Little Stains

[lorbay]

Does anyone know how or what works to get those water line stains out of the toilet bowl. It looks like ours is calcium build up and I have used every commercial product on the market and nothing will move it, other than sand paper but that takes of the porcelain as well.

Oh and before you say it I have had many a discussion with my wife about this and she says for sure it's a BLUE job and not a PINK job .:biggrin::biggrin:

Lin.

 

[Gofer]

The wife has me grab a chunk of green scotch bright pad and scrub them. She has done to much cleaning when they need to be done .... so it must be my turn.

Bruce

 

[Snowbeast]

Have you tried white vinegar? Turn off the water, empty the bowl and lay an old cloth over the ring area. Wet it with vinegar and keep it wet. If it is calcium build up, that should do the trick.

This is not an instant process so be patient.

Or you could just fill the bowl to above the lines with vinegar and let it sit overnight. May be a bit expensive and the odor will probably not make you the most loved person in the house.....

 

[ohiococonut]

If C.L.R. won't remove it you'll probably have to use an industrial strength cleaner.

 

[lorbay]

If C.L.R. won't remove it you'll probably have to use an industrial strength cleaner.

Yeh tried all of those. Still there. I have not tried the vinegar though. Hey you never know.

Lin.

 

[rholiday]

I've had good luck with a 'Pumie Heavy Duty Scouring Stick'. The box states that it is 100% pure pumice. Wet the stick and rub the edge of the stick on the surface you wish to clean, 'Unexcelled for removing toilet bowl rings.' It is madeby the United States Pumice Company in Chatsworth CA. The box has a few items that it should not be used on -- soft, highly polished metals, glass, unbaked enamel finishes, fiberglass and other plastics.
I think I got mine at Lowe's or Home Depot in the plumbing area; but not sure now.

 

[ctubbs]

Brick masons use muratic(sp?) acid to clean brick surfaces. That is a weak solution of HCl and removes the lime from their mortar. If all else fails, that might be a go to product. Be sure to read all precautions and wear your PPE!!!!!!! Even though it is weak, it is still HCL an can cause problems. Not for the faint of heart. You could always use the old fashioned 'Old Dutch Cleanser' or 'Bonami' another powered clenser.

Charles

 

[mb007]

Have you tried a product called "The Works"? Around here, I've seen it at Walmart and Home Depot. It's pretty inexpensive (I bought 2-32oz bottles at Walmart this week for under $3)

We have a similar water situation, and get really hard deposits in our toilets. I tried every expensive cleaner I could find with no luck, and was convinced that nothing could cut it. White vinegar made a dent, but took a lot of elbow grease to make any progress. With The Works, I put it in the bowl, walk away for 10-15 minutes, and it wipes away with minimal effort. It's the closest thing to magic I think I've seen. :biggrin:

One word of caution - wear gloves if you have any little nicks on your hands or you might get a little bit of a burn. DAMHIKT.

 

[CharlesJohnson]

I tryed muratic acid. It ate into the porcelain. Want do that again.

 

[Scott]

Another vote for a pumice stick. It works every time for me. Oh, and it's a "blue" job because we're tough enough to handle it!

Scott.

 

[frank123]

Hydrofluoric acid works well, particularly i a mixture with hydrochloric acid.

Use one of the weak solutions commercially for wheel cleaning or hard water stain removal and be careful with it - it's a rather dangerous compound even when dilute. Wear gloves and eye protection. Unless you are highly experienced with dangerous acids, never buy the concentrated stuff, strong hydrofluoric can kill you very easily.

Ammonium biflouride also works well, but be as careful with it as with Hydrofluoric, it forms hydrofluoric acid in solution and the powder is quite dangerous to inhale or get on the skin.

Concentrated phosphoric with a little hydrochloric mixed in will work adequately sometimes, depending on the mineral content of the scale, is much safer if you don't like playing with very deadly compounds, and can be used in conjunction with steel wool or a green scotchbrite scrub pad to scrub the stain (never use a green pad on anything such as glass that will show scratching). Gloves and eye protection as well.

 

[Tom T]

Try a product called Kaboom 2X. Ventilate well, really. Most stores carry it.

I think my plumber friend told me WD40. But I can not remember.
If I do remember I will ask him tomorrow and let you know.

 

[ctubbs]

Hydrofluoric acid works well, particularly i a mixture with hydrochloric acid.

Use one of the weak solutions commercially for wheel cleaning or hard water stain removal and be careful with it - it's a rather dangerous compound even when dilute. Wear gloves and eye protection. Unless you are highly experienced with dangerous acids, never buy the concentrated stuff, strong hydrofluoric can kill you very easily.

Ammonium biflouride also works well, but be as careful with it as with Hydrofluoric, it forms hydrofluoric acid in solution and the powder is quite dangerous to inhale or get on the skin.

Concentrated phosphoric with a little hydrochloric mixed in will work adequately sometimes, depending on the mineral content of the scale, is much safer if you don't like playing with very deadly compounds, and can be used in conjunction with steel wool or a green scotchbrite scrub pad to scrub the stain (never use a green pad on anything such as glass that will show scratching). Gloves and eye protection as well.

Please, PLEASE, if you are not very well versed in Hydrofluoric Acid, leave it alone. That is one of our prime products where I worked and it can be deadly. What we produced was 100% HF and one breath of it will kill. Weaker solutions will not be as quick but it will still cause problems if allowed to enter the body. It seeks out the calcium to produce calcium fluoride. Will cause bone and heart problems. If you must use it, carefully study the MSDS and observe all precautions. Not meaning to scare anyone, but I would rather work high voltage than mess with this stuff.

Charles

 

[mikespenturningz]

Toss a bucket of water into the bowl, this will empty it. Then take a sponge and get rid of the rest of the water. Then get some lysol toilet bowl cleaner and coat the entire inside of the bowl with it. Wait reapply the lysol and wait then just flush the toilet. You won't have any mess left if you do then toss another bucket of water and do it again. Simple and really works!

 

[Papa mark]

I work at Lowe's and this happened this week, a lady came in and wanted drywall sanding screens to clean the rust from her toilets. She said her house keeper uses them all the time on the rust and scale stains and they work very well. Who would have thought?

 

[lorbay]

Thanks to all I am going to give some of these a try.

Lin.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Brick masons use muratic(sp?) acid to clean brick surfaces. That is a weak solution of HCl and removes the lime from their mortar. If all else fails, that might be a go to product. Be sure to read all precautions and wear your PPE!!!!!!! Even though it is weak, it is still HCL an can cause problems. Not for the faint of heart. You could always use the old fashioned 'Old Dutch Cleanser' or 'Bonami' another powered clenser.

Charles

I use muratic acid to clean my swimming pool a few years back... the pool had sat for a few years with leaves and trash in it and the fiberglass sides were stained about a foot down into the water.... I put a hose in to drain it down some, went to town and forgot the hose... it pulled about 2 feet of water out of pool by the time we were back home...so before I refilled it, got a couple of gallons and a sponge mop... it took the stains right off the pool walls, but even out in the open air, I had to take very frequent breaks and get out of the fumes...

 

[sbell111]

Another vote for 'The Works'. That stuff does a really good job. The tub variant is pretty good, also.