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Learn how to remove hard water stains from your toilet using this quick and 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 out there claiming that such and such solution or product will rid your toilet of the dreaded ring; some even without the use of 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,
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
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 makes its way through the ground and into our waterways. Along the way, this water picks up minerals like chalk, lime, calcium, and magnesium.
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 uses more energy due to the mineral buildup that is left behind.
Supplies Needed to Clean Hard Water From Toilets
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 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 Remove Hard Water Stains from Toilets (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 Barkeepers Friend and sprinkle it inside of 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.
- Continue until all of the built-up hard water stains have been removed.
- Flush.
Removing Hard Water Stains from Toilets – 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 these other useful posts:
- DIY Upcycled Toilet Paper Seedling Pots and Painted Stone Garden Markers
- DIY Instagram Photo Display: Wall Grate
- How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Glass Shower Doors
Have you tried using this method to clean hard water from your toilets?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And don’t forget to tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram.
How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Toilets
Equipment
Ingredients
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!
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Watch my youtube video to see me removing my toilet bowl ring and hard water stains:
I do love Barkeepers friend for a multitude of cleaning tasks, and the fact that it cleaned by uncleanable toilets makes it my new favorite!!!!
This worked great on my son’s hard water stained toilets!
I was slightly skeptical about this, because the internet is filled with so many solutions to this annoying problem. As soon as I read your article I went straight to Lowe’s and bought the two things I needed.
I scooped a few cups of water out of the toilet, covered the black line with BKF, and started scrubbing.
Within 2 minutes, my toilet was as good as new!
All the unsightly stains are gone and I am over the moon.
Thank you for this tip, it honestly does work!
Thank you Megan – I am so excited to help you find the solution that worked for you!
I’ve lived in this town for years with extremely hard water. So hard it kills fish in the fish tank, even with chemicals and filtration. My toilets looked terrible. Nothing helped.
I tried this, and within minutes, literally minutes, both my toilets were white again. So much so that I sent a picture to my husband while he was still at work.
A-MAZ-ING!!!
We just moved into an older home in great condition, except for hard water rings in the toilets. This worked! However when I lifted the tank lid, awful. Brown water. Will this method work in the toilet tank?
Hi L,
I have not tried this in the toilet tank. My toilet tanks do not have the glaze in them, so I don’t think it would work in a toilet tank that is not glazed like the porcelain bowl.
This actually worked! Thank you!!
Jessica, would this be safe to use in a colored toilet bowl? Our is beige.
Hi Valerie,
I do not see why not, as long as its porcelain(which is standard). No one has ever told me they have tried this method and it didn’t work.
That is such an amazing transformation. I definitely have to try that sanding screen because my toilets have those pesky hard water rings. Thanks for this gem.
I haven’t tried it yet, but will it work on the shower wall?
That depends on what the shower wall is made of. If the shower wall is glass, it will work well.
This worked!!!!! I have new toilets and a water softener but still get lines of build up in the bowl. I have tried many natural options refusing to use a pumice but wanting to because I know it will work ๐ Thank you for this amazing trick.
This worked perfectly. I had literally tried so many things that did not work.