Most people clean their toilet by simply pouring bleach down the bowl, but it cannot remove stains or get rid of embedded germs so it is better to turn to more natural products instead.
Many people’s first instinct is to reach for the bleach when cleaning the toilet, but there are far cleverer ways to keep it sparkling without bombarding it with harsh chemicals. Bleach is a disinfectant that kills germs, yet it doesn’t actually tackle any built-up residue inside the bowl, so it may not be as hygienic as it appears.
Toilets frequently develop limescale — a stubborn, grimy deposit formed from minerals in hard water that clings tenaciously to surfaces. This kind of build-up cannot be shifted with a toilet brush alone, and bleach is powerless against it, meaning it must be properly dealt with as it can harbour bacteria and dirt.
Fortunately, Kate, a natural cleaning expert and founder of Green Eco Friend, has revealed that these unsightly stains can be banished in minutes simply by pouring vinegar directly into the toilet bowl.
Kate said: “Bleach is not great for the environment and if you’re not careful you can get quite dizzy when using it if your bathroom isn’t well ventilated. So what to do to clean the loo? Here’s where a combination of baking soda and vinegar can start to work their magic.”
Limescale forms from mineral deposits left behind when hard water evaporates, and bleach simply isn’t formulated to dissolve these stains.
Rather than removing limescale, bleach merely whitens it so it looks as though it’s gone — but over time it will harden inside the bowl, trapping even more microorganisms and making the toilet increasingly difficult to clean properly.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which reacts with the calcium carbonate minerals found in limescale, causing it to break down rapidly.
Vinegar works by softening the limescale, enabling it to dissolve and making it considerably easier to scrub away, without spending an eternity cleaning your toilet.
Bicarbonate of soda is frequently combined with vinegar as it acts as a deodoriser, eliminating unpleasant bathroom odours rather than simply masking them, as many commercial cleaning products tend to do.
How to remove toilet stains properly
Simply pour 125ml of white vinegar and one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda into the toilet.
Leave the mixture to sit for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, giving the solution sufficient time to soften and break down the limescale.
Once the time has elapsed, gently scrub the toilet with your toilet brush and any stubborn stains should swiftly vanish without requiring too much effort.
Vinegar is tremendously effective at tackling stains, but take great care to ensure there are no other cleaning products present in your toilet beforehand.
Combining vinegar with other cleaning products, such as bleach, can be extremely hazardous, as it can produce chlorine gas. Always ensure you use them separately and thoroughly rinse the toilet before switching between different cleaning products.
