Despite regular cleaning, the toilet bowl still develops a discolored ring over time.

If you’re wondering how to remove the stubborn ring around your toilet, you’re in the right place.

In this article, I will cover the various methods of how to remove the ring around the toilet, and how to prevent it from happening again.

What's In This Article

In the majority of cases, the ring in the toilet bowl is down to hard water or water that stands in a toilet bowl that isn’t frequently used.

However, sometimes the discolored ring inside a toilet bowl can be down to a lack of cleaning.

If enough time has passed between cleaning, the toilet ring can become extremely stubborn to remove with just a regular clean. 

If you have hard water, the minerals in the water will create a film on the inside of your toilet bowl, therefore producing an environment that is more prone to discoloration and staining. 

In this circumstance, you need the right equipment and method to remove the toilet bowl ring!

Bleach is a great way to get rid of stains on a variety of different surfaces. It can be used to clean toilets, sinks, showers, and more!

To begin, you’ll want to thoroughly clean your toilet. This means scrubbing the interior of the bowl using a toilet brush. 

You will need to pay attention to the rim, as bacteria from here can spread all around the bowl.

Next, you will need to mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of bleach into a gallon of water.

You will need to pour half of the bleach solution around the toilet bowl. Following this, you will need to add the rest of the bleach solution to the water that is sitting in the bowl.

This will not only clean your toilet, but will sterilize it too.

Once you’ve poured the bleach solution into the toilet, allow it to soak for a minimum of 10 to 15 minutes before flushing.

The longer you leave the bleach solution in the toilet, the better it will work. You may even need to wait up to 30 minutes if you are dealing with a particularly stubborn ring.

The bleach should break down the rings and other stains within the toilet bowl, however, you will still need to scrub the toilet clean.

After you have scrubbed the toilet with a toilet brush, you will then need to rinse the toilet with plenty of water before you flush.

Rinse the toilet with a minimum of 2 buckets of water before you flush.

Using a household degreaser is another effective method that can clean toilet rings, especially if you clean the toilet on a regular basis.

To begin, you will first need to spray the interior of the toilet bowl with a household degreaser.

You will need to allow the degreaser to sit for at least 5-10 minutes before you move on.

Next, you will need to add baking soda to your wet toilet brush bristles.

Now it’s time to start scrubbing! Stubborn stains will need some elbow grease, so have persistence when scrubbing away.

After spraying the toilet bowl with degreaser, you will need to rinse the toilet bowl with a bucket of water.

Give the toilet another scrub and then flush to remove all traces of the degreaser!

Baking soda is a popular ingredient used for baking, but also doubles up as a cleaning agent. When paired with vinegar, it can make an excellent cleaning product for stains in your toilet bowl.

To begin, you will need to first add a cup of white vinegar to the toilet water.

Allow the vinegar to soak for a few minutes before moving onto the next step.

Next, you will need to add a cup of baking soda alongside 2 more cups of white vinegar.

This will cause the toilet bowl to fizz. So, pull the toilet lid down and allow the mixture to soak in the toilet bowl for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Next, you will need a toilet brush to scrub the toilet clean using the baking soda and vinegar concoction.

It’s important to put in some elbow grease with the toilet brush because the bristles will help loosen any dirt or grime stuck to the sides of the toilet bowl.

Following this, you will need to flush the toilet.

If you notice that the toilet ring has only partially disappeared, then you will need to repeat the cleaning process above.

Borax, also known as sodium borate, is a household cleaner that can help clean any stubborn rings off your toilet.

First, you will need to mix 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of borax, and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar.

Make sure that you stir the cleaning solution well to ensure that the Borax dissolves properly.

Once you have made the solution, pour it into a spray bottle and shake it well.

Spray the interior of the toilet bowl with the cleaning solution and allow it to sit on the stain. 

Note: You might need to repeat this process for the most thorough results.

Next, you will need to make a thick borax paste by combining borax with a very small splash of water.

Following this, you will need to coat your toilet brush in the paste. This will create a somewhat abrasive scrub that will allow you to thoroughly clean the toilet bowl.

Next, you will need to rinse the toilet bowl with clean water to wash any borax residue off the bowl.

Once you have done this a minimum of two times, you will then need to flush the toilet.

When you live a busy lifestyle, it can be tricky to find the time to deep clean your house on a regular basis. So, can you remove the stubborn toilet bowl ring without scrubbing?

This depends on the reason why the toilet bowl ring has appeared and how stubborn the stain is!

However, there is a method that you can try provided that it is a light ring stain, and it involves using a Magic Eraser.

To begin, you will first need to cut a quarter of the Magic Eraser off, as you won’t need a whole one.

Next, you will need to add the magic eraser to the toilet bowl and allow it to sit in the bowl overnight.

Note: Make sure that everyone has used the toilet before you add the Magic Eraser to the toilet, as this will counteract its magic effects!

Once you have allowed the Magic Eraser to sit in the bowl all night, it’s time to remove it!

It’s important to note that you should never flush a Magic Eraser!

This could lead to a blockage in your pipework or drain, so make sure that you find a net or something else that’s long enough to fish it out of the toilet bowl.

Once you have removed the Magic Eraser from the toilet bowl, you will need to flush the toilet a few times to ensure that you’ve washed away any residue.

Generally speaking, the minimum you should clean your toilet is at least once a week.

That being said, this number can increase depending on how much traffic your toilet receives throughout the week and how many family members you have.

If you fail to do this, bacteria can build up more quickly than you could ever imagine, and the toilet ring in your toilet will worsen too.

No, it’s safe to assume that the ring won’t disappear without intervention from you.

Doing nothing can actually allow the problem to worsen, and you can end up with a toilet bowl that looks much dirtier than it actually is if you’re not careful.

To keep your toilet in the best condition possible, regular cleaning is absolutely essential.

However, when you have hard water, this can make the cleaning process a little more tricky, no matter the products that you use.

If you are experiencing problems with the ring in your toilet bowl not disappearing now matter how much you clean it, then it could be time to bring in the professionals.

If you’ve done all that you can, and have tried multiple methods to get rid of the ring around the toilet to no avail, it might be time to bring in a professional.

For instance, if the toilet has a black ring that is the result of hard water, you might need to hire a professional cleaner.

A professional cleaning company will have plenty of experience dealing with similar stains, and will be able to assess the damage and pick a product from there.

The best way to do this is to call up a local cleaning service provider who specializes in toilet cleaning.

They’ll be able to tell you whether they’re able to deal with the problem, and what sort of products are required.

So, there you have it! As you can see from this article, there are a variety of different methods you can use at home to try to remove the ring around the toilet bowl.

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of how to remove the ring in the toilet.

Good luck using one of these methods to help you clean the ring off your toilet!

Dara Brant is the Managing Editor at Green Building Elements. Prior to joining us she covered alternative energy news and local developments at Your Energy Blog. Dara has a passion for sustainable living and wants to do more than her fair share to help build a better tomorrow for future generations. You can connect with Dara on LinkedIn.

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