Cleaning the toilet isn’t particularly fun to begin with (although it’s not nearly as bad as unclogging a clogged toilet!) But scrubbing the “porcelain throne” can feel even more arduous when it feels as though your efforts never last for very long.
Unfortunately, that’s the reality for many of us who live in an areas with very hard water. The high mineral content in hard water can cause colored rings and tracks to form in your toilet bowl surprisingly quickly, making it appear dirty even if it was cleaned recently!
But the good news is that there’s a way to address the source of the problem, and I’ll be telling you all about it in today’s post! By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly what to do to ensure your toilet scrubbing efforts are no longer done in vain. :-)
Related: The One Thing Your Toilet Needs If You Have Hard Water
Why Does My Toilet Bowl Get Dirty So Quickly?
Having hard water in your toilet isn’t necessarily the root cause of those colored mineral deposits in your toilet bowl (at least not directly). Those deposits are most likely a symptom of mineral buildup in and around your toilet’s siphon jets.
The siphon jets are located underneath the rim of your toilet bowl, and they move clean water from the tank into the toilet bowl every time you flush. But when those jets get grimy due to mineral buildup, they end up pushing some of that grime into your toilet bowl along with the water.
So now that you understand how the grime is getting into your toilet bowl, let’s talk about how to fix it. There are a couple of simple ways to clean the mineral buildup out of the siphon jets that will keep your toilet looking clean longer!
Related: The One Recipe You Need To Keep Your Toilet Clean
How To Clean Your Toilet’s Siphon Jets
The are a couple of methods you can use to remove mineral buildup from your toilet’s siphon jets. If they aren’t too dirty, the first method is a quick and easy way to take care of the problem. But if your siphon jets are really grimy, you may want to skip it and go straight to the second, more powerful method.
Method #1: Quick Vinegar Soak
You’ll need:
- Toilet brush
- Toilet cleaner
- White vinegar
- Paper towels
- Gloves
Directions:
Grab a few paper towels, soak them in white vinegar, then wring them out a bit so they are wet but not dripping. Pull on some cleaning gloves and tuck the vinegar-soaked paper towels underneath the rim of your toilet bowl, adding more as needed until the area underneath the rim is completely covered.
Leave the toilet undisturbed for a couple of hours to give the vinegar time to work its magic, then remove the paper towels and discard them. Use you toilet brush and preferred toilet cleaner to scrub underneath the rim, then flush the toilet a couple of times to clear out the loosened grime.
Method #2: Overnight Vinegar Soak
If your siphon jets are really grimy, an overnight soak with white vinegar can work wonders. The key is to block off the jets, which traps the vinegar right where all the grime is concentrated. You’ll be amazed at how effective it is!
You’ll need:
Directions:
Step 1: Start by cleaning underneath the rim of your toilet with a toilet brush and your preferred toilet bowl cleaner. Flush to rinse.
Step 2: Turn off the water supply to the toilet, and flush the toilet to empty the tank.
Step 3: Block off the siphon jets using a few pieces of duct tape. (Don’t worry, the tape will come off easily later on.)
Step 4: Pour 1 gallon of white vinegar into your toilet’s tank. Flush the toilet once, then let it sit overnight.
Step 5: In the morning, remove the duct tape from the jets and turn the water supply back on. Flush the toilet once or twice to remove any remaining vinegar and mineral residue.
How To Keep Your Toilet Clean Between Cleanings
Once your siphon jets have been cleared of all that gunk and grime, you can help keep it clean by mixing up a batch of my fizzy toilet cleaning tabs. Just drop one in the toilet and give the bowl a quick scrub to keep it looking (and smelling) fresh and clean!
Get all the details about making your own toilet cleaning tabs here.
Do you struggle with mineral deposits in your toilet(s)?
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