Battling limescale in our bathrooms is something many of us are all too familiar with. Those pesky white, chalky deposits of calcium and magnesium can be particularly stubborn in toilet bowls, often looking much more unsightly than when they settle around taps and kettles.
This common nemesis doesn’t just leave the typical white stains but can also develop into a rather off-putting brown tarnish, leaving even the freshest of loos appearing grubbier than it really is. Fed up with fruitless efforts to tackle the “thick” limescale blighting her toilet bowl, one distressed woman sought advice on the popular Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook group, reports the Express.
Accompanying her plea for help with an image of her loo covered in dark brown, almost black, marks, Tia Frances Caiger lamented: “Anyone able to suggest anything to me?”
Describing her plight, she continued: “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.”
Her post sparked a flurry of similar confessions, with many echoing that while vinegar and baking soda often fall short of doing the job, they notably recommended trying out citric acid. Maria Louise chimed in, remarking: “We used everything and literally the only thing that cleared it up is using citric acid.”
Echoing the newfound cleaning hack, Abbie Marsh added: “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 advised: “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 remarked: “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 unable to procure citric acid and who are open to chemical solutions, followers of Mrs Hinch have suggested Harpic Power Plus, in gel or tablet versions. Louise Anne recommended: “Harpic in the black bottle! Put it in overnight, it peels off the next morning. So satisfying.”
Emma Ross shared her experience: “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.”
Lorraine Shepherd, a fellow cleaning enthusiast, stressed the importance of preparation regardless of the chosen product: “Whatever you use empty the water first it will always work better without the water in there.”