Toilet and/or Grout Cleaner Rec?

[delladea]

We have very hard well water with a lot of iron in it. There is a softener and chlorine pump installed on the well which helps a lot with mineral buildup, but this has not always been the case.

The places that I have the most trouble with mineral buildup are the toilets and the shower grout. I've gotten into the habit of swishing the toilets out with baking soda or Bar Keepers Friend at least every other day. They stay clean, but I still get mineral buildup above where the water sits. The grout will eventually turn a yellowish red. I can scrub with a toothbrush+baking soda+hydrogen peroxide combo and it will come off but this is a slow and spoon-intensive activity I rarely have the time/energy for.

I'm wondering if anyone in a similar situation has found something that works for them? I am so tired of looking at my scuzzy shower that really IS clean yet isn't.

Comments

[erik]

To start with, baking soda is not going to touch limescale. You're attacking a base with a base. Vinegar would be better.

We have moderately hard water here, and I've had good luck with these three products:

Lime-A-Way. Not linking because it's available everywhere. It dissolves lime scale a lot better than the other brands and miles better than vinegar.

Unelko's Eliminate. This stuff is pretty amazing. It pretty much destroys soap scum. Spray it on, wait, wipe it off. Maybe rub it around if things are really bad; Not anything as strenuous as "scrubbing". Rinse. Home Depot used to sell it, and dirt cheap, but now they have some sort of exclusive contract with another manufacturer.

Star Brite Mildew Stain Remover. Lotsa bleach in there and probably a lot of other nasty chemistry. Strips the yuck off of the grout without any mechanical work at all. I spray, wait (it foams up just on the grout. The tile is unaffected. It's probably eating my grout), and rinse. Done. I get it at West Marine, but I see it is also readily available online.

[delladea]

Eliminate sounds quite promising, and from the reviews doesn't seem to have strong fumes (a big issue for us). Thanks!

[harpers_child]

trick for toilets- get a mr.clean magic eraser or knockoff. cut off a corner and drop it into the bowl overnight. in the morning most of the scale should be gone. magic erasers are microabrasive and therefore may not be for all surfaces, but i don't care if the inside of my toilet is scratched.

i've always used vinegar for hard water stains. one of those sponges with a handle you can put stuff in is nice for cleaning. for the tile /wall inside the shower i use a little dawn dish detergent with the vinegar. if you don't like the smell you can add orange or lemon peels to vinegar. the citrus may help too.

if the stains are really bad lime-away or clr can help.

[delladea]

Thank you for the suggestions. I always forget about those sponge wands. I've also tried the vinegar/dawn combo in one of my bathrooms (can't in the other - cultured marble tub) and it got the tile sparkly but the grout was still stained.

Lime away is probably going to be what I try next.

[busaikko]

My aunt's shower trick was to spray down the walls etc. with vinegar water right after a shower, and then squeegee it off. It only took a few seconds at the end of the shower, and worked really well.

[alicee]

Really tough stains and spots– Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 2 TBSP of washing soda and 2 TBSP of borax. Add 3 TBSP of Liquid Castille soap and stir (if you don’t have liquid castille soap, you can use liquid dish soap). Pre-wipe with full strength white vinegar and scrub with baking soda mixture. For tubs, wipe with white vinegar, sprinkle with mixture and let sit for 15 minutes. Scrub with heavy-duty brush and rinse.

Alice

[mrrr3]

Just a little TLC can do the job.
http://evacleaners.com/domestic/domestic_cleaning_london.html