How Do I Eliminate Yellow Toilet Bowl Stains?

Cleaning the stains in your toilet bowl, sink, tub or shower requires a few common household items:

• A nylon sponge or toilet brush
• White vinegar
• Baking soda or borax

Once you have these items, start by removing the water from your toilet bowl. Then cover the stained areas with baking soda or borax. Add 1-2 cups of white vinegar to the bowl and leave it in the toilet for 20-30 minutes. After this, gently scrub the walls of the toilet with the brush or sponge and rinse the white vinegar and baking soda away with water.

This cleaning method should take care of your stains. However, if the blemishes persist, you may need to repeat the process or try it with another cleaning agent. Other liquids you can try cleaning with include lemon juice and salt, whitening toothpaste or Coca-Cola (yes, really).

Once you’ve cleaned all the stains, it’s time to turn your attention to your water. You need to figure out whether hard water or tannins are causing the stains because that will determine which water treatment solution you should pursue.

At Angel Water, we perform EPA-certified home water tests for our customers all the time. The test is simple. We come to your home, take a sample of your water and can tell you what’s in it within minutes.

If the test reveals you have hard water, then your best course of action will be to get a salt-based water softener. These machines remove calcium and magnesium minerals from water using a process known as ion exchange. The water throughout your home will no longer leave yellow stains as a result.

However, not all water softeners are created equal. As we mentioned above, you need to make sure you choose a salt-based water softener instead of a salt-free system. This is because salt-free systems don’t eliminate the calcium and magnesium minerals that cause yellow stains. They only condition the water so that it won’t clog your plumbing system. Only a salt-based system will remove these minerals.

You should also look for a water softener that has NSF 44 certification. A softener with this type of certification has gone through extensive testing to prove its effectiveness.

Your test may also reveal that tannins are the culprit. In this case, a chlorine injection system will be your best option for removing them.

Chlorine injection systems use chlorine to neutralize many different contaminants, including tannins, in water. The best systems also include a carbon filter, which removes the chlorine before sending the purified water throughout your home.

Whether you get a water softener or a chlorine injection system, a licensed plumber should install the equipment. This is the best way to guarantee your system will work as it should. Beyond this, you must also have your system serviced at least once a year to keep it working properly and maintain your warranty coverage.