'It was like magic' – 4 highly-rated toilet limescale cleaners people swear by

Stubborn limescale marks in the toilet bowl can hard to remove, but these highly-rated picks are just the ticket, according to cleaning-savvy Reddit users.

If you are tired of scrubbing aimlessly, piling in the products only to end up with little to no change, you’re not alone. Here, Reddit users come to the rescue, sharing these top toilet limescale cleaners for results that last.

If you’re stuck trying to clean a bathroom so the toilet sparkles again, look no further than this genius round-up.

The best toilet limescale cleaners

There is no topic that hasn’t been covered by Reddit and its many sub-threads. The r/CleaningTips subreddit, for instance, holds thousands of gems tried and tested by busy, everyday homeowners, from the things people with clean bathrooms always do, to the highly-rated oven cleaners people swear by – they have it all.

I delved into the four upvoted toilet limescale solutions readers sing the praises of, to tackle this pesky bathroom cleaning issue.

1. Pumice scouring stick

One of the best ways to get rid of hard water stains and limescale build-up is a pumice stone – and Reddit users swear by it for tough toilet scale.

Initially suggested by u/mystend, u/JennaR0cks added, ‘I used pumice to clean a very gross toilet when I bought my first home because I couldn’t afford to replace it. It was like magic. I did see someone say you should re-glaze the toilet after a good pumice scrubbing but I never did that and never had any issues with it being gross again in the last 16 years I lived there.’

As pumice can be damaging to some surfaces, u/SweetAlyssumm suggested, ‘Make sure to keep it very wet so that it doesn’t scratch. I cleaned an entire filthy bathtub with a pumice stone from Home Depot.’ The same rules apply if you are using pumice to clean a porcelain sink.

2. Lysol Lime & Rust

If you are looking to clean a bathroom in less than 30 minutes, Redditors swear that the Lysol Lime & Rust solution, available at Walmart, is what you need.

User u/Interesting_You6825 enthusiastically shared, ‘Absolutely this! Best and cheap! Let it sit for about 20 minutes and then it should come right off.’

If you don’t mind taking a little longer to tackle the problem, user u/TheCompanyHypeGirl adds, ‘This is the one. I had a persistent problem for years. I tried everything else, including similar products to the Lysol, but different brands and they didn’t even touch it. I let this sit overnight and the problem was almost 100% gone.’

After letting the product soak for a while, you can also give the area a scrub using a stiff bristled toilet cleaning brush, also from Walmart, to help loosen off any remaining scale before flushing to clear the bowl.

3. Citric acid

You don’t need harsh chemicals to clean well. If you want to avoid scrubbing but also want to clean your home without harming the planet, consider something like citric acid, available in 14oz bags at Target, instead.

User u/pinkguy90 said, ‘I used an entire bottle of citric acid from the baking section on my grandma’s toilet. That alone poured straight in and left for 24 hours. The next day the pieces of scale came off literally like a tile that had been cracked. I was fascinated!’

There are several things you can clean with citric acid around the house, too, making it a worthy investment for your cleaning cabinet.

4. CLR

There are plenty of real-life experts in the Reddit community, too. User u/whatsittoyaaa2464 says, ‘Use CLR [Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover, from Walmart]. I’m a full-time housekeeper, and I swear by that stuff. Make sure it’s covering the whole area. You just let that sit overnight, then scrub in the morning – it’s like magic.’

Like citric acid, CLR’s usefulness doesn’t stop at toilet scale. u/dec256 adds, ‘CLR is good for so many appliances, too. It’s great for coffee makers, cleaning washing machines, water heaters, etc.’

Toilet limescale essentials

FAQs

What causes limescale build-up in toilets?

Limescale build-up in toilets is a result of hard water flowing through the pipes and leaving behind mineral deposits such as magnesium and calcium. These result in unsightly stains in the toilet bowl that can become discolored over time.

The good news is that these four best toilet limescale removers can be used to remove limescale from many other bathroom surfaces, too. For example, Lysol can be used to remove limescale from taps and pumice to clean a shower and remove limescale from the floor tray – they are great cleaning caddy investments.