Cleaning streaks off toilet bowl

 My coloured toilet bowl has dark streaks above the water.  I've tried CLR but that doesn't seem to work.  I don't know what has caused it.  Any ideas?

Maybe try some Lime Away.  I used this in my moms toilet and it worked well.  Citric acid might work as well.

Ick! I have the same problem and here, its caused by the mineral deposits in our extremely hard water. I've had moderate success with Oxyclean... I drain the bowl completely and then slop it on like a paste, wait maybe 20 minutes and scrub most of it off. Sometimes the scale just won't budge and then I have to use a pumice stone.

LP I have the problem too but I just go after it with the pumice stone, takes a few minutes but I do it once a week now...works great and doesn't take alot of time anymore.....

I'm with you all on the pumice stone. Albuquerques water is so hard, it builds up those sclae lines form the tank flow very fast.  A few swipes with the stone, and that bowl looks brand new.

My grand mother always used those screens to clean the bowl.  They worked great, but man, could they rip your fingertips apart!  Pumice stone.  That's the way to go. 

Soldier___Of___Fowl:

My grand mother always used those screens to clean the bowl. 

Screens??? I don't gots no screens... s'plain please, what is screens?

Okay -- please tell me more about the pumice stone and how to use it.  Is it the same one you would use on your feet?  I would think that would scratch the toilet bowl.  I hope that there is hope for my toilets -- I was thinking we would have to repolace them.

We have well water, vary hard well water.

Pinky I get them in the ceaning Aisle of the grocery or hardware stores... believe it or not they do not scratch the bowl... you think it sounds like it is but it doesn't scratch...and it take all the hard water stains off... it does require a little elbow grease but after that just maintainance ...there is hope for your toilets!

Thanks for the advice akfishergirl -- I will look for them next time I go shopping.

lindapearl:

Soldier___Of___Fowl:

My grand mother always used those screens to clean the bowl. 

 

Screens??? I don't gots no screens... s'plain please, what is screens?

I can't think what it's called offthe top of my head.  I still occasionally see them in stores.  It was a toilet bowl scourer for removing lime and scale.  It was like a 3x3 wire screen that you scrubbed the bowl with.   The packaging called it something like "Plumber's miracle" or somesuch.  Think of your granmother's screen door--the old real wire screen, not the new nylon stuff.  It was like a square of that wire screen but with a much finer mesh, that you used to scrub the bowl.  Worked beautifully, but absolute hell on the fingertips!  

Well, that's a new one on me, sof, I've never seen something like that in these parts. I can see how it would be effective though.

 Oh, and Pinky, the one drawback to a pumice stone is that the first time you use it, you're going to notice a big difference between the areas you've scrubbed and those you haven't, especially if you have hard water.  It becomes readily apparent that the hard water even dulls the surface of the parts that are always underwater, so you're going to go nuts with the thing on the first go 'round!  You may spend more than hour on the toilet, but the end result will be incredible!  A tip.  Pour a bucket of water into the toilet bowl before starting.  This will drain the bowl without it refilling, so you won't be trying to clean it all inside the water.  But, make sure you keep the pumice stone wet as you're using it, for best results.

lindapearl:

Well, that's a new one on me, sof, I've never seen something like that in these parts. I can see how it would be effective though.

Next time you're in a mom-n-pop hardware store, look for them in the plumbing section.  I'll bet you might find them there still.  Don't buy them, of course.  But you'll probably find them there!  LOL! 

 I have the  pumice stone on a stick and I think the package said that it could harm colored bowls.  Luckily we have white so I can use it, but I would be afraid to try it on a colored one.

 Okay, I just looked it up and Servicemaster, Merry Maids and the Pumie pumice on a stick site all said don't use  pumice stones on colored bowls.  So I wouldn't try it.