If you notice any streaky orange marks in your toilet bowl, then do be alarmed, as it is not dirt but rather rust stains that can easily be cleaned away. Rust is often caused by a buildup of iron in the water inside a toilet, which is often caused by old pipes in your home.

While it may seem like common sense to use bleach to clean a toilet, it's only a disinfectant and will merely lighten rust stains rather than removing them. However, there is no need to use harsh chemical products to get rid of rust, as the cleaning experts at Chet’s Cleaning have shared that the best solution is lemon and salt. 

They said: “Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle salt on the cut side, and scrub the rust stain. The acid in lemon combined with the abrasive salt works wonders on rust.” 

It may seem unusual, but lemon juice contains citric acid, which naturally dissolves the iron in rust, helping to loosen the stain and make it much easier to remove.

Salt is abrasive and helps the lemon juice stick to the rust stain more effectively to lift the stain without damaging the porcelain surface of the toilet bowl. 

How to get rid of rust stains on a toilet

To begin, cut a lemon and squeeze out the juice. It is much better to use fresh fruit if you can, rather than buying lemon juice in a bottle, as the citric acid will be more potent. 

Pour the lemon juice directly on the rust stain and then add a generous amount of coarse salt to the stain as well. 

Leave the lemon juice and salt solution alone for five minutes to give the citric acid time to break down the rust stain. 

When the time is up, use a toilet brush or pumice stone to gently wipe the residue away, and the rust stain should be completely gone. 

If the rust stains are particularly bad and are still lingering, then you can also try a simple baking soda solution to clean them.

The expert said: Make a paste using baking soda and water. Apply this to the rust, let it sit for an hour, then scrub with a brush. Rinse well. This method is gentler on surfaces.”

Baking soda is slightly alkaline and helps neutralise the iron in rust to clear it away and also stop it from coming back. 

However, rust stains are often caused by minerals in hard water, and the best way to prevent them is to simply clean your toilet at least once a week to stop the mineral buildup before it starts.