Limescale in the bathroom is a common headache, especially when it comes to taps, shower heads, and toilets.

While this white chalky substance is essentially a mix of calcium and magnesium, when it builds up in toilet bowls it tends to look terribly unsightly than around taps and kettles.

Instead of the typical white appearance, these spots can turn an off-putting brown, making freshly cleaned toilets seem dirtier than they are.

Sick of trying methods that don’t rid the “thick” limescale in her toilet bowl, one woman took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook page.

Posting a picture of her toilet cover in dark brown, almost black, stains, Tia Frances Caiger wrote: “Anyone able to suggest anything to me?

“My toilet has had thick limescale since we moved in last year, I have got the worst of it off with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Sadly this is the end result and no more will come off! It looks awful and I hate it! Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.”

The post received many comments saying a similar thing - that vinegar and baking soda didn’t do the best job but recommended an alternative product - citric acid.

Maria Louise said: “We used everything and literally the only thing that cleared it up is using citric acid.”

Abbie Marsh wrote: “I had the exact same and couldn’t seem to shift it with baking soda and vinegar. What worked was removing as much water out of the toilet as possible and leaving it as long as possible with citric acid.”

Abigail Heard said: “So empty the water out of the toilet, fill it with citric acid and leave it overnight and when you flush the toilet it will all come off.

“I did it to a toilet last week and I was so shocked by how easy it came away lol. I used to use white vinegar and baking soda but it never worked as good.”

Donna Jones commented: “I live in a very hard water area and this can happen so easily if not kept on top of. But when it was that thick the only way I could get rid was to use citric acid and using it regularly has kept it away.”

For those who can’t get their hand on citric acid and don’t mind using chemicals, Mrs Hinch fans also recommended Harpic Power Plus either a gel or tablet form.

Louise Anne said: “Harpic in the black bottle! Put it in overnight, it peels off the next morning. So satisfying.”

Emma Ross wrote: “Black Harpic 100 percent. I couldn’t believe it when I used it. Would have turned out better if I drained the toilet first though.”

No matter what product households are using to remove limescale from their toilets, cleaning fan Lorraine Shepherd urged: “Whatever you use empty the water first it will always work better without the water in there.”