Cleaning an ancient toilet

[Handyweatherstation]

Me and him rent and most of the fittings are quite dated. Think 1980s kitchen sort of thing. We're okay with that and quite like the old fashioned look, it's the toilet which is the issue. I recently discovered that it's Art-Deco, meaning it was made 1920s-1930s, and despite regular loo cleaner, bleach and scrubbing sessions, it is so bloody difficult to keep clean!

Any recommendations for miracle toilet cleaning product out there, please?

Having once suffered a bath of similar vintage in a rented property, there's only one thing for it. Bleach.

Citric acid desolves ancient hard water stains. Also a denture cleaning tab chucked in last thing at night gives it a nice deep clean 🤣

@hotfroth it's had enough bleach down it to destroy the oceans!

That about the only thing I haven't tried, so worth a go.

I did try the thing with Coke but it just stained and made things worse.

Think I would give it a go with something like Harpic Power Plus or the Domestos equivalent and those limescale tablets that clean under the water line. I have never tried the Cola trick but might be another option. However if the glaze has come off the porcelain there might not be much you can do.

Check the glaze isn't off. Because if it is you're never going to be able to get it back to looking clean

There are patches where the glaze has worn off (all the scrubbing!) so I'm a bit wary of using acids. Or would that make a difference?

Tried Harpic Power Plus and it was okay, but didn't get everything. I'd love to see it clean, just once.

Douglas Limescale remover solution
empty the water from the loo and squirt this stuff on, leave on for 30 minutes and a light scrub should do the trick.

If the glaze is damaged you will quite simply never get it clean. The glaze is what stops it being pourous and holding the dirt

DO NOT PUT COKE IN YOUR TOILET! EVER!

Coke and bleach makes chlorine gas. You can kill yourself doing this.

The glaze is damaged. Not all of it but there are patches where it's worn off. I accept that we can't get those clean but the lower part of the pan and the staining there and around the rim is grim.

I tried Coke once (didn't work) and never in combination with bleach.

empty the water from the loo

this is a really important step with stuff like heavy duty limescale removers, it just doesn’t work as well if it’s dilute. Bag over a mop head and push the water out the of the loo over the shelf.

Owner of a genuine Victorian "Thunderbox" and matching pan here. I feel your pain.

Coke doesn't work and I've never had much luck with pure citric acid either. To get those to work I think you'd have to remove the water from the pan first and use them neat.

I use the Harpic 10X. cleaner. I leave as long as possible before scrubbing gently with a plastic loo brush. It may take a couple of applications but it gets there. I don't use as regularly as I perhaps should as it's nasty stuff.

In between I use horticultural vinegar to help dissolve the limescale. Obviously I don't use both together.

Glad it's not just me, Elphame! Ours is a 'Heathcote' and it's actually a really nice, solid design, with an unusual square base, it's just the cleaning issue.

I'm generally a vinegar and bicarb type, but this lav needs something else. I've ordered some far more evil cleaning stuff than I'd usually go for, something called 'HG Toilet Cleaner Gel Super Powerful'. It's probably horrible for the environment, but I'll see what it does. Hopefully it'll work and won't need to be used often. The Harpic x10 will also go on the list.

If it’s brown limescale
staining you need an acid eg harpic lime scale remover. Bleach is the exact opposite-an alkali and will do nothing to remove limescale, but will kill anything living in it.

Spirit of salts, but it’s powerful stuff so handle with care.
Kilrock limescale remover is pretty good.

All bleach does is bleach the limescale, it won’t remove it.,
aIf the glaze is crackled it won’t be sparkling clean.

White vinegar for 24 hours. Get all the water out first, use a ladle then an old sponge to make sure it's water free then pour a whole bottle of white vinegar in and leave. Use a hard plastic edged thing to remove the limescale after 24 hours.

I tried EVERY other product and this is the only thing that worked. Bleach did nothing.

HG toilet renovation kit. It gets the worst stains off (I have no idea how good it would be on a vintage pan though). 10 quid in b & q.

I have used a HG product with good results.

Wow, Spirit of salts is apparently hydrochloric acid? Strong stuff!

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm learning here!

Didn't know you could still buy that!

Us it’s powerful stuff. To be honest I wouldn’t use it on your loo, I didn’t read your op properly, I now see it’s an Art Deco one. Kilrock in a bottle, not the spray one may be a better option,

Thanks. I do have some Kilrock in a bottle but have only used it on the taps so far. Worth a go in the lav.