If you are a homeowner, chances are you have a toilet that gets stained from time to time. Rust stains in a toilet are unsightly, costly to remove and can lead to more serious problems if not dealt with in a timely manner. Moreover, it can be embarrassing when a guest wants to use your toilet, as you cannot tell them that it’s not due to your cleaning skills or poor hygiene. In reality, toilet rust stains are more scientific than personal.
Removing the rust stain in the toilet bowl may seem complicated, but it is not impossible. To get rid of the unsightly marks spotting your restrooms, it is important to identify their cause.
What Causes Rust Stains In Toilet And How To Get Rust Out Of A Toilet?
Rust stains occur when moisture or soap residue sits on the surface of the metal and becomes an obstruction for oxygen that’s needed for a chemical reaction to take place. Although they can be removed with regular cleaning material, a specific removal method must be followed to remove them for good.
Here are the common causes of rust in toilet tanks and how to remove rust stains from toilets naturally:
Stains Caused By Copper
Copper stains are usually caused by corroding copper pipes, but they can also be due to a high copper content in water. Whatever the case, you can easily prevent them by addressing the issue.
You can install filters in the water source to strain the impurities. In the case of corroding pipes, call a professional to fix the problem.
Stains Caused By Minerals
Various minerals in the water can result in rust stains in the toilet. High levels of calcium, limescale and other minerals in the water cause spots to appear over time. These brown and yellow stains cannot be removed with scrubbing or regular cleaning. Installing filters to clean the water of impurities is the only long-term fix.
Stains Caused By The Mold
Rust stains are often caused by mold spores, which are microscopic organisms that thrive in damp, dark, and warm conditions. Mold spores can travel through the air and land on surfaces such as your toilet bowl. They can then grow and reproduce on these surfaces, causing rust stains.
Mold can also grow on grout lines between tiles and the grout itself. If you notice small patches of rust-colored spots on your toilet bowl or around the rim of your toilet, you may have mold growth in your home. The ideal fix is to call a professional and look for any plumbing leaks that may be causing excessive moisture and humidity.
Remove rust from toilet bowls naturally
Cleaning toilet rust can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can remove the existing spots and prevent them from reappearing. When looking for remedies to remove rust from the toilet bowl, avoid chemical solvents, as they may damage your toilet.
Here are some DIY fixes to get rid of the unsightly rust spots for good!
Baking Soda and White Vinegar
Besides being an eco-friendly option, it is one of the easiest ways to remove toilet stains. White vinegar is well reputed for its gentle cleaning properties. It can help clean, disinfect, and remove stains without damaging the surfaces. Combined with baking soda, the duo makes the best mixture to fight off the rust stains in the toilet caused by copper, molds and minerals.
However, being acidic in nature, the combination can be volatile and damaging to the skin/eyes/exposed flesh. Ensure safety precautions by using PPE, turning off the water supply, and ensuring ventilation.
Use the mixture in the following manner:
- Sprinkle baking soda over the spots
- Scrub the stains with a toilet brush and coat the interior of the bowl with a paste of baking soda as you go
- For the stains to be removed and the porcelain to become whiter, let the mixture sit for 10 minutes
- In the toilet bowl, add two glasses of processed white vinegar
- Close the lid and allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes, scrub and rinse the bowl inside thoroughly
- Pump water into the system, then flush the toilet
You can repeat the process if the stains are not removed on the first attempt. For stubborn spots, leave the mixture overnight for better results.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is another natural option for cleaning toilet rust stains. It is a safer alternative to bleach for cleaning and sanitizing toilets, sinks, and spaces affected by minerals and molds. It removes the rust in the toilet tank effectively and leaves your toilet tank looking bright and clean.
How to prevent brown stains in toilet
Although you can remove the brown rust stains from your toilet with the above-mentioned solutions, the real challenge is to keep them from reappearing. The long-term solution is looking into the source of the problem.
The most common cause of rust stains is iron-rich water. Get your water tested for sulfur, iron, or mineral impurities, and install filters or water softeners.
Wrapping Up!
The rust in the toilet bowl can be caused due to many reasons that have more to do with the pollutants in the water than poor hygiene.
The stain in the toilet bowl doesn’t necessarily have to be brown, and the variety in colors and form include mold, copper, rust, or mineral stains. Regardless of why your toilet gets rust stains, the only way to prevent it is by consistently cleaning and installing filters to avoid the hard water and minerals in it.
This will also protect your porcelain from damage that can happen from the regular use of chemical products. If the situation gets out of control, you can ask the professionals to fix it. Visit our website and further find all the right solutions and services.
