Toilet Bowl Yellow Stains | Practical Tips for Prevention

Getting toilet stains out is much harder than preventing them in the first place. Prevention requires consistency as the causes of toilet bowl stains are not freak once-off events. Instead, they are the result of long-term exposure to certain things.

Exposure to cleaning products, hard water, UV rays, and urine causes toilet stains. We have put together the best tips on how to get your toilet to sparkle and how to maintain this.

Flush after use
Clean properly and regularly
Avoid strong bleach and harsh scrubber
Use hanging cleaners
Install a water softener

Contents show table of contents

Always Flush Right After Use

In addition to the unpleasant, lingering smell of urine, leaving the toilet unflushed can lead to yellow staining over time.

Urine consists of salt crystal deposits that, if left for long periods of time, can coat the inside of your toilet bowl. This causes a uric scale, which leaves behind stains on the toilet.

If you flush after every use, it is less likely that this scale will build up and stain your toilet, which can be quite difficult to get off, depending on how long the stains have been building up.

If you have been flushing sparingly in order to save water, then there are alternative methods that you can try:

Some people put a brick or two in their cisterns so that the water line is reached sooner and the tank stops filling when there is less water in it.
If you have a ventless dryer, you can use the water from this to fill your cistern.
Try installing a dual flush system that allows you to flush smaller or larger amounts of water.

Do a Proper Clean Regularly

Consistency and maintenance is key to avoiding more difficult situations down the line.

For example, it’s better to brush your teeth and floss every night before bed than to have to go to the dentist two to three times a year to do more extreme cleaning.

The same applies to your toilet system. Doing weekly toilet cleans can save you from doing hardcore monthly deep cleans or having to tackle stains. While it is necessary to do monthly cleans, it will be much easier.

Weekly Clean

Every week, apply your cleaner to the inside of the toilet rim so that it runs down the inside of your toilet bowl.

Allow the cleaner to sit for the recommended time (cleaning agents can differ), then do some light scrubbing of the toilet bowl with your toilet brush, and flush.

Monthly Deep Clean

Deep cleans are much more intensive and focus on all aspects of the toilet system instead of just the toilet bowl.

If there are stains on the toilet, cleaner is applied to the toilet rim and left to sit for a few hours. Depending on the intensity of the stains, you may need to leave it in overnight.

Use a toothbrush to scrub under the rim and the siphon jets (where the tank water comes out). Use a larger brush to scrub the toilet bowl to remove the uric scale build-up and flush.

To clean your tank/cistern, switch off the water valve and flush out all the water in the tank. Scrub the grime and mineral build-up. Switch on the water valve and flush the toilet until the water is clear.

Avoid Strong Bleach and Rough Scrubbers

There are many standard bleach products out on the market that are suitable for toilet bowl cleaning.

Using pure chlorine bleach may negatively affect your enamel fixture within your porcelain toilet bowls and tanks. The enamel of porcelain toilet systems contains iron, which is oxidized by the bleach causing rust issues and yellow staining.

If you use chlorine bleach, it’s best to dilute it with water so that it’s not so harsh on your toilet. According to Clorox® Bleach, it’s best to mix 1/3 cup of bleach into the toilet bowl water and not pour it directly onto the porcelain bowl.

Hand with gloves pouring bleach into the toilet bowl water

Harsh bleach can also ruin rubber seals and can cause leaks in your system.

Avoid using rough scrubbing products like pumice scrub stones or wire-bristled brushes. You may think that they are the best thing to use for toilet dirt, but you are only going to remove the protective enamel.

This leaves the porous ceramic underneath exposed. It captures urine and dirt, causing stains that are nearly impossible to clean off. Rather use a toilet brush toilet.

Use Hanging Cleaners

On top of weekly and monthly cleans, stains can be kept at bay with a hanging cleaner like this Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Rim Hanger Toilet Bowl Cleaner ^{_{(amazon link)}} or the Air Jungles 5-in-1 Automatic Toilet Rim Hanger ^{_{(amazon link)}}.

These easily clip onto the rim of your toilet bowl under your toilet seat, and they give the bowl a wash with every flush.

Hanging cleaners actively prevent the build-up of stain-causing uric scale and limescale (build-up of minerals that are found in hard water). They also leave your toilet smelling fresh and clean.

The great thing is that you only need to replace them every few months.

If you are worried about these cleaners being an eyesore for when guests come over, you also have the option of tablet form toilet bowl cleaners ^{_{(amazon link)}}. You can occasionally pop these in your toilet tank and it will clean the entire circulation system.

Install a Water Softener

General toilet systems use the house supply water. In areas where the water is hard, stained toilet bowls are common.

Hard water contains of high concentrations of dissolved minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium. These minerals, in conjunction with the salt crystals spoken about earlier, are also responsible for the stains on your toilet. They form what is known as limescale.

To prevent this from happening, it may be a good idea to look into installing a water softener system in your home.

When hard water passes through the tank of the system, the calcium and magnesium stick to media beads, and the softened water (water without minerals) moves up a middle tube and is distributed to the rest of your home.

Water softener systems are usually installed where they are level and are close to the main point of entry for your water supply. The location should also have a power source and a drain nearby.

Basements typically have adequate space for the size of the system.

Garages also serve to be a popular location, although you would need to install the plumbing first. It will also be easier to transport the collected salt from a garage than it would in a basement.

If you have neither of these convenient locations, you can use spare utility rooms that have been supplied with plumbing fittings.

The toilet base can also become stained and this is more of an eyesore. If your whole toilet needs a bit of TLC, then check out how to clean and prevent yellow stains on the toilet base.