When we moved into our house, one of the biggest puzzles was figuring out how to remove hard water stains. So I have multiple ways of removing hard water from the dishwasher, but sometimes the toilet is tougher. When we were living in Oklahoma, we had extremely hard water. It was a house that was built in the fifties, there was no hard water filter installed. This made for difficult cleaning around fixtures, in toilet bowls, and even dishes. The hard water had even corroded part of the tank of the toilet.
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While we are an eco-friendly household, there was just no way we could successfully eliminate years and years of hard water build up without using some sort of chemical. And even though we’ve tried (and sometimes been successful) in the kitchen, the bathroom seems to get more consistent use and is grungier in general. So the problem was that most chemicals wouldn’t even scrape the surface of the stains and build up.
The one product that has solved the problem is Zep Acidic Toilet Bowl cleaner
Within five minutes almost all discoloration and calcium is dissolved and at the bottom of whatever I was cleaning. I also rinsed with soap and water on any surface that wasn’t the toilet since it is a chemical.
While sometimes this sort of build up is really easy to scrub off with a toilet bowl brush, so much of the time the lime and rust is too much to handle which is why we have had to experiment with ways to clean more effectively.
It is the one thing we always use before company and the only thing we recommend to those who ask us how to remove hard water stains. In fact, my brother’s family used it in his house, finding the same great results! It is reliable and much simpler than the scum cleaning method my husband uses!
Can’t wait to give this product a try!!
We definitely love it, it’s the only thing that’s worked reliably for us so we hope it works for you too!
Can I use it on glass?
I have used it on glass with no problems.
Try WD-40 before you spend lots of money…It worked for me! Got the idea from the DYI…
Myronic Acid used in cleaning swimming pools works for bad toilets but you have to ventilate and be very careful, follow directions. I had to clean a toilet at an apartment that was so bad but the manager had me use Myronic Acid and it was like brand new.
BTW after cleaning the ring from my toilet I use car wax & it’s has kept the ring at bay for over 6 months now.
How did you get rid if the ring
Wow! Great tip!
It doesn’t clog anything?
You, dear friend, are A GENIUS! Trying this TODAY!!
Cleaning Vinegar (stronger than regular)…wet toilet paper with it and stick to etched stains (urine) on toilet; let dry overnight, then remove.
We actually tried this and it did not work in our case. It removed about half of the hard water stains, but we still had extensive staining that it didn’t even change in the slightest. Thank you for commenting though! We DID have some luck with it in our dishwasher (also linked in post).
Maybe try the product sno-bowl I haven’t tried what this article has mentioned but used sno-bowl a couple weeks ago and when I thought we were just going to have to replace our toilet, it is now sparkling clean. I did get all the water out of the toilet first and definitely had to scrub/scrape but it worked!!!
Go the the paint section of your local hardware store, and ask for drywall mesh. I tried, after trying everything else, and the stains came right off.
It did not work on the hard water ring around the toilet. I have a pumice stone that does better than anything else I have even used but can not find another one like it.
I clean houses for a living and I have used a product called “The Works” it is a fraction of the cost and can be purchased at Dollar General or Wal Mart. It really does work you can see it bubbling on the stains. Similiar to what hydrogen perioxide does to blood. It is amazing and I recommend it to all of my customers. They make a shower-bathroom cleaner and a toliet bowl cleaner.
While living in San Antonio we had the same problem. I emptyed the toilet of all water and used a gray pumas stone, tiny bit of water to keep a nice paste and gently scrub. Use gloves the stone is touf on hand. But it was FANTASTIC. NO ACID NOT CHEMICALS. Original 1969 toilets and sink looked brand new.
If stains don’t come out you can also use sand paper 100-120 grit you can use wet that is what I do it works great.
Great solution, thanks for sharing!
That grit might scratch your toilet if your not careful
Sandpaper scratches the surface and the buildup will set in even faster. Lowes sells the Pumie Scouring Stick which is non toxic, no odors and does not scratch the surface, it removes deep stains, hard water rings, rust& paint, carbon buildups. And for $2.98+tax per stick it is a great value!
I use plain old citric acid for hardwater stains. It works brilliantly. I throw about half a cup of it into the toilet and leave it for a few hours, then give it a scrub with the brush. I wouldn’t be surprised if citric acid was one of the main ingredients in the product you mention. I buy citric acid in bulk on eBay as it works out a lot cheaper than buying it in small containers from the supermarket.
I live in Jacksonville, FL and we have the hardest water! Tried every product with no results. I can’t believe how fast with excellent results. I’m amazed. Thank you so much!!!!!!
You are SO welcome. I remember the first time I used it how pleased I was with it. Took no effort at all which is what I needed in the moment regardless of any other circumstance. I just didn’t want to replace the whole toilet!
Where can I find this product?
I can’t thank you enough for this post!! It worked about 98% of the stains in my toilet!! Very impressive!!
We are in Jax too. You might want to get a water softener or everything in your house that uses water will get ruined. Cheapest route is getting one from Sears and having them installing it if you don’t have the plumbing for it.
We live near Jax too & I was just thinking, could it really be as bad as some of these other places?! Thanks for validating, that yes it is!
Can this be used on plastic or fiberglass?
It comes in a plastic bottle and I have used it on plastic surfaces once or twice and in their frequently asked questions someone said they used it diluted half and half to soak in a plastic sink overnight with no issues. However, their customer support page mentions using Zep Commercial All-Around Oxy Cleaner & Degreaser
I’m assuming it’s not safe to use with septics?
We have septic and well. We just use it sparingly. So it’s not going to be an everytime product, only when there is build-up. The ZEP customer support also mentions it’s septic safe.
Is it safe for septic tanks?
We used it with a septic tank, we just did not use it constantly (but we didn’t really need to use it routinely). So something like once every other month or so unless we needed the house spotless for some reason. Their customer support mentions it IS safe for septic tanks. I still just use caution. http://ugc.zepcommercial.com/answers/0765-en_us/product/53/questions.htm
I’m going to have to try this. My toilet was really bad (lots of hard water here too) I used a pumice stone and it made the toilet look like brand new. However, it’s staining up again and I want to try this before it gets too bad. While the pumice stone worked great, it was an exhausting job.
WD 40 works too
I use all of the Zep products! I have found that they are cheaper than all of the “miracle cleaners” and buy them by the gallon at Home Depot.
I live in Australia can I buy Zep here or order it from the US.
I have old water buckets that were caked thick with hard water build up. I simply filled the buckets with vinegar, let them sit overnight and in the morning, the buckets looked brand new, deposits GONE. No work, easy, effective. I will fill my toilet bowl with vinegar and enjoy the easy results. I live in Hard Water Capital.. California.
My master bath toilet was really bad, tried everything with no results. And found this product at Walmart and worked amazing, it’s called ‘The Works. toilet and bath.
where can I buy ,I try so many thing don’t work.
I have not seen this at stores like Walmart……where can I find this?
After trying to clean the hard water stains with vinegar and baking soda with minimal results, I saw your post. I purchased the Zep Acidic toilet bowel cleaner and a small grout cleaning brush that would fit in the bend of he toilet. I left it on for 10 minutes and then scrubbed with the grout brush. The toilet is sparkling!
The product worked extremely well…so pleased with the results
How do you get the buildup off from under the rim and the sides?
We just squirt it from underneath. Same results!
Does all the water have to be removed to get down to the very bottom of the bowl?
We have just used a toilet brush and left the water in.
THANK YOU! I’m in the UK and have tried everything to keep the loo clean with this hard water, nothing worked. Before getting snother loo fitted I thought I’ll give it a try and ordered one bottle from Amazon – the postage was about 4 times the purchase price – but it worked, I’m so glad I gave it a tey, thank you for sharing this
Thanks for sharing the information about the Zep cleaner. I had tried numerous products and nothing worked. This one worked like a charm!
I’m looking for something like this..I have to give it a try..I clean houses for living and I don’t have a day to be cleaning just one toilet so …I hope. I don’t get disappointed!!
I have used this with similar results but I actually stumbled across something that I grabbed that was next to this one in the hardware aisles at WM. It’s Krud Kleaner original concentrate! I am so tempted to try the others but I don’t think they’ll compare to this one! Literally didn’t have to even let it soak. I poured it in a squeeze bottle (after hard flushing the toilet with a bucket of water) and poured generously under rim and sprayed throughout. I wish I had pics! I feel like I see a slight line but I use my PUMIE for that! AND. It’s biodegradable, non-toxic, and EPA safer choice verified!!
70 years ago i had a same problem. it also was not working. the plumber came and fixed it but said i could not remove the stains. i made a bet with him and i won. i used 2 boxes of denture tablets one box at a time and it came out great. no plumber bill.
Where can you purchase this cleaner?