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Learn how to remove hard water stains from your toilet with this quick, easy method! Guaranteed to remove even the worst built-up hard water rings in less than 5 minutes – without scratching the porcelain! Watch the video below to see it in action.
You can also check out how to remove hard water stains from glass shower doors.
Hard water can be found all over bathroom surfaces, including showers, sinks, faucets, and, worst of all, the toilet. Unattractive and extremely frustrating, the last thing any one of us wants is to host a holiday party with a toilet that looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned for months.
You’ll find countless cleaning products available, and even more blogs and websites claiming that such-and-such a solution or product will rid your toilet of the dreaded ring; some even without using chemicals at all.
Most of these claims are false, I’m sorry. I know this from personal experience because I promise, before learning about this trick from my friend at The Home Depot, I had literally tried everything.
This trick works so well, in fact, that it will almost look like you went out and bought yourself a brand new toilet! But don’t take my word for it,
Reader Comment
I run an apartment complex, where unfortunately people don’t know how to clean their toilets, I thought I was going to have to replace the toilet, but I was able to clean the toilet and it looks brand new. This will save me tons of money, and time, it literally only took me two minutes to clean the hard water stains.
-Kali
Table of Contents
Difference Between Hard and Soft Water?
Hard water: that which contains an appreciable amount of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Soft water: that which contains less dissolved minerals. Or, when treated, the only ion it may contain is sodium. Naturally falling rainwater is soft water, for example.
How does water become hard? Water becomes harder as it moves through the ground and into our waterways. Along the way, this water picks up minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and lime.
Given that hard water contains essential (and super important) minerals, one may wonder why we soften our water when it’s hard.
Hard water is tough on appliances (dishwashers and washing machines, for example) and is hard to clean. Making it less effective and using more energy due to the mineral buildup left behind.
Supplies Needed
Before I say anything else, I thought it important to mention that the toilet that you see pictured in these images is “clean”. This includes the before and the after images.
In other words, I cleaned the toilet with actual toilet bowl cleaner before removing the hard water ring.
Anyway, I Googled, “how to remove toilet bowl ring” or “how to remove hard water stains from the toilet”. Everything I found led me to some cleaning product or a pumice stone.
Since Home Depot is Octavian’s favorite store in the world, we headed there. So that we could spend as much time as possible in the gardening equipment aisle, I asked a nice man who worked there where I could find the pumice stones. Then I asked him if pumice stones actually remove hard water rings from toilet bowls.
He stopped me right there.
No, no, no, no, no pumice stone, he said. Too much risk of scratching the porcelain.
Thank goodness, this toilet angel from Home Depot had a better idea – Fine-Grit Drywall Sanding Screens. YOU GUYS, this man saved my toilets!
Here’s how you can save yours.
How to: (Step-By-Step)
- Gather all of the necessary supplies.
- Put on a pair of rubber or latex gloves and cut 1-2 small square pieces from a sheet of Fine-Grit Drywall Sanding Screens. Set them aside.
- Carefully open the Barkeeper’s Friend and sprinkle it inside your toilet.
- Wearing the gloves, gently yet firmly, begin scrubbing away the hard water buildup in a circular motion with the Drywall screen. Don’t press TOO HARD. Our goal is to remove hard water stains, not destroy the porcelain.
- Continue until all of the built-up hard water stains have been removed.
- Flush.
What Doesn’t Work?
- Bleach
- Toilet bowl cleaner
- Vinegar solution overnight
- Those tabs that turn your toilet water blue
- Baking soda
- Borax and vinegar
None of the above worked. In fact, I later learned that bleach may make toilet rings caused by hard water worse – or even permanent!
Yay! Sparkling CLEAN toilets!
Seriously, though, that’s all it took. So easy.
If you loved learning how to remove hard water stains from toilets, you may also enjoy this How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Glass Shower Doors post.
How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Toilets
Video
Equipment
Materials
Instructions
- Gather supplies.
- Put on gloves and cut 1-2 small square pieces of Fine-Grit Drywall Sanding Screens. Set them aside.
- Carefully open the Barkeepers Friend and sprinkle inside your toilet.
- Wearing the gloves, gently yet firmly, begin to scrub away at the hard water buildup in a circular motion with the Drywall screen. Don’t press TOO HARD. Our goal is to remove hard water stains, not destroy the porcelain.
- Flush and be amazed!
Thank you this is the best and actually worked!!!
This method is amazing. I have tried several other ideas and this worked in about 2 minutes! Thank you for your post!
Thank you! I had tried so many different things and they didn’t work. Tried this and it worked like a charm!
I also tried a number of things and this worked! Thanks,
Totally worked! I used a well worn 400 grit sanding sponge I had on hand from painting projects. Easy!!! Effective! Thanks!
I live out in the country and have battled hard water stains for years! After trying multiple suggestions I had decided to just buy new toilets. So this was the last thing for me – AND IT WORKED!!!! It was quick and easy to do. These stains have been there for at least 10 years and were an embarrassment whenever company came. Now I am proud for people to see my sparkling toilet.
Thank you!
Hi Sarah,
I am glad you found this post before you bought new toilets!!! 😀
What is Barkeepers Friend
Hi Ruby,
Barkeepers Friend is a brand of mass-produced cleaning agents commonly found in North America and the UK. It works great for cleaning toilets as described in this post. 🙂
This actually worked!! I tried a number of different tactic before and this one worked!!
It worked!!! I cannot believe it. We even have a water softener system, so I really was not even sure our stains were from hard water. But since our toilets have looked like yours for the 5 and half years we have been in this house and I have tried everything (like you), I thought I would give it a shot. Plus we already have Bar keepers Friend, which I use on our stainless steel pans (also amazingly cleans them), so I figured I would only be out a few bucks on the drywall screen. I only have the liquid Bar Keepers, so I let it sit in the toilet about 5 minutes before scrubbing. I was so sure it was not going to work I did not even bother to take “before” pictures. It seemed to be taking more time than others have posted (perhaps because I was using the liquid BK), but after a time I noticed the sound of the scrubbing dying down and realized the gunk was coming off. Quickly took pictures of the rest to have some before/after shots of the horrible stain lines coming down the back of the bowl and within 30 mins sparkling clean!! Was so excited I even sent the pictures to my hubs out of town on business because I could not possibly wait a whole other day for him to get home. And my Dad who is a Mr. Fix-it and loves this kind of stuff. Will be making my way through the other 4 toilets in the house and might have my cleaning lady use the Bar Keepers instead of regular toilet cleaner every time she cleans the bowls now, just to see if it helps keep the stains from returning too soon!!!! Thanks so much to your local Home Depot guy and for posting this. Yay!
I am heading to Lowe’s to get some of the drywall screen today.
Another tip to try that can work is to pour a can of coke in the toilet and let sit overnight….then flush. It works if the stains aren’t too dreadful.