How to remove the limescale streak from the toilet and prevent it from forming again

You will certainly have observed the formation of one limestone strip along the inside walls of your toilet where water flows when you flush. It is calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), known as limestone, which is deposited on solid surfaces exposed to water flows, such as toilet ceramics. To eliminate it, you can use homemade and economical methods that involve the use of substances easily available in the kitchen or opt for commercial products, containing more aggressive substances, in the case of more resistant encrustations. In the first case, the acetic acid of white vinegar or the citric acid of lemon they may already be doing a good job. Let’s talk about weak acidssubstances that can be easily handled without special protection (after all, we use them in food!). If the limescale still persists, more aggressive substances or specific products can solve the problem: rather than handling dangerous substances, however, it is best to choose specific commercial anti-limescale products in which the acids are contained in the right proportions.

How to remove limescale from the toilet

That dark and annoying dark streak on the toilet is nothing more than limestone, or calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a white solid: if the toilet ceramic is also white, as in most cases, you may not notice the initial formation of limescale. As time goes by, this incorporates dirt and acquires color brunette which makes its presence known. It doesn’t take much to get rid of it: there are certainly no specific studies on the matter, but we can use our knowledge of chemistry to explain how to eliminate this nuisance, both with specific products and with “homemade” methods.

Get somevinegar or, better yet, of lemon juice. To begin, dry the surface of the toilet to prevent substances from sliding off. After putting on rubber gloves, pour one or two glasses of vinegar or the juice of a few lemons and start removing the limescale with the brush. If necessary, add more vinegar or lemon juice to ensure continuous contact with the limescale.

If the limescale encrustations remain, you can resort to stronger substances. However, strong acids such as muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, although available in diluted household cleaning solutions, could cause damage to the material and to ourselves. They must be used with extreme caution you will have to arm yourself with protective glasses and a mask to avoid breathing in the toxic fumes, making sure to handle it with extreme care in a well-ventilated environment. In essence, It’s not worth taking the risks. Rather, it is best to rely on specific ones commercial anti-limescale productswhich contain a calibrated mixture of acids of different nature (or the adequate dilution of muriatic acid), certainly more effective simple vinegar or lemon juice.

Because acidic substances are used to clean limescale from the toilet

Calcium carbonate is a substance alkaline or basic. This implies that it reacts with acidic compounds rather than with other alkaline substances, with which you would not obtain the desired effects. When descaling, the chemical reaction that occurs when the acid is added is as follows:

CaCO₃ + 2H⁺ → Approx²⁺ + CO₂ +H₂OR

The CaCO₃ alkaline reacts, or rather in technical jargon it is said that neutralize the acid (generally referred to as H⁺). This reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. Additionally, with the citric acid in lemon juice, you will have a “seizure” of Ca ions²⁺ more effective than the acetic acid of vinegar, resulting in a better removal final of the limestone. If you are undecided, choose lemon.

How to prevent the limescale streak from reforming

And to prevent the streak from reforming in the future? The answer may seem trivial, but it is not obvious: constant cleaning of the toilet. Don’t wait for the encrustations to become hard and resistant! The best weapon is the prevention: keeping your toilet clean periodicallyespecially if the water is particularly hard, solve the problem at the root, without having to resort to more aggressive products.

Alternatively, there are specific products on the market such as anti-limescale tablets to be inserted in the tank above, behind the toilet or to be attached directly to the toilet frame: the acidic substances that remove the limescale strip will be released every time you flush, constantly preventing its reformation.