How to Clean a Stained Toilet Bowl

Co-authored by Michelle Driscoll, MPH

Last Updated: September 30, 2020 References

A stained toilet bowl is an eyesore. If your toilet is stained, you certainly don't want guests to see it, and you may not even want to use it yourself! Fortunately, there are steps you can take. After you perform a general cleaning and determine the source of your toilet stains, you can use the right product(s) and method(s) to remove all traces of stains.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Doing an Initial Cleaning

1
Check your manufacturer’s instructions. Before you begin cleaning your toilet, it is best to check your manufacturer's instructions. Certain products can damage the inner-workings of your toilet--such as the flapper--while others may cause discoloration.^{[1]
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- Look for a brand name printed or engraved on your toilet.
- Perform an Internet search for "[your toilet brand] + safe cleaning products."
- You can also look for a phone number to the manufacturer and give them a call.
2
Plunge the bowl to remove some of the water. If the toilet bowl is full of water due to a clog, then plunge it before you clean it. This will help the water to go down and make it easier to clean the toilet bowl.

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3
Scrub with a toilet brush and cleaner. Before you can tackle tough stains, you must perform a general cleaning of your toilet. In order to do this, you will need some form of cleanser and a toilet brush or an old dish brush. Simply apply the cleanser of your choice to the inside of your toilet bowl and around the edges. Then use the brush to remove debris, and flush. You may want to wear disposable gloves while you do this.^{[2]
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Research source} Some cleansers to choose from include:
- Store-bought products, such as Comet, Soft Scrub, and other toilet cleansers.
- DIY alternatives, such as baking soda, white vinegar, borax, or bleach.
4
Pour in white vinegar and let it soak overnight. If your toilet is very dirty, it may benefit from an overnight soak before scrubbing. Pour 1/2 cup (118 ml) of white vinegar into your toilet bowl and close the lid. Leave it to sit overnight.^{[3]
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- If there are stains around the rim of the toilet, then drape pieces of toilet paper over them and pour vinegar over the toilet paper to ensure that vinegar will stay on the stains.
5
Determine the cause of your stains. Depending on the nature of your toilet stains, you may use a variety of products to eradicate them. The most common sources of toilet stains are hard water, mold, and mildew.^{[4]
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Research source} Look for the following symptoms to determine what type of stains are present for you.
- Hard water - These stains will appear as rings around your inner toilet bowl. They may be pink, red, brown, or white.
- Mold - Mold stains can occur anywhere on your toilet. Mold will be slightly fuzzy and can be blue, green, yellow, gray, black, or white.
- Mildew - Mildew can also occur anywhere on your toilet, but is common near the top of the toilet bowl or on the toilet tank. Mildew usually starts out white, but may turn yellow or brown in time.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Removing Hard Water Stains

1
Apply lemon Kool-aid. Hard water stains are both common and unsightly. Fortunately, you can remove them using items you may already have at home. One choice is lemon Kool-aid. Simply sprinkle 1 package of lemon Kool-aid around the toilet bowl, wait 1 hour, and use a toilet brush to scrub away stains.^{[5]
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- Lemon Kool-aid is available at most grocery stores for as little as $0.25.
2
Use a pumice stone. Pumice stones are excellent at scrubbing away hard water stains. Use a pumice stone you already have at home, or purchase a "pumie" (a pumice stone on a stick designed for this purpose). Soak your pumice stone in water for 10-15 minutes, then use it to scrub away stains.^{[6]
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3
Scrub with a dryer sheet. Dryer sheets are another great product for scouring away hard water stains. In fact, used dryer sheets seem to work even better than brand new ones! Wear a pair of rubber gloves, then use an ordinary dryer sheet (used or unused) to scrub away stains.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Tackling Mold Stains

1
Use white vinegar. Beyond being unsightly, mold in your bathroom can contribute to health problems. Fortunately, getting rid of mold is not difficult. Add 1/2 cup (118 ml) of white vinegar to your toilet bowl or spray it directly onto mold. Then, scrub mold away with a toilet brush.^{[7]
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2
Apply bleach. Another tried-and-true product for removing mold is ordinary bleach. Add 1/4 cup (59 ml) of bleach to your toilet bowl, or spray diluted bleach directly onto mold. Then scrub mold away using a toilet brush.^{[8]
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3
Try tea tree oil. A less commonly-used, but still very effective product for removing mold is tea tree essential oil. Add 10 drops of tea tree essential oil to your toilet bowl or spray a tea tree oil solution (5-10 drops of oil to a bottle of water) directly onto any moldy spots. Scrub with a toilet brush.^{[9]
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4
Flush your toilet at least 3 times. If left to sit for too long in your toilet, all 3 of these products could potentially damage the inner-workings. As such, it is important to flush these products out of your toilet system. After scrubbing with any of these products, be sure to flush the toilet at least 3 times.^{[10]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Getting Rid of Mildew Stains

1
Select which product you'd like to use. Mildew in your home is linked to respiratory problems and other health concerns. In addition to being ugly, it is important to remove it from your toilet for these reasons. To remove mildew, you can use the same products as you would for mold--white vinegar, bleach, or tea tree oil--but the procedure is a little different. To begin, select which product you want to use.^{[11]
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2
Create a spray bottle. Place the solution of your choice--bleach water, vinegar water, or water with 10-15 drops of tea tree oil--into a spray bottle. You can re-purpose an old spray bottle you have at home, or purchase a new one.^{[12]
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3
Flush your toilet to drain as much water as possible. Mildew loves water and thrives in damp environments (like your toilet). In order to clean it effectively, you need your toilet to be a little bit dry inside. So flush your toilet to start the cleaning process.
4
Spray the inside of your toilet with the solution. While the inside of your toilet is empty (or as close to empty as possible), use your spray solution to coat the inside of your toilet bowl with your cleanser.^{[13]
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5
Scrub with a toilet brush. As quickly as you can (before the toilet refills with water), vigorously scrub the mildew from the inside of your toilet bowl. You may need to repeat this process until all of the mildew is gone.^{[14]
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Community Q&A

Question

I put blue toilet cleaner in my toilets before a 6 week trip. I forgot to finish the cleaning. I now have blue stains in my toilets. I have tried many cleaners. Any Ideas?

Community Answer

Use a pumice stone made for removing stains from a toilet. Make sure to read directions before use. It will take some time, but it should work.
Question

My toilet seems to accumulate stains below the water-line. Sometimes there are what looks like black mould strings. Sometimes the waterline is brownish. This happens even when I clean it with a bleach.

Katelyn Grosso

Community Answer

If the stain is happening at the waterline, it may be limescale. This can be removed by scrubbing the stain with a pumice stone.