Clean your toilet with kitchen staples: Effective and affordable methods

Limescale on the toilet bowl and unsightly streaks can be a substantial problem. It's often difficult to resolve this issue without scrubbing. Expensive caustic detergents may not always be the best solution for stubborn dirt. Surprisingly, products commonly found in the kitchen are often more effective.

Limescale and streaks result not only from daily toilet use but also from rinsing the bowl with hard water, which contains high levels of calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese salts. Using special toilet blocks and scrubbing may not always be practical. However, there's no need for excessive effort to clean the dirt. You need to use the right product, which you likely already have.

Baking soda is an excellent ally in the fight against limescale in the toilet. You can combine mild stains with citric acid, which has antibacterial properties. Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of citric acid and sprinkle the mixture on the bowl's walls. Leave it for 30 minutes, then thoroughly rinse the toilet with a large amount of water. The streaks should disappear immediately.

Try using a mixture of baking soda and vinegar for more robust stains, including heavy limescale deposits. This combination has an added benefit: it helps eliminate unpleasant odors from the bowl. Mix two tablespoons of baking soda and two tablespoons of vinegar to prepare a homemade toilet cleaner. Apply the thick paste to the stains with a sponge. After 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse the toilet, and it will be sparkling clean again.

Apple cider vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent due to its strong disinfecting properties. It can be used to remove limescale and maintain freshness in the toilet. It effectively removes harmful microorganisms, especially when combined with lemon.

To achieve the desired effect, combine half a cup of apple cider vinegar with the juice of one lemon. Clean the toilet with this solution and leave it on the surface for a few minutes. Then rinse it with warm water. Repeat this process once a week to maintain cleanliness and a pleasant smell in the bathroom.

Interestingly, a popular soda drink can be useful for cleaning the toilet. For example, cola can effectively tackle dirt. The substances in it disrupt the structure of the limescale. Pour the drink into the toilet and leave it for an hour. Then, clean the bowl thoroughly with a brush and flush it with water.

The phosphoric acid in cola is also effective on other dirty surfaces. Pour some of the drink into the area you want to clean and wait for 15 minutes. Then, wipe away the rest of the liquid with a sponge. This is a great way to clean with minimal effort and cost.