[Clough]

Hi, All!

Okay, I let my upstairs toilet get so bad that it now seems impossible to clean. I know, pretty revealing. But, I'm a guy with a really big home and I live by myself. We've tried the usual toilet bowl cleaners that people can find in grocery and home maintenance supply stores. Also, bleach.

Seems to be this reddish stuff stuck to the bottom.

Maybe some chemical reaction has taken place whereby it can't be cleaned?

Any way to get it out of there?

Thanks!

[justcurious55]

Have you tried kaboom? It comes in a purple jug type thing and neon green lid. I used it last time I cleaned my aunts house. It even got the boys toilet cleaned. All I had to do was pour a little in. then it foams up and I just let it sit and soak while I cleaned the rest of the house. Then I just had to come back and scrub a little.

[massplumber2008]

Hi Clough...

I have read a few articles over the years that suggest that a PUMICE STONE works great at removing particularly stubborn toilet stains. Check out an article on the subject here:

How to Clean a Toilet With Pumice Stone | eHow.com

A little COMET, BORAXO or other similar abrasive cleaner used with the pumice stone should make real short work of the stain.

Mark

[speedball1]

I have seen bleach used with some success. Sponge out the bowl and fill it with bleach. Let it set overnight. Next morning scrub the bowl out with COMET, BORAXO or other similar abrasive cleaner. Good luck, Tom

[Milo Dolezal]

Hi Clough, we've had exactly the same problem. Too many bathrooms in the house and couple of them got never used.

The best solution to keeping our toilets clean was ordinary Vinegar. ( Costco / 1.5 gln bottle for $3.59 ). Pour it in a spray bottle and spray it inside the bowl. Be generous. Spray it all over and under the rim. Don't do anything. No need to scrub. Don't flush. Just let it sit there. Do it every week or two. Your bowl will be sparkling clean.

[Clough]

Very helpful information, guys! :)

So, how does a person really empty the toilet bowl all the way? Turn off water, then use a plunger..

Thanks!

[Milo Dolezal]

Scoop up as much as you can with Styrofoam cup and then use old towel to remove remaining water... Or, use dry/wet Shop-Vac...

[Stringer]

I would try a toilet bowl cleaner with 15% acid and let it set overnight also. Repeat if necessary.

[Clough]

Do you mean something like Muriatic Acid, Stringer?

[KISS]

Come on guys, the easiest way to empy a toilet bowl is with a big bucket of water.

Fill a household bucket with lots of water and dump rapidly into toilet.

Sponge the rest out or use a wet vac.

CLR is worth trying: ShopCLR.com - CLR - Calcium, Lime, & Rust Remover - 28 oz Home Depot sells it.

And the pumice stone/scotchbrite pad is also worthwhile.

And for laughs:

It doesn’t hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started. During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which define whether a patient should be institutionalized.

“Well,” said the Director, “we fill up a bathtub, and then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”

“Oh, I understand,” said the visitor. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.”

“No.” said the Director, “A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?”

[Clough]

I have seen bleach used with some success. Sponge out the bowl and fill it with bleach. Let it set overnight. Next morning scrub the bowl out with COMET, BORAXO or other similar abrasive cleaner. Good luck, Tom

The bleach would have had to be removed completely before scrubbing with something like Comet, wouldn't it, Tom?

I'm worried about the chemical combinations here creating something harmful to breath or touch.

Thanks!