Get Your Hard Water-Stained Toilet Sparkling With Just One Easy Trick

Hard water stains are unsightly and annoying, but there are plenty of tricks you can use to get rid of them. Some are better suited to appliances like faucets, which only come into contact with water occasionally, but toilets can be trickier to deal with. Luckily, borax and vinegar can make the job much easier. This combination is useful for cleaning a variety of household objects, and toilets are no exception.

Vinegar and borax both have properties that help break down and unstick the calcium and other minerals that comprise a hard water stain. Vinegar is acidic, while borax is both alkaline and abrasive. Their respective pHs help to dissolve the minerals and residues, while the grittiness of borax loosens deposits that are stuck in place. Combined with gentle scrubbing, this combination is great at getting rid of hard water stains.

However, there are a couple things to note. For example, you should take care when using vinegar to clean. While it's fine to use on most surfaces, it can cause damage to stainless steel, stone, cast iron, wood, and rubber if used too often. Additionally, alkaline and acidic pHs can neutralize each other when mixed. If you combine vinegar and borax before applying it to your toilet, it may not be as effective — although the paste they form is generally harmless, and its abrasiveness might still work on hard water stains.

The ratio of vinegar and borax doesn't need to be exact to clean your toilet, so don't panic if you can't find your measuring cups. You will want to have gloves, though, as both vinegar and borax can irritate skin. They can also be painful if they get in your eyes, so keep your head back or wear eye protection as you use them. Ventilation is also helpful for dispersing the fumes and smell of vinegar. You'll need roughly ¼ to ½ cup of borax and ½ to 1 cup of vinegar.

Be sure to flush the toilet before starting so that the water is clean and clear, then add the borax. Sprinkle it around, covering as much of the toilet bowl as possible. The borax will loosen the minerals as well as any other dirt or grime that has built up, allowing the vinegar to work more effectively. Next, add the vinegar and leave it to sit for at least half an hour. Afterwards, scrub it with a cloth, toilet brush, or sponge, then flush the toilet to rinse it.

While this mix will remove hard water stains, it won't prevent them from forming in the first place. If hard water is a frequent problem for you, you might want to consider using a water softener or getting a water softener system. These can remove excess minerals from the water, reducing the amount of hard water stains you have to clean.