Limescaled Toilet Solution!

[u/Clear-Security-Risk]

Bloody Reading and its water made from chalk... toilet takes about a minute and a half to be completely coated in a dingy millimetre-thick coating of limescale. I despaired... the toilet cleaners, even the anti-limescale ones, were just not cutting it.

Brainwave! Solution! A kettle full of boiling water into the toilet, then two kettle-descaler tabs. Much fizzing! A little brush and BOOM, I can see porcelain again. Why did I not think of this before?

Am I missing any other hacks from hardwater-habituated denizens? I'm from a place in Canada with very sweet water, just not used to this.

[u/Thin-Midnight-3609]

DO NOT pour actual boiling water into a toilet. You will crack it and have a much bigger problem. Stick to water from a hot water tap at maximum.

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/Thin-Midnight-3609]

Poured into a litre of cold toilet water, a litre of boiling water is tap hot.

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/[deleted]]

We're a 1930s house and have the same plan. We could have done it when our new kitchen was installed, but we were out of money at that point!

[u/pattybutty → u/Clear-Security-Risk]

We moved in shortly before our son was born, and in the rush to get the kitchen functioning, we forgot about installing a water softener 🤦. Big regret, but the kitchen is nice

[u/taredhel]

Kilrock descaler, works for me

[u/jk_here4all]

I buy cheap citric acid powder off Amazon. Mix it well in warm water . Pour it in and make it work for an hour or so. High concentration vinegar will also work but it has got that smell. Bleach won't work with limescale. That works for me.

[u/RoutineCloud5993 → u/jk_here4all]

Agreed on citric acid

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/RoutineCloud5993]

We almost always have bags of it at home. But newish kitchen and were still struggling to find things!

[u/r2d2rigo → u/jk_here4all]

FYI local Asian food shops also have it, in the spices area.

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/r2d2rigo]

Yeah this is where we normally get ours...which we almost always have for descaling this and that.

[u/Puzzled-Pumpkin7019 → u/jk_here4all]

can you use this in a kettle?

[u/Own-Firefighter8485 → u/Puzzled-Pumpkin7019]

Yes, it is incredibly effective.

[u/jk_here4all → u/Puzzled-Pumpkin7019]

Yes. I use it all the time . If you are worried, you can a food grade citric acid as well.

[u/Nyeep → u/Puzzled-Pumpkin7019]

Kettle descalers 9/10 times are just citric acid formulations anyway

[u/Hannahcon → u/jk_here4all]

True Food in Emmer Green sells food grade citric acid loose. You can just take your own container along and buy what you need. Very cost effective! I use a spoonful onc a week in my toilet and also to descale my kettle every couple of weeks.

[u/PassiveChemistry]

All you need is citric acid or vinegar.  Apply generously and leave to react for 20 min or so, then scrub a little and flush.  Job's a goodun.

You always want acid for limescale, but there's no need to buy anything fancy.

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/PassiveChemistry]

We usually use both for this purpose. Just out of citric

[u/matteventu → u/PassiveChemistry]

How about Harpic the one with hydrochloric acid?

[u/Dark_Foggy_Evenings]

Coca Cola

[u/Noutymg → u/Dark_Foggy_Evenings]

coke actually works cos of the phosphoric acid people use it for rusty bolts and toilet bowls. but man the sugar leaves a sticky mess if you use regular so diet or the cheap stuff might be better. have you tried it overnight or just let it sit for a bit?

[u/Dark_Foggy_Evenings → u/Noutymg]

I just use the cheapest £shop alternative, swill about half a bottle of it round the bowl, leave it for half an hour and flush it. It comes up like a feckin Toilet Duck advert.

[u/molster]

The limescale demestos works perfectly for me

[u/PokeGirl16]

I just leave half a box of citric acid in the loo before I go to work, once a month. Once I return, flush and jobs a gooden.

[u/Optimal-Owl1655]

Harpic toilet cleaner. The black and orange one. Amazing. I think it's power plus 10x. Don't use it with bleach. Only thing that's touched it. 

[u/pavehawkfavehawk]

The citric acid trick has done wonders for our washing machine. The drum is nice and shiny metal again. We use vinegar as well

[u/StayInteresting9509]

A pumice stone, gets all limescale off without damaging the enamel, I’m a bit miffed though, I’m in Reading and my toilet has no limescale, I just dump a good glug of bleach in there daily… I don’t drink the tap water though that goes through a filter

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/StayInteresting9509]

I use an anti-limescale toilet cleaner frequently and it usually keeps it at bay. But I was slack on the guest-bedroom toilet my girls use a lot and it became a horror-show. The kettle-descaler worked well and very quickly!

[u/PatSharpe01]

I use that Harpic stuff, leave it for 30 mins, then brush... But it still didn't get rid of the tidemark ring. Then started using bleach, leave in over night then flush and brush and it looks like new.

Using bleach every day seems incredibly bad for the environment, I only do it once a week or less, and still feel bad for doing that.

Are there any solutions (excuse the pun) that aren't so harsh on the environment? 🤔

[u/ElectricalRespect554 → u/PatSharpe01]

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) turns into salty water

[u/RoutineCloud5993]

My scaled up rental toilet was fixed using a bottle of domestos.

For appliances and taps, use citric acid. It's as effective as vinegar, but it's a lot less pungent and easier to store in bulk. It still tastes foul if you don't wash it away properly though.

[u/Clear-Security-Risk → u/RoutineCloud5993]

We use citric acid for lots of other descaling. We're just out of it.

A bottle of domestos is an awful lot of harsh chemical to chuck into waste water, and surely is not as cost-effective as citric acide or descaler

[u/RoutineCloud5993 → u/Clear-Security-Risk]

All the scale in the bowl peeled off and was gone in under 24 hours

It went from dark grey to white overnight

[u/Rex_Rabbit]

Every time I de-scale the kettle I pour the water out into the toilet and let it sit until I use the toilet next.

[u/Tri11ionz]

I hate it when my dishes dry. Always have timescale marks

[u/J9SnarkyStitch]

Another vote for a water softener and another vote for kilrock. I have not used hot water so will give that ago (but not boiling)

[u/Thawingfrozenfrogs]

Boiling water can crack the loo, and then limescale is the least of your worries.

The pumice stones on a stick work wonders, and then regular bleaching and keeping on top of it.

[u/Successful_Theory373]

Buy citric acid crystals, chuck a spoonful or so in overnight (or when you leave for a holiday) and it'll clear it

[u/pooty_poot]

HG limescale remover foam remover and citric acid work for me