help! our new (old) toilet bowls are black!
My daughter just purchased a home that she is going to renovate. The home has been empty for a while and the toilet bowls are black. She has tried scrubbing with all of the normal bowl cleaners with only some results. Any suggestions? Thank you, Tricia
This sounds to us like a stain that was created over a long period of time by either hard, hard water or high mineral content (like manganese) in the water. Make sure your daugther gets the water tested for all those sorts of things — they could lead to more trouble and deposits in your pipes in the future. As far as the stains go, something unconventional will be needed, though we’re not sure what. She has to drain all the water to really be able to get in there. Many people swear by pumice rocks. Honestly, it may be so much work, she may just want to consider replacing with a newer, less-water consuming update anyhow. Do you have any suggestions for Tricia and her daughter? Please help!
I would drain the water and try using Barkeeper’s Friend (the powder is best — you can find it at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Williams-Sonoma) and a toilet brush.
If the toilets are really old, it’s possible that the porcelain is really badly etched, and that the stains have permeated too far to be removable. As you said, it may be best to take this as an opportunity to switch to more efficient toilets — you can get a good one fairly cheaply, and installation is usually quite easy.
My parents live in an area with high mineral content in the water. They took care of some mineral buildup just using CLR. It worked really well and took care of all of the buildup that they had been fighting for years. Might be worth a go.
Has she tried just leaving straight bleach in there overnight? I know, not great for the environment but it does work…
As Vanessa said, the bleach really works for me. And I’d tried everything else before resorting to bleach – comet, BKF, QNB, and every type of regular toilet cleaner out there.
I only have to do it about once every year or two. Get all the water out of the bowl (bail it out with a cup or push it all down the trap with a toilet brush. Then sponge up the rest.) Then pour in straight bleach and let it sit overnight. I only have to use about a cup or less of bleach since the stains are just confined to the very bottom of the bowl. Close the lid to keep the awful toxic bleachy smells at bay. In the morning, flush and hopefully bowl will look like new again.
Use denture cleanser (yes, really).
I know this is weird, but we live in Italy with the hardest water possible. To get the stains out, fill the toilet bowl with a liter of coke (real not diet) and let sit overnight. Depending on how bad the stain is, you may have to do it a few times. This works scarily well.
Alternately, vinegar will work as well.
Portia
I say replace it with a low-flow toilet. You can get a new toilet for about $200. Like Anna says it’s an easy thing to DIY. (no need to hire a plumber!)
Try a Magic Eraser! They’ve cleaned stains off of my enameled bathtub that I thought were impossible to remove.
I’m a professional cleaner and with really bad toilet stains:
First, use brush and a hefty squirt of Soft Scrub with bleach. Brush thoroughly, let sit, then flush.
Follow with a good hand scrubbing ( using gloves) with Scrub Free.
Let sit, then flush.
Finish with a hefty shake of Barkeeper’s Friend powder, let sit.
(I leave in toilet water)
Good luck, hope that works!
[...] 1. How to clean a toilet like a professional. Katrina shared these tips: “I’m a professional cleaner and with really bad toilet stains: First, use brush and a hefty squirt of Soft Scrub with bleach. Brush thoroughly, let sit, then flush. Follow with a good hand scrubbing ( using gloves) with Scrub Free. Let sit, then flush. Finish with a hefty shake of Barkeeper’s Friend powder, let sit. (I leave in toilet water) Good luck, hope that works! Learn more about camode cleansing here. [...]
I have to agree with your recommendation. In this case it is time for a new toilet. My wife made me replace our old one mainly because it would get moldy and grimy so fast. Combine that with the fact that it had a huge tank that was constantly leaking into the bowl (running up the water bill), plus she wanted to put up new wallpaper (we would have to take off the old toilet to do that job anyway) I ended up having to do it.
I put it off as long as I could. But I was happy once the new one was installed.