The toilet is one of the main plumbing items that needs special cleanliness. But even with the most careful care, red spots can form on it, and an experienced housewife, noticing that rust has appeared on the toilet and in the tank, is looking for ways to remove and clean the plaque, and return it to its original state.
Why do dirty spots appear on the toilet?
To prevent further contamination of the product, you need to find out the cause of rust. If this is not done, the spots will appear again and it will be possible to fight them indefinitely. There are several factors that affect the cleanliness of your plumbing.
One of them is urinary stone, which eats into the walls. You can prevent its appearance by regularly using a brush with added detergents. Even an ordinary toilet tablet placed in the tank releases a small amount of cleaning substance when the water is drained, which washes away urinary stones and freshens the air in the toilet.
Another reason for the appearance of lime and rust deposits is the poor quality of water in the water supply system. This especially applies to old houses in which metal or cast iron pipes were installed. Over time, under the influence of water, the pipes rust, and oxides of iron and other metals enter the water and leave an unsightly mark on the toilet. To prevent rust stains from appearing, you need to replace metal pipes with polypropylene or metal-plastic ones.If local water contains many iron compounds, sand and other particles that destroy the surface of plumbing fixtures, then the water entering the water supply system can be purified using filters that are installed at the entrance to an apartment or house.
Rust on the toilet can also appear because the drain tank is not adjusted and is leaking. If water flows from it constantly, then iron salts are deposited along the edges of the stream, resulting in red spots. To eliminate this reason, you need to adjust the float in the drain tank or replace it with a new one.
Not the least role in the appearance of rust is the quality of the material from which it was made. toilet. Products made from low-grade earthenware always have a rough surface and have micropores in which iron salts settle and dirt accumulates. For products made of porcelain or glazed earthenware, the likelihood of rust is significantly reduced.
Methods for cleaning a toilet from dirt
Replacing water pipes, a toilet or a cistern requires additional material investments, which cannot always be made. Therefore, special cleaning agents are used to clean plumbing products from dirt and red stains. They can be divided into:
- abrasives for cleaning plumbing fixtures,
- alkaline preparations,
- acid agents.
Abrasive products are powders such as “Comet” or “Pemolux”, they contain microparticles that, due to friction against the surface of the toilet bowl, remove dirty deposits. To use them to remove stains, you need to pour a small amount of powder onto a damp cloth or brush and thoroughly wipe off the rust.Cleaning the toilet with abrasive preparations gives a good effect, but additional roughness may appear on the product, resulting in plaque again.
Alkaline products include liquids and gels such as the imported Domestos or domestic Belizna. They are quite simple to use. The active substance in them is sodium hydroxide. The drug is applied to a dirty surface, and after 20 minutes it is washed with a brush and plenty of water. The use of alkalis is effective if the surface of the toilet bowl is not very dirty and has traces of grease, urinary stones or limescale. They work worse on rusty stains.
Acid preparations are the best way to get rid of rust. It could be “Bref”, “Silit” or “Toilet duckling”. They are applied to the surface of the toilet, wait about 20 minutes, and then rinse with water.
When using ready-made cleaning products, certain safety requirements must be observed. They all contain chemical components that are corrosive to your hands, so you need to wear rubber gloves when cleaning stains. You cannot use products that contain acid and alkali at the same time. As a result, the interaction may result in a reaction with the release of substances that cause suffocation or damage to exposed areas of the body.
How to remove rust with folk remedies
Sometimes it happens that there are no industrial preparations at hand, but rusty stains need to be removed. In this case, use the tools that are in the house:
- Cleaning with hydrochloric acid. When working with acid, be sure to use a respirator, because it emits vapors that irritate the respiratory system.The acid is applied to the rust for a few minutes, after which it is washed well with clean water in large quantities.
- Use of dry oxalic acid. This drug is not available in every home, because it is very aggressive. The powder is poured onto the site of contamination, left for 1 hour, and then washed first with ammonia and then with clean water.
- Vinegar essence can be effective in combating pollution. A cloth is moistened in the essence solution and applied to the rust site. After some time, the rag is removed and the toilet is washed with water.
- A snow-white toilet bowl can be obtained by mixing 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 10 parts ammonia and applying it to a rusty stain. At the same time, turn off the water in the tank and wait several hours. Then the area of contamination is wiped with a sponge and washed off with water.
- Sometimes they clean a toilet from rust using Pepsi-Cola or another carbonated drink. To do this, shut off the flow of water from the tank, pour a couple of bottles of the drink into the toilet and after 30 minutes flush it with water using a brush. This removes not only red dirt, but also limescale.
- If the methods used do not produce an effect, then use the electrolyte, which is located in an old abandoned battery. Cleaning the toilet occurs quickly and for a long time, but since this is a dangerous chemical compound, it must be used very carefully. In addition, electrolyte cannot be used in a house with polypropylene pipes, as it corrodes them.
- Sometimes toothpaste is used to remove red spots, which is not suitable for its intended use. It is applied to the rusty spot and left in this state overnight. In the morning, clean the area of contamination with a brush and rinse with water.
How to protect your toilet from rust stains
It is easier to prevent any pollution than to deal with it later. Therefore, once a week during general cleaning, you must wash the plumbing fixtures with a brush and water with detergent, and regularly put tablets in the tank to remove plaque and rust.
Each time after using the toilet, you need to rinse it thoroughly with water, and if necessary, clean it with a brush. You can attach a small plastic basket with gel to the side surface. When draining, water will pass through it, and the detergent will wash away the dirt and deposits that have appeared.
