Help with Dirty Toilets!!!

Updated on March 12, 2007
M.W. asks from Prairie Village, KS
18 answers

I have a bathroom in the basement that NEVER gets used. I recently noticed that it was developing a ring around the water line. I tried to clean it, and got almost all of it off. Any suggestions on how to get the rest of the ring off? Also, on my upstairs bath, it seems that I so agressively used the toilet brush that I scratched the inner surface of the stool. Any ideas about that?

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S.I.

answers from Oklahoma City on

The water around here is so hard that I have had similar problems in the guest bath! I used CLR and it seemed to work ok.

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C.W.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Go to Wal-Mart and get a bottle of Works, it's in the same place as you would find other toliet cleaners. It's about $1.97 it sounds cheap but I won't use anything else it does it's name, it WORKS. I use it everywhere bathroom, kitchen, outside jobs, car tire rims, I am a works freak. Keep me posted.

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N.R.

answers from Tulsa on

i always pour some ajax n let it sit there then brush it off if that doesnt help bleach will :)
or that one liquid they sell at the dollar store
it has an orange looking moster on it

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C.B.

answers from Kansas City on

CLR does wonders on my bathtub...maybe it'll help with your toilet?

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J.C.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Have you tried just pouring Bleach in to your toilet and just letting it sit for a while. I live in a town house that has really hard water and it makes a ring around our water lines in the toilets and I have to pour staight bleach in there and let it sit till it comes off..... Blessing J.

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J.S.

answers from Springfield on

From a mom with 2 kids that forget to flush quite often, I pour bleach into the bowl, above the water line and let it set for about 30 minutes. Then gently scrub the bowl with a softer brush and flush. It'll get rid of any stains in there. I make it a habit to clean it that way once a month. Just make sure that no one uses the toilets in that time and that you turn on the ventilation fan in the bathroom (if you have one) or make sure that it stays ventilated in the bathroom. I also keep the Chlorox bleach tablets in the tank for in between cleanings.

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C.O.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Comet has alway's been my best friend when it comes to this kind of problem. I usually pour it in and let it stand for a bit Then scrub alot. To prevent this from happening in the future I bought a toilet brush that is completely plastic.

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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

CLR (comes in a lime green bottle). Stands for Calcium Lime Rust and it removes all those that are built up on surfaces. Good to run through your dishwasher and coffeemaker every so often too.

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M.C.

answers from Rockford on

If it is a white ring around the waterline it is probably from calcium deposits from 'hard' water so I would use Lime Away. If it is rusty colored, you should look for a cleaner that takes off lime and rust.

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L.E.

answers from Springfield on

I use what is called The Works, you can get it about anywhere, dollar store, walmart, ect. But if that does seam to work Vingar and Baking soda will do the trick also. Those two combos. work great on just about everything.

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D.T.

answers from Tulsa on

Swish and swipe every day is the Fly Lady way to avoid dirty toilets. I do it.

I use Clorox wipes instead of that smelly old brush but Marla Cilly says she uses anything that is soapy on her brush. Old bath gel, shampoo that she didn't like.

Hey if you work it into your schedule to go down those steps everyday to swish and swipe you've added cardio to your cleaning routine.

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S.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Given where you live, it's probably a combination of hard water and older pipes. Try one of the products especially designed for lime & rust or hard water. You could also try dumping a few cups of white vinegar in the bowl and letting it set for a bit before scrubbing. If that takes care of it, you might consider putting some vinegar in the tank, too.

As far as the scratched one, check with the hardware store. I think there's a product you can use for that where you empty the bowl first.

Good luck

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J.

answers from Kansas City on

I don't know if this product will work on the toilet with scratches, but try the Clorox tablets for toilets. You put it in the tank and it bleaches the toilet flush after flush. It's something you replace every 3 months or so.

Good luck,
J.

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J.L.

answers from St. Louis on

The best toilet bowl cleaner that I have ever used is Sno Bol. It was $.97 at Target, and it got the reddish growth out of the very bottom of the bowl that just kind of grew over time and even though I swish and swipe everyday like FlyLady suggests. I've used CLR and Clorox, but even those didn't even phase the mineral-like growth. When I bought the cheapest toilet cleaner I could find and it worked better than the most expensive cleaners I could find it was a nice surprise.

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T.P.

answers from Tulsa on

You can put a denture tablet in the toilet and it cleans just like it was your false teeth. It keeps the rental houses looking brand new and we all no how bad some of them can get. Good luck hope it works well for you.

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S.L.

answers from Oklahoma City on

try clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach itd a thick blue liquid its a thick blue liquid

also if you have a dollar general close by they have a bathroom product called scrub free it had a yellow front label

if this does not work you can also try using baking soda rub into areas of the potty then vineger it makes a foamy interaction to help clean easier and its cheap

let us know how it goes

S.

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L.N.

answers from Tulsa on

My sister had a home daycare in the house that I am living in now for many years. The toilet in the front bathroom is the one all the daycare kids used. There was a horrid rust looking ring around the water line. I had tried just about everything I could think of to take it off. Even managed to get a little more muscle in my arm :) Then one day I noticed a bottle in the cabinet of stuff that my sister had bought and thought I would give it a try. It took it off very easily. No muscle strength required. :) It was called The Works. It worked amazingly. So I started looking it up online. They sell it at Wal-Mart and at some Dollar Stores. It is very inexpensive and living on disability income I should know. But I haven't had a toilet problem it couldnt take care of so far. Hope that helps.

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A.G.

answers from Springfield on

A pumice stone will get the ring off, and won't scrath the porcelain. I've tried it.

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