Removing Unsightly Rust Stains from Your Toilet Bowl

You know how unattractive it can be if you’ve ever dealt with unsightly rust stains inside your toilet bowl. In an area that’s not known particularly for stunning visual elements anyway, having these rust stains in your toilet can destroy the look of your bathroom.

Even in the cleanest of bathrooms, these rust stains just stick out like a sore thumb. If you’ve been experiencing this issue, you know how difficult removing these stains with common household cleaning products can be.

Luckily, you can use a couple of home remedies to remove these rust stains and return your toilet to like-new condition.

Causes of Rust Stains

What causes these unsightly rust stains to begin with? Typically, the culprit is the iron levels in your water supply.

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to see iron. However, once these particles oxidize, they begin turning the red and brown colors you’re used to seeing.

When you have an older home that hasn’t had the pluming upgraded or replaced since it was built, this could be the source of the iron. Older pipes that are in a state of deterioration will send iron back up through the plumbing system and into your toilet, eventually leading to these unsightly deposits.

So how do you clean this rust and get your bathroom looking normal again?

Cleaning the Rust

When you’re attempting to eliminate the rust from your toilet bowl, it’s important to remember not to use bleach. Many people assume that bleach is the most effective way to attack this problem.

However, using bleach can actually make the situation worse. Most of the time, bleach just ends up spreading the rust stains across the toilet bowl even more.

Additionally, you want to avoid using any abrasive cleaning scrubbers or pads. This means no steel wool or harsh scrub pads. All of these products can severely damage the surface of your toilet and ruin the porcelain.

Instead, try the following steps:

• Use a homemade solution made from one-parts vinegar and one-part water. This can be used as a spray.
• Alternatively, you can mix three-part baking soda and one-part vinegar to form a paste. Spread this paste over the rust.
• Use a standard toilet brush after either mixture has had a chance to sit for about 20 minutes.
• Before you clean, turn off the water supply and flush so all of the water is removed from the toilet bowl.
• If you’re having difficulty with tougher areas of rust, try adding some Borax for good measure.

To avoid rust stains in the future, you might want to consider making some changes. It’s possible that your pipes need an upgrade, which requires a trained professional’s services. In the meantime, daily cleaning may help keep the issue at bay.