Woman's toilet limescale cleaning hack using citric acid leaves it 'good as new'

Battling the bathroom blues, homeowners are all too familiar with the pesky problem of, particularly when it comes to keeping taps, shower heads, and toilets sparkling This white, chalky nuisance is a blend of calcium and magnesium, but when it stakes its claim in toilet bowls, it's far more of an eyesore than on taps or kettles.

Instead of its typical pale guise, these stubborn spots can darken to a grim brown hue, casting a shadow over even the most pristine of loos. Fed up with futile attempts to banish the "thick" limescale from her loo, one woman sought wisdom from the Mrs Hinch Tips and Tricks group, reports .

Sharing a snap of her loo cloaked in dark brown, almost black marks, Tia Frances Caiger pleaded: "Anyone able to suggest anything to me?

"My toilet has had thick limescale since we moved in last year, I have got the worst of it off with bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Sadly this is the end result and no more will come off! It looks awful and I hate it! Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated."

The plea sparked a flurry of responses echoing a common sentiment that vinegar and baking soda were not up to scratch, instead singing the praises of another remedy citric acid. Maria Louise revealed: "We used everything and literally the only thing that cleared it up is using citric acid."

Echoing this solution, Abbie Marsh shared: "I had the exact same and couldn't seem to shift it with baking soda and vinegar. What worked was removing as much water out of the toilet as possible and leaving it as long as possible with citric acid."

Abigail Heard advised: "So empty the water out of the toilet, fill it with citric acid and leave it overnight and when you flush the toilet it will all come off."

She also shared her own experience, adding: "I did it to a toilet last week and I was so shocked by how easy it came away lol. I used to use white vinegar and baking soda but it never worked as good."

Meanwhile, Donna Jones offered her tip for those in hard water areas: "I live in a very hard water area and this can happen so easily if not kept on top of. But when it was that thick the only way I could get rid was to use citric acid and using it regularly has kept it away."

If citric acid isn't available, Mrs Hinch enthusiasts have alternatives up their sleeves. They suggest trying Harpic Power Plus in gel or tablet form for those who aren't averse to chemicals.

Louise Anne raved about the product, revealing: "Harpic in the black bottle! Put it in overnight, it peels off the next morning. So satisfying."

Emma Ross corroborated this, relaying her success story: "Black Harpic 100 percent. I couldn't believe it when I used it. Would have turned out better if I drained the toilet first though."

And final word from cleaning buff Lorraine Shepherd, who recommended: "Whatever you use empty the water first it will always work better without the water in there."