Vinegar is a great toilet cleaning solution. Not only is it free of chemicals and naturally antibacterial, it's also an acid, so it will remove minor lime and calcium deposits. All you need to do is pour a couple cups of vinegar in your tank and let it sit for an hour or so, then scrub and flush to rinse.
Allow the vinegar to sit in the tank for 12 - 13 hours. Drain the vinegar by flushing. Use the scrubbing brush to remove any left-over debris. Add a sprinkle of baking soda for additional scrubbing power.
Cleaning professionals and plumbers recommend cleaning with vinegar to remove buildup and stains from toilet tanks and other surfaces. Mix it with baking soda, however, and you could damage your tank and plumbing.
You only need to do it once or twice a year, and it can help get rid of bacteria, mold, and mineral deposits to keep you and your family healthy. We'll walk you through a few different methods to clean the tank so your toilet will be sparkling clean and germ-free in no time.
Vinegar can be used inside the toilet tank too
"Without draining out the water, pour white vinegar into the tank, stopping at least an inch below the top rim," the site says. "Let the vinegar-water solution sit for 12 hours to dissolve mineral deposits, rust, and mildew."
Fill the tank with at least 3 gallons of distilled white vinegar and allow it work for at least two hours. After the soaking period, empty the tank by flushing away the vinegar. Follow the same steps as with the disinfectant cleaner. Use a long-handled brush to scrub the loosened grime.
Preparing to Clean the Toilet Tank
"The biggest don't when it comes to toilet tanks is bleach—do not use bleach or products containing bleach inside the tank, as it can corrode the internal parts of your toilet. If you are aiming to remove tough stains from the tank, I also recommend white vinegar diluted with water."
Vinegar will not damage your toilet in any way if it's left in your toilet overnight. In some cases, leaving the vinegar in your toilet overnight is recommended to get the best cleaning results. No matter what material your toilet is made from, the vinegar will not damage your toilet.
Vinegar and baking soda produce that oh-so-familiar chemical reaction that powers through buildup and loosens tough stains. While it might seem like it's chewing its way through grime, it's not powerful enough to damage the porcelain finish of the toilet bowl.
If the clog still seems to be intact, start over at step 1 and repeat the process a couple of times. For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging.
Spray some white vinegar inside the toilet bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. I usually let it work for at least 10 minutes. You can also let it sit for several hours or even overnight. You can even just pour the vinegar into the toilet bowl's water and let it sit.
I still eyeball it most days, but for maintenance, I use about a teaspoon each of baking soda and citric acid, and when I wanted a deeper clean, with the initial stubborn mineral deposits, I used about three tablespoons. I hadn't realized how much my stained toilet bothered me until it was restored.
Disconnect the cold-water inlet, hot water outlet, T & P valve, or element holes and, using a funnel, pour one (1) gallon of regular household cider vinegar into the water heater. (Do not dilute with water) ** NOTE: For Electric Heaters, it is recommended you remove the elements from the heater and lay them in a pan.
In this case, a basic toilet cleaning product may not be enough, and you will need to use undiluted bleach. As a one-stop cleaning solution, pour one cup of bleach around the bowl. Then tackle every inch with a toilet brush or a handheld scrub brush. Let it sit for five minutes, then flush.
White vinegar and baking soda in equal parts is a cost-efficient and effective means of getting rid odors in a toilet. Add them to the tank, mix them in and then use the toilet brush to gently scrub the tank. Let it sit for a few hours, scrub the tank again and flush.
Baking soda and vinegar, when mixed together, can form a chemical reaction that looks sort of like an eruption. This chemical reaction can help clear your toilet and any pipe clogs that you might have.
White and distilled are types of vinegar. They differ fundamentally in their acetic acid content. White, also known as spirit vinegar, has 5% to 20% acetic acid. This is generally higher as compared to distilled vinegar's 5%-8%.
Clean, but in different concentrations. In general, plumbers caution against the use of any chemicals inside a toilet tank and suggest instead using bowl-based toilet cleaners. Adding anything but water to a toilet tank could result in potentially costly repairs, Abrams says.
White Vinegar Solution
To prevent calcium carbonate from piling up into your cistern, pour a single cup of white vinegar into it. The mixture should be three parts white vinegar to one water. After you pour it into the cistern, mix it slowly and carefully until it's evenly distributed.