How to Remove Lime From a Toilet Bowl

Keep your toilet looking clean by removing lime buildup.

If you have hard water, you may notice an off-white, crusty substance in your toilet bowl. This is lime buildup. Limescale is the result of deposits left from hard water. Limescale buildup in the toilet bowl makes the toilet look unclean and dingy. Removing limescale from a toilet bowl can be done using common household products.

Things You'll Need

• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Toilet brush
• Bucket
• Water
• 1 gallon white vinegar
• Paper towels
• Borax powder

Instructions

1. Remove as much water from the toilet bowl as possible. Turn off valve located behind the toilet to stop water flow. Flush the toilet a couple of times until the toilet bowl is empty.

2. Clean the inside of the toilet bowl with toilet bowl cleaner. Apply a generous amount of the cleaner and scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. This will remove some of the lime deposits but probably not all. Dump a bucket of plain water into the bowl to rinse it out after cleaning with the toilet bowl cleaner.

3. Pour 1 gallon of white vinegar into the toilet bowl. If this is not enough to cover the lime deposits, soak paper towels with the vinegar and situate them over the lime stains. Leave the vinegar in the toilet bowl overnight.

4. Remove the paper towels the next day. Use the toilet brush to scrub off any loosened lime deposits. Flush the toilet with a bucket of water. Inspect the toilet bowl to see if any of the lime stains remain.

5. Use borax powder if the lime stains persist. Sprinkle a generous amount of borax directly onto the affected areas of the toilet bowl. Leave it for 30 minutes and then scrub with the toilet brush. Flush the bowl with a bucket or two of water.

Tips & Warnings

• Chlorine bleach can also be used to remove lime stains. Pour about 1/2 cup bleach into the toilet bowl or soak paper towels in bleach and lay them on top of the lime stains. Leave the bleach on the stains for several hours before scrubbing and flushing the bowl with water.

• Don't forget to turn the water valve back on when you are finished cleaning.

• Use a toilet brush with plastic bristles so that the toilet bowl does not become scratched.

• Wear rubber gloves when working with bleach to protect your skin.

• Never mix bleach and ammonia or products containing these ingredients. The results could be toxic.

References

• Water Guide: Limescale and Hard Water Problems
• Stain Expert: How To Get Gleaming Toilets and Sinks
• Creative Homemaking: Removing Hard Water Stains from Toilet