It is very common to see yellow stains in a toilet bowl when visiting public restrooms such as gas stations etc. Yellow toilet stains in places like these are most likely the result of neglect. But what does it mean when you see a stubborn yellow stain in toilet bowl back home? Does it mean you are not maintaining your toilet properly by regular cleaning? Or is there something else causing these stains?
What Causes Yellow Stains In Toilet Bowl?
Neglect
In some cases, yellow stain in toilet bowls are due to a lack of maintenance. When your toilet bowl is exposed to urine for an extended period, yellow staining is bound to appear. And the smell of urine gets more prevalent!
The longer you wait to take care of the problem, the more intense the color will become. The stain will also be harder to remove. When urine is exposed to air, oxidation occurs,causing the stain to turn into a more intense color over time.
Therefore if you want to keep your toilet free from urine residue, it is crucial to flush the toilet after each use. Toilet tablets or other similar products are convenient if you want to maintain a stain-free toilet bowl. Luckily, a yellow stain toilet bowl is not an impossible problem to solve if you act on time.
Hard Water
If, on the other hand, you always flush and regularly clean your toilet, don’t be alarmed! Your cleaning skills are not necessarily the problem for that yellow stain in toilet bowl! Sometimes no matter how often you clean your toilet or how hard you scrub, the stains remain.
In some cases, yellow stains are due to limescale formations caused by hard water. This hard water is rich in minerals like calcium, which then accumulates. Over time the accumulation will become visible inside your toilet bowl in the form of a yellow stain. Stains like these have a hard structure, making them easy to differentiate from the typical yellow urine stains.
Hard water stains can become a massive problem! If they are not taken care of early on, as they can accumulate in pipes. Once calcium buildup reaches the pipes, it can cause your toilet to backup. Therefore if you notice even the smallest formation, it is crucial to destroy it to prevent further buildup. This will save you a lot of headaches in the long run!
How To Get Rid Of Yellow Stain In Toilet Bowl?
Because not all yellow toilet bowl stains are the same, some will be more difficult to remove than others. It is best to know several different elimination methods and choose the most effective one for that specific stain.
You can find many commercial cleaning products on the market to remove toilet stains. However, you can use ingredients from your kitchen to create a more eco-friendly yet effective solution as a chemical-free option.
For the best results with your homemade toilet solution, it is recommended to apply them in a dry toilet. Therefore, make sure to shut off the water to the toilet at the fixture shutoff valve. Then flush the water to drain the bowl. In this way, the hard stains will not be covered with water, and the solution will have a stronger effect. For milder urine stains, it might not be necessary to drain the toilet bowl.
Another thing to keep in mind is not to use a metal scrubbing brush for your toilet. If you use metal, there is a big chance that you might see scratch marks afterward. Scratch marks are easily seen and hard to remove in a white toilet bowl.
White Vinegar And Baking Soda
Baking soda and white vinegar are common eco-friendly house cleaners. For cleaning your toilet bowl, all you need to do is create a paste with the two. Whether it is urine stains or hard water stains, this paste will remove it and bring back the bright white in your toilet bowl. [1]
Add ¼ cup of baking soda to ¼ cup of white vinegar and mix well to form a paste. With a toilet brush or old toothbrush, add the paste to the stain (make sure the toilet is dry) and scrub well.
After you applied the paste to the yellow stains, wait about 10 to 30 minutes for it to take effect. With a cloth dipped in warm water, wash off the paste from the surface. If there are stains left, repeat the process or flush the toilet if you are satisfied with the results.
Note that borax can replace the baking soda if that is all you have at home.
Lemon Juice And Essential Oils
Lemon juice can also help to remove yellow urine stains or calcium buildup. Lemon juice is known to whiten surfaces. Thanks to its acidic properties, it can help remove any yellow staining and calcium buildup. Some scrubbing will still be needed as well.
For the best results, add 1 cup of lemon juice mixed with 10 – 15 drops of essential oils in a spray bottle. Some essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and lemon oil work well against mold formations as well.
You can spray the entire toilet bowl, but make sure to focus on the stains first. Next, you will need to scrub the bowl thoroughly and leave it to sit for about 15 minutes. Inspect the toilet bowl and flush your toilet if there are no more stains, otherwise repeat the process.
Coke And Baking Soda
Coca-Cola contains carbonic acid, which is a potent solvent. Together with baking soda, the two create an anti-stain bomb! First, you will need to add two tablespoons of baking soda to a dry toilet bowl. After that, add two cups of Coke and wait for a chemical reaction to take effect. After five minutes, use a toilet brush and scrub each of the yellow stains in the toilet. Rince or repeat the process if needed.
When homemade recipes are no match for yellow stains, it’s time to take extreme measures. In this case, you will have to use specialized cleaning products with a chemical formula. However, keep in mind not to use different chemicals at the same time. Toxic gases are sometimes released when chemicals are mixed, so be warned! [2]
What Are Other Stubborn Toilet Bowl Stains?
While a yellow stain in toilet bowl is probably the most common problem in homes, other types of colored stains might be an issue in your toilet.
From differently colored spots around the toilet rim to stains inside the bowl at the water level, various factors might be the cause. Either way, the above homemade cleaning solutions will work great on some of these stains as well.
Brown Or Red Stains
If you find that the stains in your toilet bowl are dark brown or even red, then the problem is most likely due to rust. When pipe corrosion takes place, it will cause red-colored spots in your toilet. This is not a pleasant sight and can be challenging to clean, especially on a white-colored porcelain toilet bowl.
Homemade cleaning solutions can take care of stains as long as you have a professional take care of the pipes.
Another reason for dark brown or red stains can be because of iron in the water. If this is the case, the iron in the water reacts with oxygen and forms iron oxide. Cleaning solutions will not work in the long run in this case as the water will continuously cause staining. It’s best to call a plumber if you want a long lasting solution.
Blue Stains
If you live in an area with highly acidic water rich in copper, blue stains in the toilet are not uncommon. Blue stains in the toilet due to acidic water are something that will be an ongoing problem.
This is because the water will keep on flowing. To minimize the sight of these stains, frequent cleaning is needed. The best thing one can do in such a case is to consult with a plumber for a possible long-term solution.
Dark Green or Black Spots
Spots that are distinguished as dark green or black are usually the cause of mold. These moldy spots in a toilet will also cause a musky, unpleasant odor in the bathroom.
Whether in the toilet or anywhere else, mold is dangerous to inhale and should be taken care of as soon as possible. If mold is not removed early, it will only multiply and cause more significant issues later on.
Vinegar is an effective mold killer if you are looking for a chemical-free solution.
Final Thought
Once you get rid of the yellow stain in toilet bowl, the last thing you want is to repeat the process in a week. That is why you will need to stick to a cleaning routine when it comes to your toilet. Frequent and thorough cleaning is best to keep those urine and hard water stains away!
If toilet stains keep on appearing despite your best cleaning efforts, perhaps the problem is more serious. In this case, the pipes or water might need to be checked by a specialist.
Michael Davis is a heating & plumbing expert who currently works as independent contractor in SC. He also writes for Plumbertip.
For almost 10 years he worked on various plumbing tasks across South Carolina.
