Keeping your toilet clean is one of the most important household chores, but if you are dealing with stubborn stains at the bottom of the bowl, bleach alone might not be enough. Limescale is a gritty, discoloured stain that often forms a ring around the toilet bowl’s waterline and hardens over time, making it difficult to remove with regular household cleaners.

It may seem like common sense to try using bleach, but this cleaner is a disinfectant, meaning there is no chemical reaction with the limescale, so it will simply turn it white to hide it rather than remove it. Limescale forms when water evaporates and builds up slowly over time, but what is frustrating about this stubborn stain is that it bonds tightly to porcelain surfaces and cannot be scrubbed away.

However, Raakhee Stratton, an eco-friendly cleaner and founder of Easy Peasy Greeny, has shared that a simple way to remove limescale is to use natural ingredients like baking soda and citric acid to make a homemade descaler.

Raakhee said: “This toilet bomb recipe can help get your cleaning done in no time and they’re easy to make.”

Citric acid is one of the best methods for removing limescale. It is a natural substance that originally comes from citrus fruits like lemons or oranges.

You need an acidic cleaner to dissolve the minerals inside limescale, and citric acid can remove the stain quickly without using harsh chemicals.

Baking soda is abrasive, which means it begins to fizz to help loosen the limescale as the citric acid breaks it down, which also makes it much easier to remove.

How to remove limescale from your toilet 

You will need:

• 60g of citric acid
• 140g of baking soda
• Silicone ice cube tray
• Small empty spray bottle

Instructions 

To begin, fill the spray bottle with cold water, then mix the baking soda and citric acid in a bowl.

Spray the baking soda and citric acid with water as you mix them. You want the mixture to stick together and form a paste. Try to avoid stirring too much, as this can cause it to fizz.

If you wish, you can also add a few drops of essential oil to the mixture, which will help make your toilet smell fresh. However, this is completely optional.

Place the mixture into the ice cube tray and leave it in a dry, cool place to set. Do not put it in the freezer.

After 24 hours, the homemade toilet cleaner will have set. Put them in an airtight glass container to store them.

Then, simply drop one or two of the homemade cleaning bombs in your toilet. Leave it for around five minutes to fizz away, then use your toilet brush and the stains will easily crumble away, so you have a sparkling clean toilet bowl.