to ask you how to keep the toilet free of below waterline stains without nasty chemicals?

[fluffylampbear]

I'm so fed up of using toilet duck or nasty harsh and dangerous chemicals, but I can't seem to find a good natural way to keep the horrid stains out of my loo without using them.

I'm in an area prone to limescale and stains below the waterline. So my loo quickly builds a nasty brown stain on it.

I don't wish to empty out the toilet bowl and sand it.

Is there another natural way? I hate toilet brushes because I think they are wasteful and full of plastic so I use one of the silicon ones which is not as great but at least can be easily cleaned and does not need recycling every few months. It's not that effective at scrubbing.

Does anyone have any good tips?

I have tried coca cola, vinegar, bicarb but without success, maybe the loo is too stained or I am doing it wrong? Is there a special method?

What are you doing to your loo brushes that you need to get rid of them every few months? Mine are years old and look fine.

I put spirit of salts down the loo when it looks brown and it comes out looking like new. Spirit of salts is acid, that just gets neutralised to water and carbon dioxide when it reacts with limescale.

I use citric acid, pour some in, give it a good scrub and leave overnight.

It’s really good at breaking down the limescale that the stains stick to.

I use denture tablets

I use citric acid and sometimes clean limescale off with a pumice stone

@DazzlePaintedBattlePants they are known harborers of germs and I dislike that a poo-covered brush that's difficult to properly clean will sit in my toilet. I believe you're meant to replace them every few months from a hygiene perspective. Hence I have not owned one for years and use a silicone one instead which can be easily cleaned and does not need replacing.

Get a water softener, a mechanical sort eg Harveys, Kinetico is best

@Geminio how much citric acid do you use for one overnight clean?

@fluffylampbear probably a couple of tablespoons, I don’t really measure it I just pour it out of the bag.

Harpic 100% limescale remover, then get your rubber gloves on and scrub under the waterline. That's it, no faff. If that fails because you've years of build up, there are dissolvable tablets you leave overnight. I don't think there is a way to do it without using chemicals of some kind.

Following. Same problem here. Denture tablets don't work and I also bought something called Pink Stuff which is supposed to be the biz but didn't work either. The problem for me is that we have a septic tank so have to be careful what we put down there.

I’ve used a scourer before, one of the loopy silver ones, that worked, it did leave some grey marks but they went after a couple of weeks and it got rid of all the old build up.

Apple cider vinegar, its a great natural descaler. Great for kettles too

Clean once a week below the water line with rubber gloves and scourer. The reason for the stains is that the limescale holds the colour of the stains. Flush after wees. Bleach will only bleach the limescale, it doesnt remove it. We dont have a toilet brush at all, never use cleaning materials in between the weekly clean.

@SprinkleRainbow can I ask how you use it? leave it overnight? If so how much etc? Thanks!

Also, how do you stop the bog brush basically being all jammed up with crap? When I use it, I'm sure I'm just transferring at least 20% from bog to brush, where it will forever stay.

Crikey! That seems so wasteful and unnecessary. My loo brushes are getting on for about 15 years old and are still fit for purpose. Every now and then I pop them in a bucket of dilute bleach solution but most of the time they simply get swished when I flush the loo after cleaning it with the brush, admittedly also with chemical cleaner.

Yes, brushes probably are "harbourers of germs" but they're in the loo, inside a holder and the brush part is never touched, only the handle is - and that with gloved hands, so very low risk.

@KatyKlanger I use something like this which is much easier to clean as it doesn't have the same bristles. Hate regular bristle brushes.

www.amazon.co.uk/Bathroom-Silicone-Flexible-Bristles-Anti-drip/dp/B091KPM2KX/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=silicone+toilet+brush&qid=1678096909&sr=8-5

Although I find it a bit less effective at scrubbing unfortunately.

@80sMum that's why I don't use one - for hygiene and waste reasons. The silicon ones can be properly cleaned and don't need replacing - all the dirt comes off when you wash it. I hate the idea of a poo covered bristled brush in my loo - even if I don't have to touch it. Gross.

I've heard pouring cocacola into the loo and leaving it overnight works. I haven't tried it so it might be an urban myth, maybe I should try it and report back.

You put gloves on to use the brush? Even to brush the skids off the porcelain after a movement? Is this what everyone does?

I use a scrubbing pad and scrub every week as part of normal cleaning. Thames Water, so it is also incredibly hard. It keeps it at bay for me.

I use Nancy Birtwistle’ “pure magic” formulation (she’s got two eco cleaning books you’ll love). It’s a mix of citric acid and washing up liquid that you squirt in to clean things.

I didn't have much luck with it. About as true as the one about cola preventing pregnancy

@ClaudiaWankleman what kind of scrubbing pad do you use?

What's your issue with chemicals? If you are in a hard water area, unless you are prepared to do a lot of scrubbing you need to breakdown the limescale.

Would you consider cistern blocks? That's my lazy option.