Brown toilet stains caused by limescale can disappear overnight without scrubbing using citric acid, a natural ingredient recommended by a cleaning influencer. Limescale develops from mineral deposit accumulation in water and is a widespread issue in the UK, often turning brown due to iron in the water and a chemical reaction when urine meets the deposit.
Influencer shares citric acid hack
Cleaning influencer Beckie, who posts on her Facebook page Beckies bit of Sparkle, shared an "easy hack to remove limescale from the toilet" in a video. She demonstrated that citric acid can make stained mineral deposits vanish "overnight" and can be used on both the toilet bowl and the rim.
Beckie said: "Limescale can be a right pain if you live in a hard water area, like I do. But citric acid has become my best friend. For the toilet bowl, I just add a scoop and leave it to work for a few hours, or if you can overnight."
What is citric acid and how to use it
Citric acid is a naturally occurring substance found in many fruits and vegetables, particularly prevalent in lemons and limes, and is widely available in powdered form at shops. Its pH level falls between three and six, making it suited to natural cleaning tasks, most notably for combating limescale.
For best results, cleaning experts at Smol advise removing most of the water from the toilet bowl before adding a scoop of citric acid and leaving it overnight. To clear limescale from the rim, mix a scoop of citric acid in a spray bottle with a small amount of water, apply it to kitchen roll, and place it around the rim overnight or for several hours.
Come morning, flushing the toilet should leave the marks in the bowl and around the rim completely dissolved.
