Dealing with Toilet Bowl Lime Scale

Around a home or office there is a simple fact that anything that comes into contact with water can easily become susceptible to lime scale. While most people realize this, there is one part of the home that tends to be overlooked, and that is the toilet. In large part this is probably due to the fact that there is constantly water on the inside, and that rarely does the water leave long enough for lime scale to actually develop. However it can be a tad confusing or overwhelming to become faced with lime scale in the toilet. Good thing then that, even though it may require some work on your part, dealing with toilet bowl lime scale is completely possible.

• Vinegar. Vinegar can be a huge help in dealing with lime scale buildup on a toilet bowl. The reason for this is that vinegar contains acetic acid, which can help to either soften up or get rid of the lime scale depending on the amount that you use. While you can always go out and purchase acetic acid from your local home improvement store, you would have to mix it with water to dilute the power of the acid or you could end up damaging the porcelain. With vinegar, you don't have to do the mixing at all, and it is often less expensive than buying the acid.
• Commercial chemicals. There are plenty of commercial cleaners out there that will get the job done. Some of these are cleaners like CLR (Calcium-Lime-Rust), Awesome, and many others which will all require some elbow grease and a green scrubbie to work. Simply follow the manufacturer's directions, and you should have the lime scale removed in no time.
• Sandpaper or pumice. When dealing with particularly tough toilet bowl lime scale, you may want to consider using sandpaper or pumice. If you are using sandpaper, be sure that you are using the wet/dry kind. In addition, whether you are using sandpaper or pumice stones and sticks, be sure that you are using the lightest possible touch or pressure to remove the stains, otherwise you can find yourself damaging the porcelain of the toilet bowl.
• Regular cleaning. One of the easiest ways of dealing with toilet bowl lime scale is to conduct regular cleaning. Now this regular cleaning doesn't necessarily need to be in depth and particularly detailed, though that should be done at least once a week. Rather, simply pour a 1/4 cup of either bleach or vinegar (but not both at the same time) into the toilet bowl every night. In the morning, flush like you normally would, and you should notice a significant drop in the amount of lime scale that you are faced with.
• Install filters. Prevention is often the best way to deal with any kind of problem, and lime scale is no different. If you find yourself in an area where you have particularly hard, or mineralized water, install a filter. By filtering your water supply you will be removing most of the minerals that lead to lime scale, and there by reduce the amount of cleaning that you have to do.