How can I get rid of limescale build-up in toilet?

[Pearla]

Not the most exciting thread I know, but someone posted a suggestion as to how to do this a while ago, and I thought I'd 'watched' the thread but hadn't and am now in need of a solution as have just moved to a new house where the previous occupants clearly never cleaned it. Ick.

The issue is that of course there is always water in the toilet bowl so anything that goes in to soak it will always be diluted. Or am I missing a trick?

Solutions/products please!

[mermaidbutmytailfelloff]

Watching with interest. I too have just moved in to a house with a disgusting toilet. Currently got 3 dishwasher tablets dissolved in hot water in the water iyswim. In mine though the WORST bit is under the rim - currently attacking with old toothbrush/loo cleaner/bleach/wire wool. Any suggestions? Fumes in the house are almost visible at the mo - all the windows open.

Coke is supposed to be good with limescale? And I think you have to bale out the water first.... a HORRID job. Oh and denture tablets are good apparently?

[belgo]

Scope all of the water out of the bowl (or as much as possible). Pour neat white vinegar into bowl and leave overnight, or all day.

[reliablemillipede]

Domestos zero limescale toilet cleaner, black bottle, all the major supermarkets stock, it's really good, if your loo is pretty bad I would suggest using a whole bottle and leave it overnight,(shut the door and open the window a bit as it can be a bit fumey.
It;s good stuff though, frequent use of this should sort it out as it works under the water line.

[JillyWillyPops]

I know it's not very eco friendly but I had the same problem when I moved into my new house. I managed to clear it all by using This It did take a couple of days to clear it all though. I used to give a good squirt before going to bed then scrub in the morning.

[TheFarSide]

When we moved into our place, there were rocks of limescale stuck to the bottom of the loo, stained a lovely brown colour. I used a mixture of bleach for the stains and a normal toilet limescale remover (possibly Domestos). It took several days but got rid of it.

[HamburgerHelper]

try vinegar - it really works on limescale. It should soften it and make it easier to remove. Try to spray on under the rim or soak some old rags with it try to wrap it around in the bowl so it's in contact with the underside of the rim. The longer you let it soak, the better. Overnight would be good.

[hattifattner]

scoop all the water out of the bowl and pour in domestos zero. Shut the lid, as the stink from the toilet can be bad. Leave for an hour, then scrub with a loo brush and flush. That should take care of 90+ %. After than, you can do the domestos in the water thing like normal.

[jaspercat2002]

Harpic power plus tablets work the best of all the things I have tried for below the water limescale. They obviously don't help much on the rest of the bowl but are good to blast off built up limescale.

reviews.homebase.co.uk/1494-en_gb/892824/reviews.htm

[doormat]

for under the rim, use a steam cleaner and an old toothbrush or baby bottle brush...eeek its mingin the stuff that comes away

[O2BNormal]

Exactly what belgo said

For limescale around the rim (or taps), use a plant spray bottle filled with half vinegar half water - also great for water marks on granite worktops

[RustyBear]

A few minutes vigorous pumping with a loo brush will lower the water level without having to bale out.

[Pearla]

Oh great, thanks for all these suggestions. I will go for a few 'overnighters' then I think, and see how it goes. Just no idea how you can end up with a loo in this state! Surely this doesn't happen with basic cleaning?!

[CuttedUpPear]

I asked this a few months ago, and followed the advice I got. I
did the baling out with a plastic cup then used a rag til the bowl was empty.
I sprayed vinegar all over the limescale and poured the rest into the bowl.
Next morning, a quick go over with the loo brush and it was all gone. Cost of £1 and ecological too.
Thanks MNetters!

[DilysPrice]

I agree, once the water is removed it's a piece of cake.

[belgo]

'Surely this doesn't happen with basic cleaning?!'

I clean by toilets everyday with the toilet brush, and every few days with a cleaning agent, but still the limescale builds up to a very ugly state within a few months.

I strongly recommend the vinegar option - ecological and cheap as another poster says - saves a few fishes in the sea.

[O2BNormal]

Baisc cleaning won't keep limescale away in a hard water area unless you use something that will dissolve it (like vinegar)

[mrspnut]

Domestos zero really works and we live in a hard water area.

I use loads of the stuff, usually using the toilet duck brush thing as a type of plunger to force the water level down so more of the corner yuk gets treated each time.

[dinkystinkyandveryverybored]

Cillit bang limescale remover is brilliant

[Pearla]

Ah, yes you're right belgo & O2, the city I lived in before was soft water, I can see how they may not have been complete slatterns. Mind you my new house was previously a student house so who knows...

[PigletJohn]

Parazone Bleach Blocks that go in the cistern. You might not believe this, but it's true. After a few weeks when you look in the cistern to see if it needs a new block, you will find it has cleaned a lot of the limescale off the inside and the float, and more has flaked off and is lying at the bottom. It will eventually dissolve and flush away. In the same way, it will sloely clean away the limescale from the waterways around the tim, and from the pan. Try it, you'll be surprised.

The Harpic Bleach taplets that you leave in the bowl overnight are good for cleaning the trap quickly below the waterline. Don't use more than one cleaning product at any one time.

The other solution is to save up and buy an ion-exchange water softener (this is the kind that uses salt to re-energise the calcium-absorbing resin) and as well as preventing future limescale, it will slowly dissolve the old. If you are in a hard-water area, once you've had one, you will never want to be without.

[AngelDog]

Kilrock Big K - 'it's the one that works'. Well, it works better than Limelite or caustic soda IME.

[annanda]

Dear PigletJohn,
Can you recommend a good "ion-exchange water softener (this is the kind that uses salt to re-energise the calcium-absorbing resin)" ?
Thanks.

[Footle]

Jillywillypops, your link took me to Warburtons giant crumpets. I don't think they're up to the job.

[Eleanor12345]

Hi. New to mumsnet so i don't know if i'm doing this right. Noticed a lot of talk about the dreaded toilet cleaning and i have to tell you about this stuff that is absolutely fantastic. All you do is pour it down and leave it for a bit. You don't have to do anything else. When we moved here the toilet was caked in limescale. This stuff shifted the lot. The company is called Mc Klords and the product is portacleanse. It is described as a phenomenally powerful limescale remover and it certainly is.

[user1475132199]

The best cleaner to use for removing limescale build up from your toilet is HG Limescale Remover Believe me when i say this stuff is very powerful and can remove almost any stain or build lol.