How to Clean/remove Toilet Bowl Ring

Updated on October 01, 2008
K.H. asks from Schwenksville, PA
33 answers

We recently bought a new(to us) house. The previous owners didn't take much pride in cleanliness and we have yucky looking toilet bowl rings that I have tried everything to remove. Does anyone know of any products that work well for this. Also what should I use to scrub. I have tried semi hard scrubbing pads but don't want to scratch the bowl. Thanks

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C.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

I'm a big fan of the pumice stone too, it's made just for that reason. It takes all of that build up away and doesn't scratch. Doylestown Borough has teriible water and it constantly builds up in th bowl. Good Luck!

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L.V.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I've heard that CLR is good. It stands for chlorine, lime and rust, and is supposed to remove stains of all those types. Iron Out may work too. Any of The Works products are usually good, but they are very strong so use gloves and good ventilation. Good luck.

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C.G.

answers from Harrisburg on

We have well water that is loaed with minerals, so even tho I consider myself clean the toilet still is a problem area. I like CLR to remove mineral build up. It may work for the dirty ones too.

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J.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

Try baking soda and/or oxiclean. Also a lot of elbow grease. We find the same thing in our house but we have very hard water which leaves marks on everything - it's not about cleanliness.

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M.D.

answers from Sharon on

We ended up using sand paper and lots of elbow grease to remove hard water stains from inside our toilet bowl -- we didn't end up with any scratches, either. If you can find a way to soak a rag in white vinegar and let is just sit on the stains for 30 minutes and then scrub, that might help, too.

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S.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

There is a prduct called Bar Keepers Friend that works wonders on stains like this. It comes in a can and is cheap like Comet, but it works far better. Seriously, if this doesn't work, I don't think you'll find anything that will!

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B.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am no domestic diva by far, but have you tried Lysol Cling toilet bowl cleaner? That's what I use on mine with a toilet bowl brush. Of course I don't have rings.

Also a friend of mine who cleans for a living and whose #1 hobby is cleaning uses comet (in the can).

Can you tell what the ring is from (ie rust, mold)? I think even CLR (?) makes a toilet bowl cleaner.

C.W.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Honestley its really hard to remove those stains if you have the money i would buy a new one. You can get them for under a hundred dollars and they are really easy to install.

If you don't want to buy use a gel bowl cleaner that has bleach in it and leave it on for a little while keep checking on it, scrub and leave on for a little bit then flush it.It may take a couple of times

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Have you tried a Mr Clean Magic eraser? They are pretty good. Maybe bleach?

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J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hi K.!

I use the Clorox toilet wand with disposable heads. They've improved them recently by adding a blue bleach product that activates once it gets wet and they have always worked well for me. If they don't work right away, however, I'd suggest wearing gloves and using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Those things remove almost anything! Good luck and happy cleaning!

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R.B.

answers from Pittsburgh on

K.,
I had this problem once when I moved into an apartment. I poured a bottle of hydrogenperoxide into the bowl and let it set over night. The following day I used a soft sponge and the stains lifted off.
I hope this helps you.
R.

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L.C.

answers from Pittsburgh on

The best thing I have found is sold in Wal Mart for about
$1.30 or so....it is called "The Works" and it works wonders!!
I had stains at the bottom of the toilet I had not been able
to get up with more expensive stuff....I tried this and almost
immediately, the stains disappeared!! Good luck and God's
blessings!!

L.

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A.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

I agree with the other women who have mentioned using "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner. I have really hard water and recently my toilet was staining and I couldn't get it off and I tried a lot of products, so this past week I went to Giant and bought "The Works". I poured it in, waited 10 minutes, scrubbed with the toilet brush (with very little effort) and it came up so sparkling clean!!! It is a great product.

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C.M.

answers from York on

I have always used comet. good luck

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A.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

Have you tried a cleaner made for mineral deposits? It might not be dirt...it might be from the minerals in the water...I know there's a product you can use for showers (lyme-away, maybe?). That may be useful. Let us know what works!

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A.F.

answers from Allentown on

The Works is by far the best!! We had a really old toilet literally FILLED with rust, grim and yuck. I tried everything. The Works just melted it all away. This stuff is great. And as a previous Mom said....very cheap so why not give it a shot, right?
Good luck!

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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

If you cannot get it off, i must say that i was shocked at how inexpensive new toilets are. My husband actually did it himself and it works like a charm!!

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S.B.

answers from Philadelphia on

vinegar. pour it in and let stand awhile

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G.V.

answers from Philadelphia on

We used a product called CLR to clean ours. It really works well but make sure that you use gloves. Good luck!
G.

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D.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

My brother and sister in laws toilet bowl looked the same way. part of it is from not cleaning and it is also from the water which can stain the toilet. beleive it or not my mom put efferdent which is for false teeth in the toilet bowl and the stains came out. she put about three in there and let it sit for awhile and the stains came out.
I would also try oxy clean and simple green also if you have not tried it yet.

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S.R.

answers from Altoona on

the works!!!!!!!!!!!

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M.C.

answers from Scranton on

Without knowing what the stain is but going by what you said (neglect) I like good old Clorax bleach. Be sure the toilet bowl is free from all other cleaners/disinfectants (just in case you didn't know that already) The bathroom should be well ventilated. Let it stand for a few minutes, usually no scrubbing is needed. If it does - a regular toilet bowl brush should be fine. I read where someone mentioned comet - another good product (it contains bleach as well)If this is not one of your newer toilets that should be fine too. I have never tried some of the other products listed. I have an older home and use clorax for many "evils" IT is amazingly easy to get rid of stains in sinks and bathtubs too!
For future use one of those tablets in the tank should help to keep the water "soft" and resist stains. (again I prefer clorax)
A great website is www.flylady.com there may be some helpful hints for you there as well.
Good Luck and God Bless!

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S.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

I use denture cleaner to clean the toilet bowls. Drop in 3-6 tablets and walk away. Come back in 15 minutes and scrub out with toilet bowl brush. As an added bonus, the bowl smells minty fresh.

S.

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S.W.

answers from State College on

The Works toilet bowl cleaner is amazing. It removed a lot of stains that had been in my toilet since we moved in, and now my toilet sparkles.

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A.T.

answers from York on

Oh my gosh, did you buy your house from the same family who I bought my house from?!?! ALL of our toilets are like that too! I have tried everything and one thing that is seeming to help is using the toilet tank cleaner that sits in the tank, I recently put one in that has bleach in it. It makes your bathroom smell slightly like bleach though. But I like the smell of clean! I can't wait to read the responses you have since I still need a good solution of my own!
Good luck,
A.

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A.P.

answers from Allentown on

Hi! Congrats on the new house!
BY FAAAAAAAR, the BEST product that I have EVER used for nasty toilets is an all-natural one called Mrs. Myers. You can get it online, at Whole Foods or sometimes @ Linens & Things. It is FREAKING FANTASTIC!!!!!!!

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S.F.

answers from Philadelphia on

There is also pumice stone which is made for cleaning the porcelain toilets. Wear gloves and scrub, What ever is in it cleans without scratching.

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A.R.

answers from Philadelphia on

I was told to pour a can of coke in the toilet bowl and leave it overnight. It worked for me! Good luck!

A. (mom of 3)

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J.G.

answers from York on

When I lived in Arizona we had hard water that would leave rings in the toilet. I poured baking soda then vinegar in the toilet and let it sit for a few minutes. That usually helped. I also heard a can of Coke will remove it too.

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T.D.

answers from Philadelphia on

Try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser...it's the only thing that worked for me.

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H.T.

answers from Pittsburgh on

The absolute best toilet cleaner is "The Works" toilet cleaner.We have hard, rusty water and this is the only thing that works! I don't even have to scrub, the stains just dissappear! It's also very cheap ($1.20). Good Luck!

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J.K.

answers from Harrisburg on

Sounds like you have hard water. You will need to get a calcium and lime remover and let it soak before you can get it off. These may take may times of soaking to remove. Think about getting a water softner, public water can be hard too, so don't assume that public water can't do this to your tub, sink, and toilet. The fact that the rings are only in your toilet are good. Hard water can leave very hard to clean stains at any time.......so don't assume that the other owners were horrible and dirty if YOU are having a hard time getting it clean.

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J.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

I KNOW A DEFINATE FIX! It is called The Works and you buy it at the dollar store. Not the general dollar store, but the $1 dollar store. Once I found this wonderful stuff I told everyone. Just pour some in - let is soak a few minutes and just scrub with a toilet brush and your toilet will be like new. Trust me. It is awesome!

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