Here in Georgia it’s very common to see a red ring in your toilet bowl (and anywhere else there is standing water). With all the red clay in our soil here, it’s just a part of Georgia living.

But if the red that you are seeing in your toilet bowl is rust, well, that needs to be cleaned right away.

What Causes Rust In Toilet Bowl?

Those reddish brown rust stains that you may see in your toilet bowl are caused by iron mineral in your water supply. When air combines with iron it causes them to oxidize and the result is the rust color stains that you see.

The good news is that you can prevent it and you can clean it. Here are our recommendations.

To Prevent Rust Stains In Your Toilet

  1. Keep to a cleaning schedule. If you clean your toilet bowl at least once a week, you will essentially be preventing the iron in your water from building up and causing the stains in the first place.
  2. If you have a very high iron count in your water and cleaning regularly just isn’t enough, you may want to consider a water softener. It works to clean the water of minerals. You can read more about the benefits of a water softener here.
  3. If you live in an older home and you have iron pipes installed, you may be getting some rust from those pipes in your water system. If this is the case you may want to consider replacing those iron pipes.
  4. Weekly, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into your toilet tank. Let it sit there for about 15-20 minutes. Flush the toilet 2-3 times.

To Clean Rust Stains From The Toilet Bowl

There are many different ways to rid your toilet bowl of rust stains. Some include using commercial products, others using more natural products. Try several of our recommendations below to find the one that works for you.

The Vinegar and Baking Soda Solution:

  1. Add 2 cups of white vinegar to your toilet bowl.
  2. Add 1/4 cup of baking soda to your toilet bowl.
  3. Swish this mixture around the bowl (using your toilet brush) for a minute or two.
  4. Let it stand for about 15 minutes.
  5. Then scrub the stains. If this doesn’t work as well as you would like, spray lemon juice onto the stains – it may dissolve anything that’s left.

The Commercial Product Solution

  1. Bar Keepers Friend is a great product (comes in both powder and liquid).
  2. Wear gloves and goggles when using this product – it does have ingredients that can cause skin and eye irritation.

The bottom line is that if you stick to a cleaning schedule you can avoid those nasty looking rust stains in your toilet bowl!

If you have any questions about maintenance issues concerning your bathroom or other plumbing related appliances throughout your home, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.