If you have stubborn stains at the bottom of your toilet bowl then you likely have a limescale problem, and it is easy to clean as long as you use the right product. Limescale is the minerals leftover from water evaporating that will slowly build up over time into tough deposits which will not go away no matter how many times you scrub at it. 

What is frustrating about limescale is that common cleaners like bleach cannot break down the minerals to remove it and using bleach will only whiten the stains temporarily. If you want to get rid of limescale, the experts at Cleaning Express explain that the “best cleaning product” is already sitting in your kitchen cupboard.

They said: “Every single home in the UK should have these cleaning products at its disposal, and they can be used everywhere limescale lives around the home. We are, of course, talking about bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar!” 

The key to cleaning limescale is using an acidic solution such as white vinegar as it contains acetic acid, which will react to minerals in limescale such as calcium carbonate and begin to dissolve them. 

It is best to mix baking soda with vinegar to form a paste to help the solution stick to surfaces limescale is commonly found on.

If you wish, you can use other acidic alternatives in your kitchen such as lemon juice, which contains citric acid which can also quickly break down limescale. 

The expert said: “An alternative way to remove stubborn stains is lemon juice! Vinegar can be used with lemon juice. 

“This combination works great and. The lemon juice needs to work its magic for about an hour, as when soaked it helps break down the calcium carbonate. After that, do some scrubbing and see the difference!”

How to get rid of toilet limescale stains

To begin, put on a pair of gloves and in a small bowl mix equal parts white vinegar and baking soda. You can also add lemon juice if you have any. 

Stir the mixture together until it forms a paste, then pour it in the toilet and leave it to soak for one hour, however, it is best to leave it overnight or as long as possible. 

The expert said: “As the toilet is soaking, the paste will begin to break down the limescale and anything else in the toilet.”

Once the time is up use a toilet brush to gently wipe the stains and the limescale should come away easily.

Flush the toilet to remove any remaining limescale residue and you should have a sparkling clean toilet. 

However, if you are dealing with an extreme case of limescale build-up then you may need to repeat this cleaning process again but in most cases, the stains should be completely gone.