Stained Toilet Bowl

[sue.fagan]

[David]

When I moved in about 2 years ago, the bowl below the water line was badly stained a brown colour. Thinking it was the obvious, I eventually took the plunge to see if it would be easy to remove. It simply wiped off and I had a perfectly white bowl. However, the bowl is again starting to stain. It is flushed after every use and the water is clear, there is no staining in the cistern. Using a toilet brush would prevent anything building up over time, but what would be causing it?

David

[BigWallop]

The water may look perfectly clear, but I can assure you it ain't. With water standing in the bowl for any length of time, the small particles do settle out against the porcelain. Try taking a white cup and filling it with water from your tap, then let it stand on the window sill till it dries out. You'll be amazed at what you find after all the water is gone.

[stuart noble]

Get some citric acid crystals from the chemist (100 gms about 60p IIRC). Tip the whole lot into the bowl and use a long handled washing up brush to get it up to the rim. You may need to do this on and off for a couple of hours. If you can be bothered to temporarily block the WC with a towel or something, you can just leave it overnight. IME this treatment lasts for a good couple of years. Once you get rid of the salts, the colour can't build up so easily.

[Adrian Sims]

On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 08:59:22 -0000, "stuart noble"

[Andy Hall]

[Christian McArdle]

I'm planning to get some brick acid and pour it into my toilet. What concentration would you recommend?

I've already tried emptying the trap and leaving it 24 hours with 2 litres neat bleach filling the U-bend. It made it much cleaner, but there's still loads of scale and general nastiness.

Christian.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Doesn't need to be strong -- the scale dissolves easily with no effort, just give it time. I use around a spoonful of Furnox descaller (DS-3? -- large tubs available from B&Q or plumbers merchant) dissolved in a pint of warm water and then poured into the u-trap and left for an hour or overnight. You could add a few drops of washing up liquid too if it's really bad, but that's not necessary unless it looks really bad. (Don't add any other cleaners as you might end up releasing clouds of chlorine gas.) After leaving to soak, one wipe with the toilet brush and flush, and brilliantly cleen loo, much more effectively and for far less cost than any of the proprietry loo cleaners.

Bleach doesn't really clean anything like this, it just makes the dirt invisible (for a short length of time).

[Dave Liquorice]

Well bleach won't shift scale, you need a descaler...

Wander along to your local supermarket and pick up a bottle of "Harpic

100% Limescale Remover" works here.

[The Natural Philosopher]

[The Natural Philosopher]

Full strength, and leave it, slap the toilet lid down and put your extractor in fill blast, or open a window. It will degrade rubber and plastic seals and pipes so don't leave it more than overnoght, then follow up with bleach to neutralise, wait, and do it again if necessary.

Neat bleach? Use neat caustic soda crystals :-) Turns turds into soap and silt that does!

[Andy Hall]

I'm not certain how concentrated it is and have not used it for a toilet application. Since you probably don't want something too vicious I would have thought diluting 5:1 would be a good start. Add acid to water, of course, and you definitely do not want any bleach around because copious amounts of chlorine gas would be released. You can always increase the concentration of acid if needed.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Andy Hall]

This is also an acid (phosphoric, IIRC, like in Coke).

Again, don't mix with bleach.......

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Grunthos]

Sterident tablet over night? Works wonders on coffee mugs!

[Ed Sirett]

[Dave Liquorice]

Can't be bothered to go upstairs to look again... but undoubtedly an acid of some sort.

And if you've loo full of bleach don't pee in it, for the same reason...

[stuart noble]

Only if they're oily.

[stuart noble]

Citric has the advantage that you can.... buy a small amount from round the corner for not much money which is safe to handle and doesn't smell and as is plenty strong enough to do the job. Using hydrochloric indoors is not my idea of fun.

[mike ring]

"stuart noble"

I'll be ok then, I don't get up till late

mike r

[David]

On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 13:36:20 -0000, "stuart noble" and as is plenty strong enough to do the job.

Since the staining rubs off very easily, I think I'll just invest in toilet brush and give it a quick rub down each week.

David