How to Get Hard Water Stains Out of Your Toilet

If you already have rings around the toilet bowl, a couple of popular types of products may just disappoint. Bleach and bleach-containing cleansers often make the stains worse or do practically nothing at all depending on the mineral content of your water. Something in the chemical reaction can actually make the stain darker or completely impenetrable to the power of bleach.

Some soapy, detergent-based commercial cleaners don't do much more than roll off of the stains and dissolve in the water itself, doing nothing to remove the hard water stains or buildup. Even abrasive powders can be a letdown if they aren't backed up with a lot of hard and long scrubbing, and scouring pads or rough brushes can damage toilet surfaces over time.

Several products do work well because of their chemical concentrations, and producers usually market these as lime or hard-water-removing cleansers, but they don't work for everyone. Even commercial-grade cleansers with bases made from an acid such as sulfuric acid either work really well or not so great depending on the water makeup. And a number of people have sensitivities or bad reactions to strong chemicals.

Thankfully, there are a few more options for seeing the porcelain beneath your calcium and magnesium.

Many forums on both house and commercial cleaning rate vinegar high on their lists for getting calcium stains out of toilets and sinks. Strong vinegar concentrations work well when left to soak on the stains, and you can do this safely overnight. Some advise letting all of the water out of the toilet, spraying vinegar full-strength on stains and letting it work until the morning. Others coat paper towels with vinegar and leave those on the rings and stains. Both methods seem to reduce the amount of hand scrubbing needed, though a light scouring with fine sandpaper or an abrasive sponge will finish the job.

Using the vinegar method seems to work not only at getting the stains off but also at keeping stains from forming when used regularly — and before hard water has a chance to build up. Regular toilet brushing with vinegar and baking soda or even without a cleanser also can keep minerals moving and loose rather than congregating and causing stains.

Preventing water from running through your plumbing in its hard form is another option, and water softeners often can neutralize mineral particles to make the water softer and less likely to stain your bowls. So I guess you can go soft on hard water, or rather, it can go soft on you.