How to Clean a Stained Toilet Bowl

A stained toilet bowl is an eyesore. If your toilet is stained, you certainly don’t want guests to see it, and you may not even want to use it yourself! Fortunately, there are steps you can take. After you perform a general cleaning and determine the source of your toilet stains, you can use the right product(s) and method(s) to remove all traces of stains.

 

1. Check your manufacturer’s instructions. Before you begin cleaning your toilet, it is best to check your manufacturer’s instructions. Certain products can damage the inner-workings of your toilet–such as the flapper–while others may cause discoloration.[1]

  • Look for a brand name printed or engraved on your toilet.
  • Perform an Internet search for “[your toilet brand] + safe cleaning products.”
  • You can also look for a phone number to the manufacturer and give them a call.

2. Plunge the bowl to remove some of the water. If the toilet bowl is full of water due to a clog, then plunge it before you clean it. This will help the water to go down and make it easier to clean the toilet bowl.

3. Scrub with a toilet brush and cleaner. Before you can tackle tough stains, you must perform a general cleaning of your toilet. In order to do this, you will need some form of cleanser and a toilet brush or an old dish brush. Simply apply the cleanser of your choice to the inside of your toilet bowl and around the edges. Then use the brush to remove debris, and flush. You may want to wear disposable gloves while you do this.[2] Some cleansers to choose from include:

  • Store-bought products, such as Comet, Soft Scrub, and other toilet cleansers.
  • DIY alternatives, such as baking soda, white vinegar, borax, or bleach.

5. Pour in white vinegar and let it soak overnight. If your toilet is very dirty, it may benefit from an overnight soak before scrubbing. Pour 1/2 cup (118 ml) of white vinegar into your toilet bowl and close the lid. Leave it to sit overnight.[3]

  • If there are stains around the rim of the toilet, then drape pieces of toilet paper over them and pour vinegar over the toilet paper to ensure that vinegar will stay on the stains.

6. Determine the cause of your stains. Depending on the nature of your toilet stains, you may use a variety of products to eradicate them. The most common sources of toilet stains are hard water, mold, and mildew.[4] Look for the following symptoms to determine what type of stains are present for you.

  • Hard water – These stains will appear as rings around your inner toilet bowl. They may be pink, red, brown, or white.
  • Mold – Mold stains can occur anywhere on your toilet. Mold will be slightly fuzzy and can be blue, green, yellow, gray, black, or white.
  • Mildew – Mildew can also occur anywhere on your toilet, but is common near the top of the toilet bowl or on the toilet tank. Mildew usually starts out white, but may turn yellow or brown in time.