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So, I'm not an environmental freak or anything, but I figure, if I can help not pollute, why not? (This is totally the excuse I use for being a hermit - after all, the best way to limit gas consumption is to not go anywhere! Seriously - my car is over 10 years old and has 98,000 miles on it - and that's with two very long road trips!) So I try to do environmentally friendly things. This applies to me cleaning my copper-bottom pots - no harsh chemicals for me, just vinegar and salt! - and to a lot of other cleaning (there's usually no reason to use anything other than a little bit of soap and water). I ran up against a stumbling block with the toilet in the half-bath on the main floor, though.
See, this bathroom isn't used very often. It's off the room with the pool table, so every now and then if we're in there playing we'll use it. Surprisingly, though it's closest to the garage door, both of us will usually sprint upstairs if we have to go right when we come in. It's just not our favorite bathroom, I guess. The most use it gets is on our way to Royals games, as that's where we keep the sunscreen (I don't know why, it just is). Anyway, the upshot of this is that the water in the toilet just sits there. And builds up one heck of a hard-water ring around the water line. It's nearly impossible to get off. even with very vigorous scrubbing.
Enter the show 'How Clean is Your House' (I love that show - if you don't have BBC, YouTube it, seriously!). They're the ones that clued me into the salt/vinegar for my copper-bottom pots, and they have a lot of 'cheap and cheerful' (and non-toxic) cleaning solutions. Their solution for toilet rings? Borax and vinegar (or lemon juice, both are acidic), made into a paste and let sit, then a gentle rubbing with wet, fine-grit sandpaper.
And you know what? It does work... sort of. I don't know if it's something I'm doing wrong, but by my experience you have about 30 seconds between mixing and it turning into something with the consistency of brick. If, in that time, you can slap it into the toilet, when you flake it away a lot of the ring comes with it. But it's not easy.
In the end, I compromised. I payed twice as much for an 'environmentally friendly' cleaner, which was - ha, guess what? - citric acid based. They evidently suspend it in something (coconut was mentioned) that makes it into a gel. And, the best thing is that it really doesn't smell nasty like most cleaners! Since it doesn't stick as well, it did take two applications, and then I finished by giving it a gentle buffing with a sanding block. And now, I have a sparking toilet. That I never use. Ah, well, it's an accomplishment, right?
See, this bathroom isn't used very often. It's off the room with the pool table, so every now and then if we're in there playing we'll use it. Surprisingly, though it's closest to the garage door, both of us will usually sprint upstairs if we have to go right when we come in. It's just not our favorite bathroom, I guess. The most use it gets is on our way to Royals games, as that's where we keep the sunscreen (I don't know why, it just is). Anyway, the upshot of this is that the water in the toilet just sits there. And builds up one heck of a hard-water ring around the water line. It's nearly impossible to get off. even with very vigorous scrubbing.
Enter the show 'How Clean is Your House' (I love that show - if you don't have BBC, YouTube it, seriously!). They're the ones that clued me into the salt/vinegar for my copper-bottom pots, and they have a lot of 'cheap and cheerful' (and non-toxic) cleaning solutions. Their solution for toilet rings? Borax and vinegar (or lemon juice, both are acidic), made into a paste and let sit, then a gentle rubbing with wet, fine-grit sandpaper.
And you know what? It does work... sort of. I don't know if it's something I'm doing wrong, but by my experience you have about 30 seconds between mixing and it turning into something with the consistency of brick. If, in that time, you can slap it into the toilet, when you flake it away a lot of the ring comes with it. But it's not easy.
In the end, I compromised. I payed twice as much for an 'environmentally friendly' cleaner, which was - ha, guess what? - citric acid based. They evidently suspend it in something (coconut was mentioned) that makes it into a gel. And, the best thing is that it really doesn't smell nasty like most cleaners! Since it doesn't stick as well, it did take two applications, and then I finished by giving it a gentle buffing with a sanding block. And now, I have a sparking toilet. That I never use. Ah, well, it's an accomplishment, right?