How To Use Acid To Clean Toilet The Right And Safe Way

Acids can be helpful if you want to clean hard stains from your toilet. They can remove stains that can’t be removed with anything else. Nevertheless, it isn’t always the best course of action. Yet, if you’re stubborn enough or you don’t have any other way, you might use it.

Therefore, you’re trying to know how to use acid to clean toilet?

There’re many controversies regarding using acid to clean your toilet.  But since you’re asking, it’s not a hard procedure. After taking necessary precautions, you’ll need to scrub the toilet preliminary. Afterward, you’ll need to pour in the acid solution. After keeping it overnight you’ll be able to brush off the stains.

Is this what you want to know? Well, there’s more to know about than just the steps. Lucky for you, we’ve covered them all.

So what are you waiting for, let’s get started!

A Little About Which Acid To Use

The type of acid that you should use for cleaning the toilet is Muriatic acid. Muriatic acid is a powerful chemical that few people are familiar with. 

Its other term is hydrochloric acid (Hydronium chloride) which you may be familiar with. It was made out of rock salt and iron sulfate about the year 800 AD. Otherwise, the acid will convert into a gas unless it is compressed or kept cold.

Hydrochloric and muriatic acid are now labeled and marketed separately in various quantities.

Muriatic acid has a concentration of 20-32 percent. At a concentration of 38 percent, hydrochloric acid is more powerful.

Both of these solutions may be purchased as cleaning products for use in the home. But obviously with the acid being diluted (by adding water) before use. 

Muriatic acid is highly corrosive. This implies that it consumes anything it comes into touch with.

The respiratory system, eyes, skin, and organs are all vulnerable to this acid. When it comes into contact with people, any of these things can happen. If stored indoors, it might develop into a gas. And that can lead to respiratory issues, which you don’t want.

So why should you clean your toilet with muriatic acid? 

Well, muriatic acid will undoubtedly aid in the removal of persistent stains on your toilet. It can remove toilet bowl rings, rust, and other unsightly stains. Which basic or natural cleaning solutions can’t remove.

Precautionary Steps Needed

Before you start cleaning your toilet with acid, you must first perform some preliminary work.

First, go to your fuse box or circuit breaker control and turn off the electricity in the room. Additionally, while working on your tiles, use rubber gloves and eye protection.

Maintain easy access to a baking soda or gardening lime container. Baking soda or lime will assist in the detoxification of an acid spill.

When cleaning your toilet with acid, you must exercise utmost caution. That’s why, before beginning the real job, we place such a high value on this phase. Also, make sure the acid quality is suitable for your toilet.

Using a toilet brush, carefully scrub the toilet bowl. After adding 2 cups of white distilled vinegar, do this. Ensure that the vinegar coats the entire basin.

Allow for a few hours of resting time before cleaning the toilet bowl with vinegar. Before going to bed, give it another scrub and let it sit overnight.

Use the brush first, then softly massage the pumice stone on the ring in the morning. The accumulation should be palpable against the pumice stone. It should also fade over time. After that, flush the toilet.

The most essential thing to remember is that removing the buildup with vinegar takes time. Working for 1-3 hours is insufficient. Make sure the vinegar is allowed to remain in the basin overnight.

Cleaning Toilet with Acid: 2 Methods

We’ve come up with two separate ways to clean toilets with acid. Take a look.

Method 1: Mixing Acid With Soda and Vinegar

Acid is powerful stuff. So don’t use it as your main cleaning agent. But you can use it as an effective means of removing rust stains from the toilet bowl. And also to remove limescale from your toilet’s basin. 

Once you’ve rinsed your basin with cool water, mix vinegar with some salt and 0-10% acid. Do this as recommended by the manufacturer. Then pour it into the bowl and leave it for a few minutes before flushing. This will dissolve any organic matter like urine or dirt.

Chemical toilet cleaning products are not necessary if you have some good ‘ole vinegar on hand. Just mix 1/3 water, 1/3 vinegar, and 1/3 of whatever acid you have. Citrus juice and balsamic vinegar work just fine. Apply the mixture to the bowl with a sponge or rag, then let stand for 10 minutes.

If your toilet is leaking at the base, it’s time to get a new wax ring. It’s preferable to leave this work to a skilled plumber.

On a final note, remember that you should always wear rubber gloves when handling any chemical products. And always wash your hands well afterward to prevent any future problems or infections.

Method 2: Without Mixing Acid with Soda or Vinegar

Let’s see how we can do the cleaning only with acid and water. But reminding you again, acid is dangerous! So try not to take this step.

Step 1: Primary Scrubbing

Remove the lid and thoroughly wipe the toilet’s sides. Use a bleach-based cleaner or scrub side to side, top to bottom. Allow this to sit for around five minutes before using a toilet brush. Scrub thoroughly, paying special attention to stains. Rinse off any residue with clear water before proceeding to step two. 

Step 2: Use Liquid Drain Cleaner

Pour liquid drain cleaner into the bowl of the toilet. You may get a specific acid-based toilet bowl cleaning at your local hardware shop. Follow the instructions printed on the bottle to pour this into the toilet bowl. 

Wait for the drain cleaner to work. This will usually take about 30 minutes, so you’ll need to wait around for a bit. 

Step 3: Flush The Toilet

Flush the toilet and wait for the drain cleaner to work some more. After 30 minutes have passed you can flush the toilet. Watch it work its magic while waiting for about an hour. Then you’ll be able to flush again without any problem. 

Step 4: Final Application of Drain Cleaner

Allow drain cleaner to remove grime and mold. Leave the drain cleaner in the toilet for about 2 hours and then flush again. You’ll gradually start to see a difference in how clean your toilet gets.

See, easy steps! Wasn’t this the easiest thing you’ve done? Whichever method you picked, we hope you pulled it off easily.

Some Important Tips

We’ve already told you about the procedure and the precautions. But to clean your toilet with acid there are more things that you should care about. So, have a look at the tips we’ve provided below.

• Carefully follow the recommendations on the container.
• Use in tiny quantities of the solution at a time.
• Gloves are recommended as a must-have.
• Put on your glasses or goggles.
• Keep the bathroom fan turned on.
• To prevent inhalation of the fumes, use a mask.
• Clean up any spills right away or else it’ll corrode the flooring too.
• Don’t use it repeatedly.

These are very small things to care about. But in the long run, these will help you to be safe. So don’t act casual and miss any of these.

Also, we mentioned some equipment above that you might be struggling to find. If you’re looking for a good pair of gloves or safety goggles, here’re a few suggestions-

These products work very well based on their reviews. They are long-lasting and effective.

FAQs

Question: Is it safe to use vinegar with Dawn dish soap?

Answer: Dish soap and vinegar are an excellent combo for cleaning. Vinegar will just flow off most surfaces. Dish soap, on the other hand, is too thick to spray. When you mix the two, you get a powerful, spray-on cleaner that adheres to any surface.

Question: Is Coca-Cola really good for cleaning toilets?

Answer: In a pinch, the bubbly soda can clean your toilet spotlessly. Pour Coca-Cola around the toilet bowl’s edges. The heavy lifting will be done for you by the carbonation. After leaving the soda in the toilet overnight, flush the fizz away the next morning.

Question: How can I naturally whiten my toilet?

Answer: To begin, combine 2 parts borax and 1 part lemon juice to form a paste. Smear the paste over any residual strains in the bowl, such as the waterline ring. Lemon juice also whitens while borax cleans.

Conclusion

Now you should know how to use acid to clean toilet. But as we said, try to refrain from using acids.

Pumice stone, baking soda, vinegar, citric acid, and vinegar are all good alternatives. But if you must use muriatic acid, be sure you do it safely.

Till then, all the best!