Tag Archives: toilet bowl rings

Why Won’t My Cleaner Clean The Toilet Bowl Rings?

toilet bowl rings

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Have you ever cleaned your toilet bowl only to find that after you are finished there are still rings left? So you put more toilet bowl cleaner in and go to work again you’re your toilet brush, cleaning it a second time and still, you can not get the toilet bowl rings off. What do you do in a situation like this? Normal toilet bowl cleaners are fine for cleaning your toilet most of the time but if you have rings of build up from hard water you may have to use something stronger.

Water naturally has minerals in it which is a good thing. The amount of minerals in the water determine its relative “hardness”. Water with very little or no mineral content is called “soft water”. If you have ever washed your hands and felt like the soap never came off no matter how long you washed than you know why you want to have some mineral content in your water. It is best for general use to have some mineral content except for certain applications like adding water to you radiator.

But these minerals have a down side. They generally collect around the top of the water line and can become deposited quite thick on the wall of your toilet bowl. Once this layer is in place it will absorb the colors of whatever contacts it. So, eventually you end up with a nasty brown ring. No matter how hard you scrub this ring will not come off unless you use an appropriate cleaner for the situation. What is the best toilet bowl cleaner for this situation? One cleaner that will work effectively on these rings is muriatic acid. But I must warn you that muriatic acid is very corrosive and must be handled with great care. It is very powerful and will burn skin and can cause blindness if it gets in your eyes. Always wear safety gloves and goggles when handling it. Once you are done cleaning with the acid neutralize it with baking soda or lye. This step is very important. Make sure you do this before you flush. You can find instructions on the specifics of this online. Make sure you understand the information thoroughly before you start.