Well Water Stains on Toilet, Sink, Shower, Etc. How to Get Them Off?

Updated on January 07, 2017
M.O. asks from Barrington, IL
19 answers

Does anyone know how to get hard water stains off the porcelain? I have a "ring" where water stands or drips and can't get it off. I'm tired of my toilets looking dirty when a couple are brand new! I've tried CLR, Limeaway, borax, baking soda and OxyClean. Does anyone know how to remove the ring caused by our well water?

4 moms found this helpful

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C.P.

answers from Bloomington on

The Works is great! We just moved out to the country and had hard water stains on the tub, toilet, and sinks. That stuff is awesome!! Having a water softener installed helps a lot too!!

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S.K.

answers from Chicago on

"Bath Brite", it's pink and smells like wintergreen. I know you can buy it at Walt's Food Store, Strack & Van til's and MTS Supply in Schererville ###-###-####), it comes in a squirt bottle and gallon bottle.... It's not cheap but all you do is put on and no scrubbing the hard water stain is gone!!! We had just bought a house and my FIL said it's going to take you forever to get those stains off the shower and in 10 minutes I called him back in and they were gone!!! He was amazed!!! It also works in toilets and porcelain!!! just squirt a little in the bowl and swish it around........gone........The company that makes it is called Omega, they are out of Winonalake, near Fort Wayne, IN. Call MTS and they will help you get it.........there is always UPS!! LOL

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K.E.

answers from Chicago on

I found a product called Instant Rust Out at Menard's. We had hard water stains in our toilets and I hated how they looked dirty all the time. I tried bleach and all kinds of cleaners and nothing worked. My dad had bought the Rust Out for something else and we tried it just on a whim and it completely worked!

1 mom found this helpful
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N.B.

answers from Toledo on

Just an added thought--- our water is high in iron, which leaves a reddish-brown residue. I put an Iron-Out tablet in the toilet tank and it works great. You can also add it to laundry. I know they make bleach tabs for the toilet, too. I guess it depends on what's in the water. I second the suggestion about Mr. Clean erasers, too---they really are magic!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.K.

answers from Chicago on

Wink is the product I used when I lived in Prospect Heights. They were notorious for having some of the worst wells in the area. You can purchase it at the grocery store or hardware store i.e. ACE.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Chicago on

If you can catch the stains right away, the Works is awesome. If they've been there for a little bit, I haven't found anything that can remove them. Just be very careful with the Works and make sure you wear gloves and have PLENTY of ventilation. It's the only thing that makes my tub and curtain white again.

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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

We also have hard well water here, and have tried everything. What I've found that works the absolute best is to sprinkle the stains w/a generous amount of baking soda, then spray with white vinegar (make sure all the soda is soaked) and let set for 5-10 minutes. It will take a bit of scrubbing and rinsing, but it comes clean beautifully, and is MUCH easier to keep clean.

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

This may not be the kind of stain you're talking about but last year I lived with my parents for 3 months between selling my condo and buying my house. I have a cat with a metal water dish. My parents have super hard well water and after that time, I thought the dish was ruined. But, with a bit of elbow grease and regular table salt, the bowl looked like brand new. My other recommendation would be white vinegar which I have used in my old bath tub to get rid of bizarre stains that no other store bought cleaning product would remove. Good luck!

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G.C.

answers from Fresno on

Get yourself to a home-improvement store and purchase wallboard sandpaper. It's plastic and kind of like mesh. To clean the toilet flush and then turn the water supply off. Put on your gloves and use the mesh to remove the build up. This is a cheap fix, and lasts a long time.

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D.A.

answers from Dallas on

Use a pumus stone. It will not scratch the procelian but takes off all the stains with no much effort. You can get a pumus stone at walmart or lowe's

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D.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

I love well water to drink, but it does play nasty tricks on your porcelain. I've always had good luck with CLR.......did you let it set over night in the toliet? Sometimes you just have to work on it for a bit, let it sit, and work on it some more.........
Good Luck, and just hang in there, keep trying.....

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K.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

iron out is what i use we have a leaky tub faucet and i sprinkel a little on the stain and scrub with a brush and rinse with water and the stain is gone. I also use it on white loads to keep them white instead of the orange color that sometimes happens. we get it at sams club way cheaper and you get more.

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H.A.

answers from Bismarck on

Elbow grease and a pumice stone with either Limeaway or CLR, depending on what minerals you have in your water that are building up. With my well-water, Limeaway works best. CLR seems to work better at my father-in-laws farm. There was some stuff that I tried, but can't find now that worked well. I believe it was called Kaboom. But the pumice stone, which I buy at Wal-Mart, is a must have if it's as bad as mine. And, if you're organized and on top of things, (which I'm not always :) daily cleaning will help keep it from building too fast, but it will always come back. I hope your water isn't quite as bad as mine, but if it is, good luck and try not to let it drive you crazy.

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C.T.

answers from Chicago on

My mom always used a product called Wink.
There is also a product you can get to prevent it that you can add to your water softener. I know my parents used to get that at a water softener store and it was called Red Out I believe. If you don't have a water softener you should consider getting one.

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M.R.

answers from Chicago on

I have to agree with the mom's who said Lyme Away or CLR. Both work well on our hard water stains.

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

We have city water not well water but our water is hard too (even with a water softener).

For the sink and bath/shower I like using the Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean (should be easy to find it at your local store). At least for me it powers through most calcium build up. The toilet I just scrub and scrub with baking soda and let CLR sit in it over night (or at least for a few hours) then it usually comes clean.

I will be interested if anyone else has some unique cleaning solutions that might work even better :)

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S.P.

answers from Chicago on

Does CLR stand for something, or that what it's called?

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M.S.

answers from Hickory on

I use the Dawn power dissolve for everything. It does the bathroom like you would not believe. It will even remove red clay mud out of blue jeans. Once you use it and get everything cleaned you can wipe it down every 2 days with all natural stuff to keep it looking great.

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N.F.

answers from Chicago on

the works is what we use. we have killer rust stains and it does the job. it's cheap and doesnt smell really harsh... good luck!!!

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