How to clean the toilet from rust: effective methods
In this article, we will talk about how to clean rust from the toilet bowl quickly, with affordable means, without making any special efforts. After all, it does not matter how much money and labor you have invested in the arrangement of the bathroom, as over time, characteristic brown stains may appear in the toilet bowl.
Moreover, if it is too late to start removing these smudges, it will be very difficult to return the original look to the plumbing. But, before cleaning the toilet bowl from rust, let's try to figure out where this bloom comes from, what are the reasons for its formation and can this process be prevented.
Causes of leakage in the tank and in the toilet bowl
You can not decide how to clean the toilet from rust? To begin with, we will determine the nature of the appearance of these pollutants. After all, knowing what the problem is, it is much easier to solve it.
The rust on the plumbing walls has much in common with corrosion on metal parts and structures that do not have a protective coating. In both cases, the contaminants are iron oxides.
The reason for the formation of oxides is the entry of iron in the reaction with oxygen in conditions of excessive humidity. Directly in the sanitary equipment, such reactions do not occur, and oxides in small concentrations come along with tap water.
The content of corrosive metal particles in water varies significantly depending on the region. Again, the harder the water, the more rust it contains.
Important: A secondary cause of deposits is the degree of roughness of the internal surface of the plumbing.
You can timely detect the problem and decide that you need to clean the toilet from rust, you can periodically looking into the drain tank. The internal cavity of the tank is constantly in direct contact with water, and therefore the oxides are primarily deposited there.
Important: The intensity of fouling of the inner surface with oxides is determined by the peculiarities of the flow of electrochemical processes for the isolation of dissolved metals. There are cases when within 5 years of operation of plumbing the thickness of the rust layer at the bottom of the cistern reached a centimeter!
Preventing a problem is easier than fixing it.
The instruction manual plumbing does not provide for the use of special measures to prevent rust in the toilet. Meanwhile, you can take care of water quality and thus reduce the metal content.
It is no secret that metal oxides in the water supply have a negative impact not only on the state of the toilet bowl. Washing and dishwashers suffer from poor water quality, taps and sinks darken, both in the bathroom and in the kitchen, etc.
There are two methods to prevent the problem:
- By installing a special filter with ion exchange resins directly at the entrance to the drain tank. Thus, it is possible to prevent the ingress of oxides, both in the tank and in the toilet.
- Installing a more powerful main filter element immediately after the counter. This solution is more preferable, as it allows you to immediately solve the problem of poor water quality in the whole house or apartment. As a result, there will be no smudges on the toilet, and in addition the resource of a washing machine and dishwasher will be several times higher.
So, we figured out how to prevent rust. But, what to do if you become the owner of a secondary real estate, where the state of plumbing is already running and requires the removal of old brown stains?
Effective ways to remove rust stains
Now that we know what the nature of dark stains is, it's time to decide on how and what to clean the toilet from rust. In specialized stores you can buy specialized tools that will dissolve oxides with more or less success.
The price of such drugs is available to everyone, but before going to the store, you can try in action the tools that are in household use.
Cleaning plumbing folk remedies is easy, and you can see for yourself.
- Apply oxalic acid. Apply concentrated product directly on the darkening and leave for a couple of hours. After this time, we are trying to remove contamination along with acid residues with a sponge soaked in liquid ammonia. After the contamination has disappeared, wash the toilet bowl several times with plenty of clean water.
Important: Oxalic acid is not suitable for the prevention of pollution. It should be used only to remove old stains.
- The use of hydrochloric acid allows you to cope with dark streaks literally in a matter of minutes. But it is important to remember that such a method requires compliance with personal security measures. That is, work should be done in thick rubber gloves with protective glasses in case of splash failure. Acid should be applied to the contaminated surface and after a few minutes to remove the foam sponge. The cleaned area is abundantly washed with water.
- It is enough to mix the hydrogen peroxide with liquid ammonia at the rate of 1 part to 10, and you will get a good tool for the fight against oxides. The resulting solution should be applied to the contaminated surface and hold for several hours. After that, the dirt is cleaned with a brush and washed off with water. (See also the article How to clean a toilet from a stone: features.)
Chemistry from the store
If there is plenty of limestone and limestone on the toilet, you can use the tools that are presented in specialized stores.
The entire range of proposed funds is conventionally divided into the following categories:
- abrasive compounds;
- high acid formulations;
- compositions with alkali content.
Abrasive compounds are special cleaning powders. Separate particles in the composition of such powders are solid granules that literally scrape the contaminated surface, gradually cleaning it. (See also the article How to clean the pipes: features.)
Instructions for the use of abrasives are not particularly difficult, it is enough to put a certain amount of powder on a sponge or brush and rub the dirt until it comes off.
Acid and alkaline agents soften and destroy oxides, after which rust spots can be removed mechanically.
Conclusion
Now you know how to do it yourself, using simple and affordable tools, you can keep the original appearance of plumbing for a long time. You can find more useful and informative information by viewing the video in this article.