How To Clean Hard Water Stains From A Toilet With Little Effort & Natural Ingredients

Hard water stains are a surefire way to make your toilet look dirty. Even if the marks are just from water, these brown and yellow stains look gross. Luckily, there are ways to remove these stains, and you won't even need harsh chemicals. With a few ingredients like white vinegar and baking soda, you can tackle these stubborn spots.

Hard water simply means that the water where you live is highly concentrated in minerals. Some places in the United States are more affected by hard water, like the Midwest, Florida, and parts of Texas. In places where there is water stagnating, like a toilet bowl, these minerals start to build up and stain. Unfortunately, the color is often a weird yellow-brown hue that's unappealing to the eye, especially in a toilet bowl.

Brushing these away with just water can remove some superficial stains, but it's better to use a chemical reaction to dissolve the minerals instead. This is especially helpful if there is a buildup at the bottom of the toilet bowl, where your toilet brush can't seem to reach. Using natural ingredients like vinegar and baking soda is an eco-friendly way to do this, especially since commercial cleaners often have harsh chemicals like bleach, which end up polluting the water supply and can harm wildlife. 

This is a great toilet cleaning hack that will make your bathroom sparkle. To do this, dump about a cup of white vinegar directly into the toilet bowl. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before adding one cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl and adding even more vinegar (about another cup). You'll see and hear the solution bubbling, which is completely normal. After letting the solution sit for another 10 minutes, put some gloves on and grab a toilet brush. 

This hack is great, but it's not magical, so you do need to use a bit of effort to brush the stains away. Let the solution sit for a bit longer if you're dealing with some particularly stubborn stains. Vinegar's acidity is what works to break down the mineral buildup in the toilet bowl, which is why leaving it longer can help. When you're done scrubbing and the stains are gone, flush the toilet to remove the vinegar and baking soda. Pair this hack with toilet brushes that are efficient for deep cleaning, like silicone ones, for even better results. 

There are also a few things you can do to prevent hard water stains from building up in the toilet in the first place. First, do a deep clean with vinegar and baking soda at least once a month. In addition, add two cups of white vinegar directly into the toilet tank. That way, every time you flush, vinegar is released and helps break down minerals. Doing this at least once a month can keep the bowl clean from these unsightly stains.