasive such us bicarb soda or a cleaning paste applied into the bowl and then scrubbed with your toilet brush until the stains disappear.

When you’re finished, your toilet should look as good as new.

Good luck, and let us know how you go in the comments.

We love to hear success stories.