The toilet is one of the frequented rooms in your home. Some people have the toilet, bathroom, bathing tab, and vanity all in one room. That explains why you need to maintain proper hygiene. You don’t want to see toilet rings on the toilet bowl or any other unsightly dirt.
Despite the toilet cleaning effort, you can still end up with a toilet ring. What causes it, and how can you remove it? We will provide the answer and advise you on how to get rid of toilet ring. Read on for details.
[toc]What Are the Toilet Bowls?
You may be surprised that we are discussing this here. It’s crucial if you want to avoid toilet rings or to enhance the ease of cleaning. There are different types of toilets in the market today, depending on the design. We’ll look at just a few of them that you can consider when looking for a toilet bowl.
Dual-Flush Toilets
As you had rightly guessed, dual-flush toilets have two flush button options. The first button is for half flush, commonly used for flushing liquid wastes. The other button is for a full flush, used when flushing solid waste. That’s the difference between dual-flush toilets and others.
Dual-flush toilets save water, meaning they are friendly to your pocket and environment. However, the upfront cost is very high.
Double Cyclone Flush Toilets
The latest toilet bowl design you will find in the market today. It takes less water for a full flush while still providing full flushing power to remove solid and liquid wastes. Double cyclone toilets are also considered water-efficient but cost less compared to dual-flush toilets.
Pressure-Assisted Toilets
This type of toilet is known for high-pressure flushes. It uses pressurized air to deliver great flushing power into the toilet bowl. That flushes away both solid and liquid wastes in one go. They are the ideal toilets for large households, but you will have to bear with the noise. These toilets are the noisiest in the market.
Gravity-Flush Toilets
These toilets have elevated water tanks that release water once the flush button is pressed or the string is pulled. The water has just enough pressure to flush away all the wastes down the drain pipe.
Gravity-flush toilets are silent, easy to maintain, and last longer. They are the commonly used toilet types, which you will find in almost every home.
Upflash Toilet
If you don’t want to go through the complex plumbing process in your bathroom, an upflash toilet becomes the best option. It’s portable and can be installed in any part of your property, provided you follow the appropriate procedure.
What Causes the Toilet Bowl Ring?
Toilet bowl ring is one of the nasty issues that every homeowner might have to deal with. Once formed, it may not be cleaned away using other cleaning methods. But what exactly is a toilet bowl ring, and what causes it?
A toilet bowl ring is circular dirt usually seen around the toilet bowl at the edge of the water level. Its color varies depending on the cause. It can be pink, brown, green, red, grey, or orange. The texture of the bowl ring is also not consistent and may just look like a stain.
A toilet ring may not necessarily suggest that your toilet is dirty and unsafe for use, but that depends on the cause. The sight is not pleasant, though. So, you need to remove it as soon as possible for a better experience in the toilet. What causes toilet rings?
There are three causes of toilet bowl rings: fungus, bacteria, and mineral deposits. How does it happen? Let’s find out more details.
Fungus
Fungi are microorganisms that thrive in moist conditions, such as the one in your toilet. Fungi can potentially cause infections. They are usually not visible to the eye. But if they are in large clusters, you can see them as stains.
Fungi will hold onto the edge of your toilet while enjoying the conducive environment provided by the water in the toilet bowl. As they continue to thrive by rapidly multiplying, they appear as a ring around the toilet bowl.
Dark toilet rings are possibly caused by mold growth. If it’s caused by fungi, you will notice the irregularity at the edges of the ring. Fungi in the ring will multiply quickly and look very unpleasant in just a few weeks.
Bacteria
Serratia marcescens bacteria are responsible for the colored toilet bowl rings. If you see a pink ring around your toilet bowl, then the cause is bacteria. They can also be found in other moist places such as showers and bathtubs. The pink color usually persists even after flushing your toilet.
Bacteria can be very stubborn to remove from your toilet bowl. The best thing is to avoid it if you can.
Mineral Deposits
Calcium, iron, and magnesium in the hard water we use in the toilet can also cause the toilet ring. These minerals stick on the bowl from the water and accumulate over time to form the ring. If left uncleaned for a long time, it may be impossible to remove them. That’s why you are advised to remove it as soon as it appears.
How to Remove Toilet Bowl Ring?
Regular cleaning of the toilet is the best way to prevent ring formation. But what happens if you already have stubborn stains that can’t just go away no matter how hard you try? We’ll state some of the ways of removing that eyesore in your toilet.
1. Baking soda and vinegar
These are two of the most commonly used items at home. They are harmless, and their mixture is effective in toilet cleaning. Proceed as follows to get rid of the toilet bowl ring using baking soda and vinegar:
- Pour one cup of white vinegar into the toilet bowl. Spread it all around the bowl using a toilet brush and let it stay for about one minute.
- Sprinkle another cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl and immediately follow the process with two cups of vinegar. Let it stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Using the toilet brush, spread it down to the toilet ring and let it stay for another 30 minutes. Swish from time to time until your toilet turns clean. If you can still see some stains, remove them by scrubbing with the toilet brush.
- Flush your toilet and rinse.
2. Borax and vinegar
For stubborn stains that cannot be removed by the first method, borax is the best approach. It’s stronger than vinegar, making it ideal for the toilet bowl ring that cannot just go away. Proceed as follows to clean toilet ring with borax and vinegar:
- Sprinkle one-quarter of borax into the toilet bowl and use a toilet brush to spread it all around it.
- Add a cup of vinegar and spread it again. Let it stand for about 20 minutes.
- Use a toilet brush to swish it once more and scrub off the remaining stains with a brush or sponge.
- Rinse the toilet bowl by flushing.
3. Bleach
Bleach is a very reactive substance that needs extra care when handling. It shouldn’t get into contact with your body and other chemicals. Also, avoid it if your toilet is made of porcelain and other sensitive materials. Please note that you need pure bleach for this purpose and not just any bleach mixture.
Pour one cup of the pure liquid bleach into the toilet bowl, covering all inside surface. Let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Use a toilet brush to scrub your toilet. Flush and inspect it. All the bleach should be rinsed off before it can be used again.
4. Dryer Sheet
Proceed as follows to get rid of toilet bowl ring using dryer sheet:
- Wear rubber hand gloves
- Scrub the toilet bowl ring using the dryer sheet
- Flush your toilet to rinse everything
5. Toilet Cleaner
Toilet cleaners can also effectively remove toilet rings if you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Go to your nearby store and grab your preferred toilet cleaner. Try it out before you can use other more aggressive methods.
How to Remove Toilet Bowl Ring Naturally
If the above methods don’t work, then you may need to try out this one. It involves using the abrasion property of pumice stone to force the stains out of your toile.
Wear your rubber hand gloves and grab a pumice stone that’s only used for cleaning only. Gently scrub off the toilet ring until the stains are gone. Flush the toilet to rinse.
Can you Remove the Toilet Bowl Ring Without Scrubbing?
Yes. You can still get rid of this unpleasant ring from your toilet bowl even if you don’t have the strength to scrub it off. However, you will need a magic eraser to do it.
- Cut one-quarter of the magic eraser
- Drop it inside the bowl and let it stay overnight
- Remove it the next morning. Don’t flush it.
- Flush the toilet to remove any loose residues and stains.
How to Avoid a Toilet Bowl Ring in the First Place?
We’ve mentioned different methods of getting rid of toilet bowl rings. However, some stains can be permanent. You can’t just remove them. That’s why we recommend prevention methods. The best way to prevent toilet ring formation is to prevent the buildup, which can only be achieved through regular cleaning.
- Flush your toilet regularly to get rid of any stagnant water. Don’t put anything in your toilet bowl that will keep the water from running down the drain.
- Apply small amounts of cleaning agents in between uses to prevent the growth of microorganisms or the accumulation of mineral deposits.
- Use an automatic toilet cleaner to apply the liquid bleach after every flush.
Clean your toilet bowl with borax at least once a week.
Additional Tips on Getting Rid of a Toilet Bowl Ring
- If using a dryer sheet to remove the toilet ring, you can improve the efficiency by first cleaning your toilet with baking soda or borax with vinegar.
- A magic eraser works better on a lighter toilet bowl ring. Thick stains may require the use of heavy-duty cleaners.
- Never mix pure bleach with other chemicals because of the possibility of choking fumes being produced.
- Use heavy-duty toilet cleaners for black rings or rings caused by hard water.
How to Get Rid of Toilet Ring Summary
Keep your toilet clean to enjoy all the moments when using it. The toilet bowl ring is unsightly and harmful to human health when caused by bacteria or fungi. We have highlighted methods of how to get rid of toilet ring. Try out each of them to find out what works best for you.
To avoid the struggle of removing the toilet bowl ring, try to prevent its formation. Practice proper toilet hygiene and clean it regularly using the recommended toilet cleaners.
