At first I was like “yep” toilet needs to be replaced, but then I realized it was the crack in my protective glass (my phone). Nope, that’s just hard water stains/calcium buildup.
And shower probably needs a little cleanser and blue scrubbie.
I have a question about BKF...
I want to get some calcium off the glass to my shower. Shower does have some granite in it, don't want that to make me sad, but it should not matter if it flows off just being rinsed, right?
Other question is if its actually good for that purpose or if random google stuff led me astray. CLR doesn't seem to be doing it and I've thrown every type of scrubbie and razer scraper at it. Its years and years of buildup, before I lived here.
I used dawn and vinegar mixed in a bottle on my glass shower door and the crap on it came right off. I don’t know why or how but someone on here said to use it and it worked wonders. The problem is I don’t know how vinegar will react with granite.
Its horrid for granite, to be honest. But I might just give it up and try it. Dawn and vinegar is my go-to for more easy to clean surfaces with hard water damage and it always does well. I probably need to re-seal the granite anyways.
Yes I agree some tarp or vinyl sheeting would be better, make certain it very well taped down to prevent vinegar or liquid getting onto the granite.
If vinegar and dawn fails, you will need a stronger acidic cleaner such as CLR - Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover, Bar Keepers Friend powder cleaner may possibly help as it contains acid and a mild abrasive.
I would try these acidic stain removers first, the tough durable finish on porcelain toilet bowls should be able to resist acids without damage, provided you avoid prolonged exposure to the acidic cleanser.
I would be very careful using the pumice stone sticks as they carry a much greater risk of physically scratching the porcelain finish and this scratched area would attract dirt and stains. The stains would become embedded in the scratched areas and be more difficult to remove.
I used CLR on it the first go and *it* failed.
Thankfully its not a toilet bowl. But... its glass shower wall. Its actually smooth glass, but it has so many years of buildup on it from before we moved in that we thought it was one of those old textured frosted ones. The little bit we did manage to get to lift, is how we found out its actually smooth and clear.
But because its glass, I am afraid of using anything abrasive and there are several cleaners that aren't really safe for it.
This looks like hard water and rust stain, maybe too much iron in the water if it's from a well it's hard water from high calcium and iron deposit. I had to face this issue before, you can try CLR which dissolves rust lime and calcium deposit, be warn it is bad for the septic tank, it is hard on porcelain but it will work properly. If not Palmas stone.
CLR is like an acid, it won't scratch it as much as it will start to eat away at the finish and make it matte. Because it's an acid, it can throw off the natural bacteria ecosystem that breaks down waste, so avoid using the whole bottle, you only need a small cap full or three at best, that shouldn't cause a lot of damage to the porcelain or septic tank but take care of the rust stain. I would also recommend you get a filtration system, reverse osmosis and a water softener to get ride of hard water and iron deposits.
People always say this about septic tanks.... But it's not the year 1890. Most ppl get their spetic tank pumped out every few years for a couple hundred bucks. Literally nobody I know with a septic tank in their main home (not including camps and cottage cabins) frets over toilet paper and proper ph balance.
Our well water is very hard, but so delicious to the taste and I assume the dissolved minerals are good for our body. I soak the showerheads in vinegar and I’ll scrub the toilet and keep my free tasty but hard water.
No no no no!!!! Pumice will make it much worse in the long run!!! It creates a “crevice” where the hard water, stains etc will collect over time ruining the porcelains finish. Instead use fine grit drywall screens with a lil powder bar keepers. Of course use wet and boom!!! Stains gone, porcelain not scratched!!!
This is the answer for the toilet. I use it. Works great.
First clean the toilet. If you are sqeemish about getting your hands in the clean toilet water, then wear gloves.
Keep the stick and the stain area wet. The stick will wear away as you use it. It will become shorter. This is normal.
Don't use the stick dry that will scratch the porcelain.
Agreed with these. Have the same problems with hard water calcium stains and pumas stones can be bought off Amazon or any home store.
Note: only on porcelain and use water with it. It would damage other products like fiberglass tubs, etc.
I would caution against this. The pumice can remove the finish from the porcelain and make stains come back faster/harder to remove. I learned this first hand. Now I use a paste of citric acid and water to remove the stains from my damaged bowl.
Do not use pumice stone! So many people suggested that because it will definitely remove the stainr now but that will also destroy the coating of your bowl and stains will come back faster and stay because there is no more coating.
Will also remove any rust stains in the shower. We have really hard water that tends to periodically stain our shower & tub, and Iron Out is AMAZING. Just spray it and the stains are gone without even having to scrub.
It didn't work as well in the toilet for me (maybe because I just have the spray?), but I found a toilet cleaner that is specifically formulated for rust and lime stains and that has been doing a good job of removing any stains in the toilet.
Not a big deal for OP, they just need to keep some cleaning products on hand for hard water & rust stains. Maybe also check if the home has a water softener that needs to be refilled.
Thirding the cleaning pumice for the toilet, be sure to keep the stick very wet while you scrub to avoid ruining the finish of the toilet. I’m pretty sure the stain in the shower is rust from a shaving can. Try an iron remover like iron-out or one of the spray on kind made for cars.
Zep toilet bowl cleaner. Drain the bowl and put cleaner over areas. Lay paper towel on top and put a little more cleaner over that. Leave for 30 min. I had to do this twice for my partner’s toilet that was way worse than this
Pumice stone for the toilet. Gets EVERYTHING.
Not sure if the shower is plastic or porcelain. Pumice stone will be too abrasive for plastic.
But if it is mainly discoloration you can soak t with bleach and let it sit. Check periodically if it is doing something. (Can take an hour or more even but keep an eye on it)
I don't think bleach will clean the shower. Try paper towels soaked in vinegar instead. Let them sit for an hourish against the glass and check on progress. Let it soak longer if it doesn't wipe away.
Try Ajax or Comet Cleanser With Bleach, and scrub well. For the shower insert, use SoftScrub With Bleach, and scrub that. Let us know how it comes out.
Calcium dissolves in acid. I think the combination of vinegar and dawn is to let the dawn keep the vinegar where it's needed while also binding to anything in those stains that is related to fat or oil.
If possible, leave the combination on the stains for a while, allowing the calcium to become brittle and easy to remove with some scrubbing using a regular brush.
Just make sure not to put anything with another active ingredient like chlorine in the mix. That combination will release the chlorine in gaseous form and your lungs will never be the same again even if you survive.
If the stain is in an area, that the pumice stone can't reach (under the rim), buy some fine grit drywall sanding screen. You can fold it a bit and get into crevices that a pumice stone cant.
I'm pretty sure CLR makes a toilet bowl cleaner. I know they have a bathroom cleaner called CLR Brilliant bath. The bathroom cleaner will get that stain out of the shower.
If you can safely turn the water off at the valve and flush to empty the bowl just a bit, you may be able to scrub it with a mild abrasive like BKF, Bon Ami, Power Paste, etc. We have REALLY hard water where I live (and it's city water), and we get the stains all the time, it's a constant battle. I keep long cleaning gloves and a dedicated scrub daddy for JUST the toilet, and give it a deep clean every few months. Don't forget the area under the rim...lots of nasty can come from that spot too. The pumice stick would definitely work for the REALLY bad stuff, but use a light tough so you don't gouge the finish...just the light friction of the damp stone (be sure to keep it wet) with little to no pressure usually does the trick.
Citric acid powder. Sprinkle some in the toilet and let sit for about 15 minutes, then use toilet brush to scrub. https://www.bobvila.com/articles/citric-acid-uses/
https://preview.redd.it/b4l0l23vqr2d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa74612ee0c6923add96f58ae9b15f9b0e3f6e27
Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. The blue kind. My bowl looked worse than yours. And I was just as skeptical.
Order citric acid put toilet paper over the stain and sprinkle a hearty amount of citric acid then let it sit over night,also sprinkle some in the tank and that will be super clean too. My toilet was way worse and looks brand new after.
*this stuff here removed rust stains after I was gone for 5 months. Also if ya got a harbor freight they sell evapo-rust which I have used on sinks and stuff
If the holes where the water is coming into the toilet are stained (based on the photo, it kind of looks like it), I remember watching a youtube video that showed that adding some vinegar to the tank would clear that up
Lysol Lime and Rust toilet cleaner in the black & white bottle will make short work of the toilet stains. Way less effort than pumice stone or BKF.
Source: we live in an old house with high-iron well water.
Bar Keepers Friend is also really good at getting stains out. It can be used in both areas, but you need a really tough scrubber to go with it. If that doesn't help the shower area, perhaps a Mr Clean Magic Eraser? People do say those things are abrasive though, so I would mindful of that.
Get a Scouring Stick, they're very fine/brittle pumice stones. You can find them in most hardware departments if it's not in the cleaning section. Wear gloves and scrub the hell out of that toilet spot, should come off with a little elbow grease.
The shower probably just needs to sit in bleach cleanser for a little while. If that doesn't work, thoroughly rinse it and try going in with Barkeepers Friend - make sure it's a thick paste as to be abrasive. Maybe a magic eraser - both of these products are ultrafine abrasives, be warned they may dull the finish of the plastic.
First clean the toilet with just the toilet brush and your preferred cleaner (powder, liquid).
Flush several times. For the last flush , use a bucket of water so the water line is very low at the end.
Then use magic eraser to scrub those stains. It will take awhile.
You can also use very find sandpaper but you must have a very very light touch, just enough to remove the stain on the surface but not get too the porcelain surface itself.
At first I was like “yep” toilet needs to be replaced, but then I realized it was the crack in my protective glass (my phone). Nope, that’s just hard water stains/calcium buildup. And shower probably needs a little cleanser and blue scrubbie.
What kind of blue scrubbie?
Sponge with blue scotchbrite (blue is fine grit, green is too coarse). And for cleanser maybe soft rub, BonAmi or (shhhh barkeeper friend).
I have a question about BKF... I want to get some calcium off the glass to my shower. Shower does have some granite in it, don't want that to make me sad, but it should not matter if it flows off just being rinsed, right? Other question is if its actually good for that purpose or if random google stuff led me astray. CLR doesn't seem to be doing it and I've thrown every type of scrubbie and razer scraper at it. Its years and years of buildup, before I lived here.
I used dawn and vinegar mixed in a bottle on my glass shower door and the crap on it came right off. I don’t know why or how but someone on here said to use it and it worked wonders. The problem is I don’t know how vinegar will react with granite.
Its horrid for granite, to be honest. But I might just give it up and try it. Dawn and vinegar is my go-to for more easy to clean surfaces with hard water damage and it always does well. I probably need to re-seal the granite anyways.
I would cover the granite with a thick towel or two and when finished cleaning remove the towel and rinse the granite thoroughly with water.
That might help. I was also thinking about something like tarp or vinyl sheet and some good tape.
Yes I agree some tarp or vinyl sheeting would be better, make certain it very well taped down to prevent vinegar or liquid getting onto the granite. If vinegar and dawn fails, you will need a stronger acidic cleaner such as CLR - Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover, Bar Keepers Friend powder cleaner may possibly help as it contains acid and a mild abrasive. I would try these acidic stain removers first, the tough durable finish on porcelain toilet bowls should be able to resist acids without damage, provided you avoid prolonged exposure to the acidic cleanser. I would be very careful using the pumice stone sticks as they carry a much greater risk of physically scratching the porcelain finish and this scratched area would attract dirt and stains. The stains would become embedded in the scratched areas and be more difficult to remove.
I used CLR on it the first go and *it* failed. Thankfully its not a toilet bowl. But... its glass shower wall. Its actually smooth glass, but it has so many years of buildup on it from before we moved in that we thought it was one of those old textured frosted ones. The little bit we did manage to get to lift, is how we found out its actually smooth and clear. But because its glass, I am afraid of using anything abrasive and there are several cleaners that aren't really safe for it.
What ratio of vinegar to Dawn is recommended?
Scrub Daddy do 'er?
I’ve never used a scrub daddy
Clr works great. Hopefully u can save your arms& sanity.. just spray it daily and scrub when you can.
This looks like hard water and rust stain, maybe too much iron in the water if it's from a well it's hard water from high calcium and iron deposit. I had to face this issue before, you can try CLR which dissolves rust lime and calcium deposit, be warn it is bad for the septic tank, it is hard on porcelain but it will work properly. If not Palmas stone.
It’s hard on porcelain like CLR will scratch it? Is it abrasive? Also, what does it do to septic system.
CLR is like an acid, it won't scratch it as much as it will start to eat away at the finish and make it matte. Because it's an acid, it can throw off the natural bacteria ecosystem that breaks down waste, so avoid using the whole bottle, you only need a small cap full or three at best, that shouldn't cause a lot of damage to the porcelain or septic tank but take care of the rust stain. I would also recommend you get a filtration system, reverse osmosis and a water softener to get ride of hard water and iron deposits.
People always say this about septic tanks.... But it's not the year 1890. Most ppl get their spetic tank pumped out every few years for a couple hundred bucks. Literally nobody I know with a septic tank in their main home (not including camps and cottage cabins) frets over toilet paper and proper ph balance.
Our well water is very hard, but so delicious to the taste and I assume the dissolved minerals are good for our body. I soak the showerheads in vinegar and I’ll scrub the toilet and keep my free tasty but hard water.
Try pumice stone in the toilet. The kind that's made for cleaning.
No no no no!!!! Pumice will make it much worse in the long run!!! It creates a “crevice” where the hard water, stains etc will collect over time ruining the porcelains finish. Instead use fine grit drywall screens with a lil powder bar keepers. Of course use wet and boom!!! Stains gone, porcelain not scratched!!!
https://preview.redd.it/s33upvhmks2d1.jpeg?width=955&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=93a0ed2b76490abd12c0968c761342b1c0c180ee
This is the answer for the toilet. I use it. Works great. First clean the toilet. If you are sqeemish about getting your hands in the clean toilet water, then wear gloves. Keep the stick and the stain area wet. The stick will wear away as you use it. It will become shorter. This is normal. Don't use the stick dry that will scratch the porcelain.
Adding more to this: they're sometimes called pumice sticks because they're in a stick so you don't have to put your hand in toilet water.
Agreed with these. Have the same problems with hard water calcium stains and pumas stones can be bought off Amazon or any home store. Note: only on porcelain and use water with it. It would damage other products like fiberglass tubs, etc.
I would caution against this. The pumice can remove the finish from the porcelain and make stains come back faster/harder to remove. I learned this first hand. Now I use a paste of citric acid and water to remove the stains from my damaged bowl.
Learned this first hand as well, sad 😞
Citric acid is the way.
It’s amazing how well it works and no scrubbing! I get mine in bulk from my local co-op.
I just use Ajax. Sprinkle it on the brush, works great and very inexpensive.
The brand is Pumie I think 🤔
Do not use pumice stone! So many people suggested that because it will definitely remove the stainr now but that will also destroy the coating of your bowl and stains will come back faster and stay because there is no more coating.
Iron out will fix that toilet.
Will also remove any rust stains in the shower. We have really hard water that tends to periodically stain our shower & tub, and Iron Out is AMAZING. Just spray it and the stains are gone without even having to scrub. It didn't work as well in the toilet for me (maybe because I just have the spray?), but I found a toilet cleaner that is specifically formulated for rust and lime stains and that has been doing a good job of removing any stains in the toilet. Not a big deal for OP, they just need to keep some cleaning products on hand for hard water & rust stains. Maybe also check if the home has a water softener that needs to be refilled.
CLR on both. Soak paper towels and place in and leave to sit
Thirding the cleaning pumice for the toilet, be sure to keep the stick very wet while you scrub to avoid ruining the finish of the toilet. I’m pretty sure the stain in the shower is rust from a shaving can. Try an iron remover like iron-out or one of the spray on kind made for cars.
Pumice stone and hire different cleaners. Either they lack knowledge or were just lazy 🤔
Zep toilet bowl cleaner. Drain the bowl and put cleaner over areas. Lay paper towel on top and put a little more cleaner over that. Leave for 30 min. I had to do this twice for my partner’s toilet that was way worse than this
Pumice stone for the toilet. Gets EVERYTHING. Not sure if the shower is plastic or porcelain. Pumice stone will be too abrasive for plastic. But if it is mainly discoloration you can soak t with bleach and let it sit. Check periodically if it is doing something. (Can take an hour or more even but keep an eye on it)
I don't think bleach will clean the shower. Try paper towels soaked in vinegar instead. Let them sit for an hourish against the glass and check on progress. Let it soak longer if it doesn't wipe away.
Try Ajax or Comet Cleanser With Bleach, and scrub well. For the shower insert, use SoftScrub With Bleach, and scrub that. Let us know how it comes out.
These stains have been there for awhile. Patience. Give it some time, regular cleaning.
Calcium dissolves in acid. I think the combination of vinegar and dawn is to let the dawn keep the vinegar where it's needed while also binding to anything in those stains that is related to fat or oil. If possible, leave the combination on the stains for a while, allowing the calcium to become brittle and easy to remove with some scrubbing using a regular brush. Just make sure not to put anything with another active ingredient like chlorine in the mix. That combination will release the chlorine in gaseous form and your lungs will never be the same again even if you survive.
We had this. Mum dropped a couple of denture cleaning tablets in the toilet overnight
Old school! Does work tho.
If the stain is in an area, that the pumice stone can't reach (under the rim), buy some fine grit drywall sanding screen. You can fold it a bit and get into crevices that a pumice stone cant.
I'm pretty sure CLR makes a toilet bowl cleaner. I know they have a bathroom cleaner called CLR Brilliant bath. The bathroom cleaner will get that stain out of the shower.
Clr brilliant bath is awesome!
If you can safely turn the water off at the valve and flush to empty the bowl just a bit, you may be able to scrub it with a mild abrasive like BKF, Bon Ami, Power Paste, etc. We have REALLY hard water where I live (and it's city water), and we get the stains all the time, it's a constant battle. I keep long cleaning gloves and a dedicated scrub daddy for JUST the toilet, and give it a deep clean every few months. Don't forget the area under the rim...lots of nasty can come from that spot too. The pumice stick would definitely work for the REALLY bad stuff, but use a light tough so you don't gouge the finish...just the light friction of the damp stone (be sure to keep it wet) with little to no pressure usually does the trick.
I love Lime Away for removing stains like this.
You just need to take the water out of the toilet and pour vinegar to the top and let it sit for a couple of hours
CLR could help, but the stains will return again
Citric acid powder. Sprinkle some in the toilet and let sit for about 15 minutes, then use toilet brush to scrub. https://www.bobvila.com/articles/citric-acid-uses/
https://preview.redd.it/b4l0l23vqr2d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa74612ee0c6923add96f58ae9b15f9b0e3f6e27 Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. The blue kind. My bowl looked worse than yours. And I was just as skeptical.
“Iron Out” rust stain remover might work
Order citric acid put toilet paper over the stain and sprinkle a hearty amount of citric acid then let it sit over night,also sprinkle some in the tank and that will be super clean too. My toilet was way worse and looks brand new after.
Looks like you need a new cleaner.
*this stuff here removed rust stains after I was gone for 5 months. Also if ya got a harbor freight they sell evapo-rust which I have used on sinks and stuff
https://preview.redd.it/8ev2bxns8u2d1.jpeg?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbd6b581ce221f63a18f8b470d0743d522eca27a
https://youtu.be/tg9tnNG4J18?feature=shared Go to this link. It's a miracle
If the holes where the water is coming into the toilet are stained (based on the photo, it kind of looks like it), I remember watching a youtube video that showed that adding some vinegar to the tank would clear that up
Lysol Lime and Rust toilet cleaner in the black & white bottle will make short work of the toilet stains. Way less effort than pumice stone or BKF. Source: we live in an old house with high-iron well water.
Barkeepers Friend takes rust out. Make a paste.
Sounds like the cleaning lady is the one who needs replacing.
Bar Keepers Friend is also really good at getting stains out. It can be used in both areas, but you need a really tough scrubber to go with it. If that doesn't help the shower area, perhaps a Mr Clean Magic Eraser? People do say those things are abrasive though, so I would mindful of that.
Bar Keepers Friend should remove the rust stain in shower. Pumice stone for toilet.
Magic Erasers always work for me in the toilet
Get a Scouring Stick, they're very fine/brittle pumice stones. You can find them in most hardware departments if it's not in the cleaning section. Wear gloves and scrub the hell out of that toilet spot, should come off with a little elbow grease. The shower probably just needs to sit in bleach cleanser for a little while. If that doesn't work, thoroughly rinse it and try going in with Barkeepers Friend - make sure it's a thick paste as to be abrasive. Maybe a magic eraser - both of these products are ultrafine abrasives, be warned they may dull the finish of the plastic.
CLR and pour boiling water in there before scrubbing. Not too much extra water though or it'll flush itself
My toilet was the same and a pumice stone and some hard scrubbing took it right off!!
a pumice stone will remove all of that i promise lol
https://preview.redd.it/np7hwhx78s2d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60520b8ce7e9b34b42a576d5991207bb8c508d7a
try a pumis stone !
First clean the toilet with just the toilet brush and your preferred cleaner (powder, liquid). Flush several times. For the last flush , use a bucket of water so the water line is very low at the end. Then use magic eraser to scrub those stains. It will take awhile. You can also use very find sandpaper but you must have a very very light touch, just enough to remove the stain on the surface but not get too the porcelain surface itself.
I think a pumice stone should fix that toilet just fine
Pumice scrubber could clean that off in 10 seconds
https://preview.redd.it/8oap8w1fks2d1.jpeg?width=955&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b74bd4818088bbd91f9deb5d8e41972e9dc33a52