How do a get the ugly ring out of my toilet?

[veronica]

we've been in the house a year and I have tried so hard to remove this. The home is only 4 years old total but was vacant a few months just before we purchased, when I suspect the ring formed. any tried and true solutions?

[deannanb]

try dropping in a few denture tablets into the toilet - let the sit for 10 min and then flush.

[boolady]

There's a Kaboom product that we used when we moved in to get rid of some stains. It was not the foaming one, it was thick clingy stuff in a squirt bottle that you let sit for a few minutes, then scrubbed.

[Jen841]

This is the only product that can clean this for us. I can only find it at Target here.

[pastrygirl]

If it's a mineral ring (bluish-green), I use a green scrubby pad and some powder Comet cleaner. I read a tip somewhere else that you can dump a bunch of water into the toilet to get it to flush itself without refilling, so you end up with a mostly-empty bowl. It works on 2 out of 3 of my toilets. It's perfect for really getting at that ring!

[MaiseyDog]

We have a problem with mineral deposits where I live. The only thing I have found that will get rid of them is waterproof sandpaper (get a really fine grit and it will not scratch the porceline) and elbow grease. I have heard you can also use a pumice stone (like you would use to remove callouses from your feet)

[klwa]

If it's a rust ring, we used Iron Out to deal with ours.

[BabyMine]

The one thing that worked for us was a pumice stone.

[brittone2]

haven't tried it but I've also heard about the pumice stone thing

For those that have tried it, do you get a pumice on a stick or just get the bowl as empty as you can and then scrub? <shudder>.

[stefani]

I used pumice stone. I tried using the pumice stone on a stick, but I felt that there was not enough pressure to the stain. So I ended up just getting in there (I wore disposable gloves).

GL!

[niccig]

I've tried several different things last week as I had a stain from the holes under the rim to the water level. I soaked paper towel in vinegar and let it sit on the stain, I used CLR bathroom and kitchen spray, I used a paste of lemon juice and borax. The stain lightened, but was still there. What finally worked was Bar Keepers friend. You can get it at the grocery store. I made a paste with it, and let it sit on the stain for a few minutes, before scrubbing. You need to plunge the toilet bowl a few time to get the water level as low as possible, then put the paste on the stain.

I've decided to keep the toilet as clean as possible to avoid having the trouble again. Every few days I spray the toilet bowl and up under the rim with undiluted vinegar, let it sit and then give it a quick swish. I'm doing it while DS takes a bath, it only takes a few minutes. Then once a week I'm scrubbing with baking soda. I also put 3 cups of vinegar in the tank and let it sit for several hours to get rid of build up in the tank - you can do this once a month. There were a few stains under the rim that I couldn't completely remove with the bar keepers friend, but now after a week of vinegar sprays, they're lighter and hopefully will all be gone.
HTH

[katydid1971]

haven't tried it but I've also heard about the pumice stone thing

For those that have tried it, do you get a pumice on a stick or just get the bowl as empty as you can and then scrub? <shudder>.

I have a pumice stone sold for cleaning toilets and sinks etc. It has a soft part to hold onto, no stick. I first clean my toilet the regular way then I attack the ring with the pumice. I had a stain for a couple of years that I had tried everything to get rid of and this is the only thing that works. Now about once every two months I use the pumice and it stays nice and clean (we have hard water). I bought mine at Albertson's but I have seen the same thing at Walmart they are only a couple bucks.

[jerigirl]

The Clean House Clean Planet book suggests 1/2 cup of Borax with 20-30 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Pour into the toilet and use your toilet brush to swish around and let it sit over night. In the morning swish around again and flush. If that doesn't work you can use the pumice stone. Keep the stone wet (soak for 1-2 minutes before you use it) and rub away. Flush the toilet and turn off the water as the bowl empties to lower the water level to have room to work.

[boolady]

Is sticking your hand in the toilet really so bad (gulp)? My mother was a die-hard believer in cleaning the toilet with a sponge or a rag and your hand. She just never seemed to believe that anything on a stick got it as clean, and I guess it rubbed off. I had no idea it was regarded as nasty, I thought it was just one of life's more unpleasant tasks. :)