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.
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.
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!!!
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
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!
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.
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!