How To Clean Tough Toilet Stains?

CLR calcium lime rust remover works very well. I normally just use The Works toilet cleaner, but CLR for the worst stains.

Stuff called iron out. Work better than anything I have ever used. I use to get It at HEP. Being from NY you should have HEP's in your area.

Husky said:

Stuff called iron out. Work better than anything I have ever used. I use to get It at HEP. Being from NY you should have HEP's in your area.

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Iron out works good also. I hate the smell of it though.

Drywall sandpaper...the fine mesh open grid sheets used to smooth dried drywall compound ("mud"). Comes in a couple different grits, I use the fine. I went looking for a product I read about on the net, found it and recognized that it was just small sheets cut from drywall sandpaper and resold as a stain remover. Go easy with it...very light pressure. Rick

velvetfoot said:

Wouldn't that scratch the porcelain?

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I'd think so. I wouldn't use it on mine.

I was afraid it might, so I was very careful with it. If you stay away from the course stuff and don't go after it like a gorilla (very light touch !) you'll be fine. I've used it on three toilets, and no scratches.

The iron out folks make toilet tank tablets that keep it clean too but I worry about those type of tablets and their effect on my septic.

After cleaning, and when you get tired of repeatedly cleaning the stains, you follow up and get rid of the iron or manganese that is causing the stain. The softener isn't causing this but it may be reducing the iron staining to some extent. People use water softeners as iron filters sometimes and it can work for very low levels of iron until the media is ruined but for iron removal there are actual iron filters. I removed my iron with an actual iron filter that uses manganese oxide. No salt. It's the same system we use in public water systems for iron, manganese, and sulfur.

It's not just the toilets that will be stained but the shower stalls, dishwasher, your clothing, and I've even seen skin stained by the iron. Plus it smells funny and tastes funny. I have a raw water tap and a treated water tap and have impressed non-believers with the taste and odor difference. Wife is much happier to not have to clean those ugly orange stains. Homebrew beer tastes better too!

In our old house we had a really bad iron problem. Literally the water was orange. We had Culligan come out and they did a water test and they installed a machine almost like a water softener, but didn't require any softener salt. I for the life of me can't remember what it was. I know the water flowed through it and the nasty iron laced water drained onto the sump pump. In another house we rented it had a peroxide injector system which I believe was for iron problems also.

I wish I had pix of this.... My water leaves horrible red stains and my new toilet looked 80 years old. I tried CLR. no good. Tried Zep which worked a bit better especially on shower. Then found the solution. Muriatic Acid. That stuff worked like complete magic
I put it full strength in a spray bottle, donned huge gloves and eye protection, and sprayed the stains. They were *gone* in 4 seconds flat with 0 scrubbing. It was almost unreal.
There is a downside to this stuff. It is a strong acid. Do not get it on you, on your eyes, skin, or spill it. and it stinks worse than anything. ventilate *really* well, spray and leave the area. I hate to use it but the results are unbelievable. toilet came out like new and all I did was spray a little on.

PS have some baking powder on hand in case you do get some on you or spill some. it will neutralize the acid.

Also I don't know if you've ever used muriatic acid before but the stuff is cool. When you open the container it smokes. Appeals to my dangerous side. I also dipped some rusty old tools in it and they came out like new. oiled them and stored them again. some were 100+ years old my grandpa gave me. Just like that, brand new again. Also used it to clean stains off showers and all the sinks and some sticker residue on some of my windows from previous owners. We had given up trying to get that off 10 years ago. It was a fun weekend, looking for things to do with acid.

I use the morton salt in the green bag for high iron content. It's not a cure, but it helps reduce the amount of cleanings.

Highbeam said:

The iron out folks make toilet tank tablets that keep it clean too but I worry about those type of tablets and their effect on my septic.

After cleaning, and when you get tired of repeatedly cleaning the stains, you follow up and get rid of the iron or manganese that is causing the stain. The softener isn't causing this but it may be reducing the iron staining to some extent. People use water softeners as iron filters sometimes and it can work for very low levels of iron until the media is ruined but for iron removal there are actual iron filters. I removed my iron with an actual iron filter that uses manganese oxide. No salt. It's the same system we use in public water systems for iron, manganese, and sulfur.

It's not just the toilets that will be stained but the shower stalls, dishwasher, your clothing, and I've even seen skin stained by the iron. Plus it smells funny and tastes funny. I have a raw water tap and a treated water tap and have impressed non-believers with the taste and odor difference. Wife is much happier to not have to clean those ugly orange stains. Homebrew beer tastes better too!

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Highbeam, I'd like to see a pic and some info on your iron filter. I'd like to add this to my system.

beatlefan said:

Highbeam, I'd like to see a pic and some info on your iron filter. I'd like to add this to my system.

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I have this:

http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/iron-filters-mangox.html#item=FE011180&tab=tab1

and it looks like the attached photo. The install is a little busy due to my other plumbing (and I'm a water engineer) in the area but it is really simple. Backwashes once a week at night.

It's not hokey pokey. Manganese oxide is used in municipal water systems to remove the iron. Huge filters but the same tech.

Thanks for the link. I have iron in the water and like others, a softener takes out most of it but we also get a stain in the toilet and sinks. It's a pain but I'm not wanting to spend $700. on an iron filter. I use IronOut fairly regularly and it helps keep the softener clean but not so great on stains. I've tried CLR and it doesn't do as much as IronOut, I've tried muriatic acid and it's pretty nifty but it's not perfect and you may need a few soakings. I tried putting strips of paper towel on the toilet ring and then put muriatic acid on it. The idea was to keep the acid in contact with the stain longer. It didn't help much. I have tried sandpaper but I was using waterproof paper and maybe will try 220 grit and use it very lightly.
I found that for sinks, close the plug, pour in half a cup of bleach and let it stand for an hour. Cover the sink if you have cats or kids. That seem to be the best answer for sinks I have found. The ring in the toilet bowl is tougher, no better answer.

The biggest problem I have is the iron algae in the toilet tank. Bleach helps but not enough. IronOut helps but not enough. We've got new dual flush toilets and there is no way you can scrub down all the surfaces like an older type tank. I'm finding that the mechanics in the tank get gucked up and cause problems with flushing. Wish I could find an answer that is not costly.

zep acidic toilet bowl cleaner

http://www.zepcommercial.com/product/Acid-Toilet-Bowl-Cleaner

available at just about any big box store

I drain the water out of the toilet, then use 50% lysol toilet bowl cleaner and 50% hydrogen peroxide. It's amazing! A little elbow grease and better than new. This is what I use on my fiberglass boat to remove the summer scum line. It's an acid, so no good for glass, metal...etc.

fossil said:

Drywall sandpaper...

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velvetfoot said:

Wouldn't that scratch the porcelain?

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If I was going the "abrasive" route, I'd try 0000 steel wool

Oddly enough I was just cleaning a toilet with a toilet stone it's amazing....But get 2 or 3 they wear out on tuff well stains

http://www.reuseit.com/green-cleani...ing&aff=5151&gclid=CJ7W78_PwMgCFYgYHwodnlQN3w

Enzo's Dad said:

I was just cleaning a toilet

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Hope you washed you hand before typing this!
Toilet stone...interesting!

Highbeam said:

I have this:

http://www.cleanwaterstore.com/iron-filters-mangox.html#item=FE011180&tab=tab1

and it looks like the attached photo. The install is a little busy due to my other plumbing (and I'm a water engineer) in the area but it is really simple. Backwashes once a week at night.

It's not hokey pokey. Manganese oxide is used in municipal water systems to remove the iron. Huge filters but the same tech.

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Thanks highbeam.

My house keepers use a pumice stick they got at Home Depot. The box was under 2 bucks.

Pumice stone, sandpaper, steel wool, it's all going to scratch the surface of the porcelain, and make it that much more susceptible to staining. It's like drinking booze to get rid of a hangover. Yeah, it solves the immediate problem, but at the cost of making the problem much worse.

BlueRidgeMark said:

Pumice stone, sandpaper, steel wool, it's all going to scratch the surface of the porcelain, and make it that much more susceptible to staining. It's like drinking booze to get rid of a hangover. Yeah, it solves the immediate problem, but at the cost of making the problem much worse.

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So put you down for cleaning a toilet with stomach acid ?