No one loves to live in a dirty house, and a clean toilet is mandatory. Cleaning is an everyday chore for everyone who wants to live in a clean house. After using a bathroom for some months or years, you may notice changes in the toilet rim, like a dark spot on the bottom, stains, rings, a watermark, etc. This look shows you how unhygienic and disgusting this washroom is. But if you are lazy and don’t like cleaning, this is an ordinary picture for you. It would help if you got rid of this spot and cleaned it all over the toilet, especially the bowl area. If you don’t know how to deal with this issue, you can get every detailed step here. Just read it carefully, and after that, you can get rid of this issue.
Quick Causes and Solutions
| Causes | Cleaning Method |
| Lack of pure water | Use a descaling solution to break down mineral deposits. White vinegar or commercial descalers work well. Apply the solution around the rim and let it sit for a few hours before scrubbing with a toilet brush. |
| Fungus and Bacteria | Apply a disinfectant cleaner specifically designed to kill germs, such as hydrogen peroxide or a bleach-based cleaner. Allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes before scrubbing. Always ventilate the area well when using bleach. |
| Mold and mildew | Use a mixture of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water, or a mold and mildew remover. Apply to the area, allow it to sit for 15-20 minutes, scrub with a stiff-bristled brush, and then flush. Always wear gloves and ensure good ventilation. |
Why does the stain of the toilet bowl need to be clean?
Now you must think, why do you need to remove any spot from the toilet bowl. Firstly, the hard water issue is the primary suspect of this problem. Most of the state water is not clear, and it contains a larger number of minerals than regular water. But this Hard water is not harmful to health. But the stain of the toilet doesn’t look clean. And everyone loves to use a clean bathroom.
Then talk about the mold and bacteria situation. This is very dangerous to health. If you don’t remove this germ immediately from the toilet, someday, it will spread all over the washroom. It creates a foul odor there and is hard to use. An unhealthy bathroom is not suitable for you and your family. To seek your family’s health, you must maintain your toilet regularly.
What causes the black ring below the toilet rim?
Before jumping to the solution to remove the stain from the toilet bowl, you must find out the culprit for this problem and why it needs to be solved—let us discuss the reason for any spot in the bathroom.
-
Lack of pure water:
Now, Most states in the USA can not provide fresh water in the washroom and kitchen. And the level of minerals and chemicals in this water is more than in normal water. When you use hard water, it reacts with the material of the bathroom. So It leaves a stain on those places, and it’s getting darker day by day. It’s nearly impossible to differentiate hard water from normal pure water. But ordinary water contains fewer minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, lime salt, etc. than hard water, And the black, brown, etc., color stain on the toilet rim, the bowl is the result of the reaction of calcium and magnesium salt with the toilet. These two minerals are causative agents, which is why it creates a mark on the toilet bowl and waterline on the washroom floor. 
-
Fungus and Bacteria:
When you notice a dark gray spot around the bowl, bacteria, and fungus are both villains behind the toilet spot. This toilet ring is a bit fuzzy and irregular. The most common bacteria found in the bathroom is Serratia Marcescens. At first, it creates a pink mark on the rim or bowl of the bathroom. If you don’t remove it immediately, someday, it will turn dark in color. And this happens because the toilet is the moistest area in the house, and bacteria love this kind of space and are quickly spared all over the place.
-
Mold and mildew:
You are right if you think the dark green strain comes from mold and mildew. This is also a big reason for this issue. Most of the time, in high moisturizing areas, people face this green color issue often. A humid area with mineral residue is the most spreadable place for mold. And believe it or not, it needs only 12 to 24 hours to spread out all over the toilet. If you don’t clean this, it’s rapidly increasing its size daily and making it disgusting to use.
How to clean the black ring from the toilet rim and make it shiny again:
Let’s talk about the cleaning procedure for getting rid of all types of spots on the toilet. There are many methods you can find all over the internet to clean this mess. Here I give the most popular and useful one; pick which one you think is easier and more effective for your situation:
Apply vinegar and baking soda or borax:
This is the most viral way to clean the toilet. And your kitchen cabinet is not filled with baking soda and vinegar; it’s impossible. And you must know these two ingredients are beneficial for removing the strain of hard water or other germs issues. The acid of the vinegar is used to remove the dark spot, and after that, adding baking soda neutralizes it. This process mainly ensures the dissolution of the stuck material toilet.
Pour the vinegar directly into the toilet bowl, and spread it in every corner of the toilet with the help of a toilet brush. Then leave it for 45 minutes. After that time, sprinkle some baking soda into this to neutralize the acid. In the end, flush the toilet all over with water. If you want a better result for stubborn strain, you can also use borax instead of baking soda.
Use Acid:
Acid is the best power solution when it’s all about removing bacteria or stubborn stains from the toilet. You can use various acids like hydrogen peroxide, lemon, borax, vinegar, etc. When working with a strong acid like Muriatic acid, always use its diluted version with safety equipment. Without this preparation, it may damage your drainage system, and if it splashes on your skin, it turns out there quickly.
Wait for 10 to 45 minutes to get the best result, After pouring acid—this duration varies with the acid type. Weka acid takes more time than the strong one. After that, clean the toilet and flush it several times so that no acid remains in the toilet.
Bleach for cleaning the toilet rim:
When talking about fading the strain naturally, bleach is the first choice for everyone. This natural cleaning agent has the incredible power to kill all types of dangerous pathogens, like mold and mildew.
First, spray the bleach solution all over the affected toilet bowl area. If it is affected more, overflow the liquid in there. Now leave the bathroom for a couple of minutes. Then scrub with a pumice stone to ensure no mold is left anywhere in the bathroom.
Using a hard scrubber:
If you don’t get the expected result after using all these methods, you need to scrub your toilet with a pumice stone. These are soft processes for your porcelain toilet but very tough on any spots. First, start to flush the bathroom as you do every day, and after that, wet the pumice stone and start scrubbing where the stain is. Use your muscle for firm pressure in a circular motion when working with the scrubber. After finishing it, use a toilet brush to clean the place properly. Always make sure of the wetness of the surface of the toilet and the stone. And this is the last and best spot-removing method to clean any stain from the toilet bowl. These are the possible solutions to get rid of the dirty area of hard water, mold, bacteria, etc., from the toilet. So choose which one you think is going to be easy for you.
How to prevent rings and stains from the toilet in the future?
I know you don’t want to face this type of problem every day, that’s why you must follow some simple maintenance rules. The cleaning rules for a spot-free toilet are:
- Regular maintenance: Always Clean the bathroom after using it for some time. Regular maintenance is the first and last solution to getting a spotless toilet. And if you do it regularly, you won’t face any vast cleaning issues in the future. Cleaning hard old stains from the bathroom is very time-consuming work.
- Water purifier: Use a water purifier to prevent extra minerals from the water and make it normal.
- Flush the toilet: you need to flush the toilet Before starting the cleaning process. When it gets wet, it is easy to clean.
- Replacement: modern technology makes our life easy on the road and at home. If your toilet is ancient, replace it and install a modern one. A new type of toilet is easy to handle and maintain.
End of the discussion
Everyone loves to use a clean toilet, but no one loves to maintain it. For this reason, you must know how to use the bathroom properly. So that with minimum maintenance, you can get a fresh toilet. The color of the rings in the bowl is used to find the main reason for the issue. If you get an idea about this, you can easily choose the perfect solution. And if you failed after trying all methods or have an old stain, call out a professional. Now you also find many stores buying a solution to help you out from this situation. You can easily use them but read the manual before using them. Always stick with the manual if you want the best result.
Hi, this is Robert Crossan, the owner of this website, has 17 years of experience in the installation, maintenance, and repair of toilets and plumbing systems. After completing the Level 2 Basic Plumbing course in 2005, I started working in both domestic and commercial buildings as a professional plumber. So I can figure out the core difference between different toilet models and brands. It also helped me monitor their work performance and setbacks.