Limescale is a build-up of minerals in toilet bowls and is what causes them to become stained, making it one of the most challenging places to clean in the bathroom.

It may seem obvious to use bleach to clean a toilet but it will do more harm than good to as it cannot break down the minerals in limescale and will only discolour a toilet if used too much. 

Instead, Rachael Stilgoe, an eco-friendly cleaning expert and founder of Be a Shade Greener, has shared that the most effective way to remove limescale from toilets is a cheap and natural cleaner. 

She said: “Forget coke, bleach, vinegar and toilet bowl cleaner products. In my opinion, the best thing to remove limescale is citric acid.” 

“Citric acid is the active ingredient in lemons and limes and gives amazing results when descaling a toilet and can be used instead of limescale remover tablets or blocks.”

Limescale is primarily made up of a compound called calcium carbonate, a hard chalky deposit which breaks down when it comes in contact with citric acid and will begin to fizz or bubble. 

Citric acid juice can be bought from major supermarkets in the baking sections but a crystalised version of this acid can also be found in most cleaning sections or hardware stores. 

At ASDA, Citric acid only costs £1.75 and at B&Q it costs £2.25. 

Rachel said: “I used citric acid to remove thick limescale buildup and it was amazing how easy it was to do. It’s the best toilet descaler and cheap to buy too.”

Not only it is safe and environmentally friendly but is incredibly quick to clean with as it will have your toilet bowl sparkling clean within 30 minutes.

How to properly clean away limescale from a toilet bowl 

All you need to do is mix water with half a cup of citric acid to make a homemade cleaning solution. 

Pour the cleaning solution down the toilet and leave it to sit for at least 30 minutes, but you can leave it for longer to give the citric acid more time to dissolve the limescale. 

Rachel said: “I do this in the morning before I leave for work so it has the whole day to work.

“This should remove all or some of the limescale and brown stains depending on how stubborn the build-up is.”

Once the time is up, scrub your toilet bowl with a brush, then flush and limescale should be completely gone. 

Rachel said she was “amazed” by the results when she first tried out this cleaning method and added she repeats it once a week to stop limescale buildup.

If the limescale in your toilet is particularly stubborn, you may need to try pouring the citric acid solution down the toilet one more time if it still remains.