The Nifty Nail Polish Hack To Help Your Toilet Remain Rust-Free

There are two main reasons you should never let your dog drink from the toilet: one and two. All kidding aside, when cleaning your toilet, you may notice rust and corrosion around the bolts and the hardware. You might be surprised by how simple it is to use nail polish to prevent that from happening, and we will show you how. We'll also discuss a few more intriguing toilet hacks to help keep you feeling that happy flush.

But first, here are some fascinating toilet fun facts while you grab a clear nail polish you don't mind using for this hack. Have you ever wondered how much it costs to flush the toilet as often as we do daily? It turns out it commands more than a penny a flush — about 1.3 cents each time we pull the handle. Toilet usage accounts for about 30% of the total amount of indoor water we use! But we should be thankful we have them, considering over half the world's population does not have access to working toilets.

The first thing you want to do is clean the toilet thoroughly, including all parts and hardware, as well as all over the toilet fixture. First, you tighten all the bolts and screws to ensure everything is nice and tight. Any place you see rust or corrosion occurring, remove all the components on or around that hardware and make sure the area is completely dry before moving on to the next steps.

Once dry, take a bottle of clear nail polish, preferably an extra hard topcoat, and apply a generous amount to paint all surfaces of the hardware. Put a small fan in the room, blowing on the areas you coated with nail polish to aid faster drying. You can add a second coat once the first one is completely dry for additional protection. This little trick will keep rust from starting in the first place, and as a bonus, everything will stay tightened up for longer, too.

Since we talked about nail polish, moving on to a hack using a pumice stone seems like a natural progression. Toilet bowls notoriously get stained with rings around the edges that are challenging to remove. Next time, try using a pumice stone on those stubborn toilet rings. Start by soaking the stone in warm water until it's thoroughly moistened. Flush the toilet to make sure the surface is wet. Wear rubber gloves, take the pumice stone, and gently work it over the ring stains. You'll need some elbow grease and determination, but with a fair share of each, you should be able to eradicate the stains.

Another substance you can try that works to remove those stubborn rust rings is Coca-Cola! Pour a can of cola out as you circle the rim from the top. It should coat the entire bowl when empty. Leave it to sit for an hour minimum, then use a toilet brush to scrub and flush away. To finish things off, pour ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide straight into your toilet bowl, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then flush several times to rinse. This will disinfect your toilet bowl and kill any germs inside.