You know those stubborn brown stains you find in your toilets, sink, and bathtubs that you wash over and over again, but they do not seem to be going away? It’s about time you learn how to get rid of them. You might be wondering how those stains got there and why they are so difficult to remove.
They are called rust stains, and they come about by the existence of iron in the water in your bathroom. They settle when you flush the toilet or turn on the faucet in your bathroom. When they come in contact with air, they oxidize and begin to color.
After a while, they build up in places where water drips consistently. That is why you can always see them in lines inside the toilet bowl or on the sink.
With the presence of rust stains, washing your bathroom can become annoying because no matter how long you scrub and how many products you use in your toilet, the colors still won’t go away. There are many ways to eliminate these stains for good, so if you have been looking for ways to remove rust stains from your toilets, keep reading to find out.
How to Remove Rust Stains From a Toilet
Some products and tools can remove all stains from your toilet quickly and leave them looking brand new. Some of these products include:
Bar Keepers Friend: This brand is known to produce several great cleaning products for household use. Among their many products, the toilet bowl cleaner is very effective on all forms of toilet stains.
All you have to do is pour it in your toilet, wait for 5 minutes, then go ahead to brush the bowl. After rinsing, all rust stains will have disappeared.
Pumice Stick/Stone: This is a soft porous rock and very useful in taking out stubborn rust stains from the toilet bowl. The good thing about this product is that it can be rinsed and used many times.
Just wet the stick or stone properly, and use it to scrub out the stained areas of your toilet seat, and watch it get clean in minutes. Please refrain from using this product every time you clean the toilet. They should only be used for removing rust stains from the bathroom.
Shaws Pads: This is another scrubbing material that can help you remove stubborn stains from your toilets. Just dip into water and gently scrub the affected areas and watch as all stains disappear from your toilet.
Zud Scouring Cleanser: This is a heavy-duty cleanser for all hardware that can quickly eliminate all forms of stains in your bathroom. The chemicals active in the Zud cleanser are very potent. It requires you to sprinkle a little directly on the rust stain, then scrub using your toilet brush or pad. Rinse and watch as all those tough stains disappear.
Limeosol: This is an automatic stain remover. The best part about this is that it can remove all forms of stain in the bathroom without any brush. You do not need to do any scrubbing at all. Just spray this product on the rust stains, wait for 5 minutes and rinse. All the rust stains disappear with the water.
Chemical Free Options
Not everyone likes to introduce chemicals into their homes, even for stubborn stains like this. Luckily, some homemade remedies would not require the inclusion of any chemicals to clean your toilets.
Vinegar: This liquid is known to be a multi-purpose solution. Pour some vinegar around your toilet bowl and wait for an hour. Brush the toilet properly, then flush.
Baking Soda: This is known to be a natural whitener. Grab some baking soda from your kitchen, and sprinkle it around the toilet. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then pour some vinegar on the baking soda, then scrub the toilet properly and flush.
Borax: pour some borax and vinegar into the toilet bowl, use a brush to scrub it a little, then flush. Your toilet bowl will be clean and stain-free in just minutes.
How to Prevent Rust Stains in The Future
If you manage to get the stains out of your toilet bowl, you definitely will not want them coming back. The tips below can help keep your toilet bowl stain-free at all times.
- Wash Toilet Frequently: It is the buildup of iron that creates rust stains. If you clean your toilet frequently, it eliminates the chances of buildup and keeps your toilet stain-free.
- Use Water Softeners: This will help dissolve all the iron in the water and prevent rust stains’ reoccurrence.
- Change Your Pipes: If you have iron pipes, they will continue to rust and stain your toilets until they are changed,
- Keep Everything Dry: If your toilets are always dry, there wouldn’t be any iron residue to oxidize and form rust stains in your toilets.
Bottom Line
The presence of rust stains in your toilet will give it a dirty look even if you clean it every day. It can make you scared of having visitors because they might need to use the bathroom.
You do not need to call in a professional to take a look at your bathroom. Eliminate all your fears by taking note of the tips above to keep rust stains away from your toilets. If they are already there, the information above can also help you take them out in a few minutes.