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?

@LavenderHillMob for ecological and health reasons I prefer to avoid harsh chemicals. Even though they are processed at the water treatment works they still end up somewhere and have an ecological impact on the environment. Not to mention the potential health impact of using them (breathing in fumes etc).

You can just reduce the useage of harsh chemicals without cutting out altogether. Is it the environment you are concerned about or the safety aspect?

Using it once a month or so just to give a proper clean is absolutely fine, and then use more eco friendly methods in between.

It's similar to meat eating etc. - you can make a very good impact simply by cutting down - you don't have to cut it out altogether.

I have found the Bloo balls to be the best thing ever for keeping the toilet clean. I suppose they have chemicals though. ( Hangs head in shame.)

One of those minky pads with the silver scrubbing side.

@spelunky I do get that but if there is a way to avoid using them altogether I am all for it. hence this thread to see what people say!

Citric acid is fairly benign as chemicals go. I bought some astonish tablets that you leave in (hard water area here). I must admit I haven't checked what's in them. I don't use them very often so I'm hardly pouring gallons of chemicals in. I do use bleach as well, but only once a week.

Okay, so I have never seen poo sticking to my loo brush. WTF are you eating? Loo cleaner around rim, swish it around and scrub, flush and rinse the brush off in the flushing water. Toilet cleaner has bleach in it to kill germs.

And yes, toilets will have germs. Unless you are planning to eat off them and you don't wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?

If you're so anti germs, you're going to have a nasty shock when you realise you actually need chemicals to kill them....

Never heard that one, can't quite work that one out.

@DazzlePaintedBattlePants there's a difference between wanting a clean toilet without stains and not wanting a poo-covered loo brush in my toilet. Congratulations if you're able to keep yours poop free (with nasty chemicals that I don't want to use). This is not my personal experience using a bristled brush (whether that's because I prefer to avoid using harsh chemicals I am not sure) and like I said I want to avoid chemicals for health and environmental reasons. I don't believe they are necessary or helpful for our health or planet.

If I can use my current (cleanable) silicon loo brush, keep it clean without harsh chemicals and have a stain free toilet without using it that suits me. Hence this thread asking! Is that a problem for you?

I use citric acid. It’s pretty good environmentally, I bought a massive bag on Amazon years and that we have loads left of. We’re in a hard water area too. I chuck 1 heaped teaspoon in and leave overnight then ‘scrub’ with toilet brush in the morning before flushing. We have no limescale in 1 toilet. The other one has a couple of tiny remaining lines of limestone in stupidly designed corners the brush doesn’t get into.

if you’ve got limestone built up it might take a couple of goes or a bit more than a teaspoon but that’s what I use for maintenance.

Well it's a very honourable pursuit 👏 Hope you find a way and it's good to make a thread so everyone can see the other options.

I've had my toilet brush for years. I dont understand the hygiene issue here, I dont put it in my mouth and logically they are dirty from day 1, no matter how long you have them ...

Back to your point - maybe get a cleaner as a one off and ask for them to focus on that and going forward just give it a light scrub every day to agitate it and stop it settling.

I never understand how people seem to end up with 'poo covered' toilet brushes? Do you not flush the toilet after a poo? How much poo is being left on your toilet?! The very occasional skid mark that needs a bit of help really isn't enough to 'cover' my toilet brush - especially once the brush has been held under the flush. Yes, I wouldn't be using it to brush my teeth, but its most certainly not poo covered!

I see that this will become a thread for bog brush users v bog brush haters. Could be amusing. 🤣

Personally, I have two bog brushes. Neither covered in shit. I use bleach every few days. We also have a water softener as we are also in a hard water area. The water softener means that very little limescale actually builds up, and what there is easily brushes off.

@ChristmasKraken I don't see how it is inconceivable that poo would end up on a toilet brush!? But I guess every poo and loo is different! Ever had a runny tummy? What happens to your bog brush in such an instance??

Yes I do flush the toilet after a poo and clean the brush under the flush as it flushes / in the loo water.

I do happen to have a very narrow toilet which I guess is more prone to getting dirty. I wonder if this makes a difference!

and before people jump on me, the toilet is flushed twice - once to flush stuff away and once to clean the brush after.

Take the water out of the loo using a disposable cup, (or pumping with plunger) and then apply vinegar/Limelite/citric acid to take the lime scale off. It's all much easier if there's no water to dilute whatever you're using.

I've had my loo brushes for years as well. There's sometimes a few poo skids - never enough to clog up a brush!

Citric acid. I get it from the garden centre. Sprinkle in and leave over night. Then scrub.

Buy a large bag of citric acid and a large bag of bicarbonate of soda (Amazon). One scoop of each (with one scoop of bio washing powder if you like). Followed by kettle of boiling water. Stand back, it will fizz up. Leave fir a couple of hours then lavatory brush all stains and scale away. Flush. Use a silicon brush if you can and rinse it with boiling water when you're done. I do this monthly as the lime scale in this chalky area is unbelievable.

Don protective clothing. Sponge out the water and use diluted brick cleaner or hydrochloric acid brushed on with a paintbrush that you keep for this purpose. You only need a small amount. Keep brushing it up from the bottom over the stain and eventually it will have fizzed away leaving the bowl free of scratches and scale. You will have to repeat this obviously as you get build up but there is nothing to touch industrial chemicals for cheapness and effectiveness.

Although I've just heard on radio what Thames Water are putting into the river. You probably need as many chemicals as possible. Why do we allow this to happen?

Use the brush to push the water down into the whole. This helps push the water below the brown lines. Then pour your cleaning product in and use a scouring half a sponge or brush. Ofcourse wear gloves if using the sponge.

Flush the toilet after every use. If a brush is used wait a few seconds for the bowl to fill then flush again with brush in bowl to properly clean the brush. You can leave some disinfectant in the brush bowl.

I know you don’t want to use chemicals but personally I find nothing beats bleach.

I've never had any stains or marks or limescale in my loos..... I assume because we always had a water softener? There was one here when we moved in, and we have only just re-done the bathrooms, and none of the toilets were stained even after 25 years. I only clean once a week with bleach or toilet duck, and yes, deploy a toilet brush, but don't have to scrub really, just swill about.

Get a water softener.