Why You Should Use Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner For Those Stubborn Stains

Cleaning the toilet isn't most folks' favorite chore. But it can become even more of a drag if you find yourself stuck with totally unmovable stains, still totally set on your porcelain throne after ages of backbreaking scrubbing. A lot of the time, the problem can be the product you're using for the type of stain the toilet has. If you have a stain, especially if it's a solid ring in your bowl, there's a very good chance it's the result of hard water. 

Wondering how liquid can be hard? Hard water is a term that simply means your water has high amounts of minerals, primarily referring to calcium and magnesium. And you aren't alone if your home runs on hard water, as approximately 85% of Americans live in hard water areas. Over time, the minerals in this water cling to the solid surface of the toilet, leaving you with that stubborn, unsightly ring, often called limescale. If left uncleaned, hard water can damage your toilet and plumbing system.  

So, if most toilets have hard water in them, why don't most toilet cleaners work against these stains? Another great question. Most toilet cleaners are somewhat acidic in nature, which can break down basic daily organic stains and grime, but the minerals that comprise limescale are very alkaline, so they require a highly acidic, mineral-targeting toilet cleaner. That's where Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner comes in handy, as it's specially formulated to eliminate stubborn hard water toilet stains. 

To understand why we recommend Zep over other brands for hard water stains, it's important to look at the ingredients in Zep. Compare the brands Zep and Chlorox and its similar toilet bowl cleaner gel, for instance. Zep's primary active ingredient is Hydrochloric acid, while Chlorox's is Sodium hypochlorite (via Consumer Product Information Database), also known as chlorine bleach, an alkaline substance. Per the brand's site, Zep's formula is 10% Acid Gel overall, which makes it highly effective at breaking down the compounds of the limescale stains. 

Additionally, it helps that Zep's formula is gel-based rather than liquid. This viscous liquid doesn't immediately sink into the water as a fully liquid toilet cleaning solution would, which means it has more contact time with the mineral stain. More time equals less scrubbing down the road, because the chemicals have time to interact and break down on their own. Zep doesn't just work in theory, either. This product has over 3,500 5-star ratings on Amazon, and countless reviews saying it totally revived even heavily stained toilet seats. For all these reasons, Zep is one of the best toilet cleaners on the market. 

Use Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner pretty much like you would most any toilet cleaning product. Apply a generous layer from the top of the rim of the toilet, allowing it to coat the bowl as it flows down. There's no need to spray the product directly into the drain, as it will naturally end up there as it sinks. Next, you'll want to give it time to sit so the cleaner actually has time to work its magic. The instructions say to allow at least 5 minutes of downtime, but you may want to let it sit longer if the stains are well set (common if your toilet has been sitting unused for some time), or if you live in an area with super hard water. Then, use a well-rated toilet brush to scrub at the stains. 

Hopefully the limescale buildup will lift quickly and easily, and you can flush to rinse the bowl a few times. However, folks with badly stained toilets may need to repeat the process a few times, depending on how thick the stains are. The acidic cleaner can only penetrate so many layers of mineral buildup at a time before sinking into the toilet, so reapplication may be called for.