Stains--bottom of toilet

I have a problem with the very very bottom of the toilet bowl, that little "valley" in the bottom of it and the discoloration/stain is brownish looking (but it's not poop).

I've gloved up, turned off the water and emptied the bowl as much as I could, and used the following (not all at once): Bleach, Scrubbing Bubbles, white vinegar, magic eraser, Bon Ami, Ka-Boom, Awesome, Castile Soap, CLR, The Works, and something called ZEP.

I've used a toilet bowl brush, a plastic scrubbie, Golden Fleece, microfiber cloth, and Magic Eraser, all with elbow grease.

When I'm scrubbin' this area, it's like the porcelain is "embossed" or something because I can feel the texture through my rubber glove and whatever other scrubbing choice I'm holding. If the area is always wet--because it's in the bottom of the toilet-what IS it and how do I get rid of it since it seems I've tried everything but acid (HCl, muriatic, sulfuric--all of which make me nervous to use!) ? I don't want to use dynamite. :O)

Because of the texture of that area of the bottom of the toilet bowl, I can't use a pumice stone.

Thanks for any help!

--68.8.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by OPM [OR]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 2:08 PM
Message:

Hi Fabri Gal...

You have a classic example of the finish worn off the cast iron...

Just enough 'white' left to give it color..

A replacement toilet or a good or better one look for

Finish all the way thru the throat to the mounting flange.. and how open the throat is... less twist, more flow...

Ya get what ya pay for.. --66.190.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Chris [VA]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 2:26 PM
Message:

We had the same problem once. What finally worked was the Lysol toilet cleaner with hydrochloric acid; nothing else worked at all. There is an ehow page on cleaning toilets with muriatic acid, which is actually hydrochloric acid. --141.152.xx.xx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Gail K [GA]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 2:39 PM
Message:

Muriatic Acid did the trip on a bowl I had tried everything else on.

Gail --68.47.xx.x

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Frank [NJ]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 3:13 PM
Message:

i think it is the same on our home johnny. Cheap goods. ;-/

Cast iron??? thisis likely china/porcelain, hence the increased porosity. --75.226.xxx.xx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by BillS [CO]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 3:13 PM
Message:

I vote for OPM except that all toilets I have encountered were solid ceramic. If there is no cast in the toilet then the other option is iron deposites in which case the other folks have the answer of the acid clean. Be very careful. --75.160.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Opinionated [NC]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 3:54 PM
Message:

A strong acid will remove the stain, as already stated. But the acid etches the porcelain a bit more and the stain will return in a more difficult-to-remove form. The downhill spiral begins. --67.213.xx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Janet [KY]) Posted on: Nov 15, 2012 9:24 PM
Message:

We have the same problem here in our home

only in one toilet. It turned that brown

color you describe just 6 months of moving in. We bought the house brand new. The builder had gone cheap to cut expenses.

Many of which we have replaced over the

years. I have not found anything to remove

that brown stain. --74.236.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Carolyn [MO]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 7:26 AM
Message:

Try muriatic acid. If it doesn't work, accept the stain color or replace the toilet. --70.246.xxx.xx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Blue [IL]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 7:50 AM
Message:

I don't see Barkeeper's Friend or straight bleach on your list. I would try those first. --99.186.xx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by RR [WA]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 8:53 AM
Message:

Try Iron Out. Sold at WalMart in the Plumbing aisle.

--24.18.xxx.xx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Tony [NJ]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 8:56 AM
Message:

Use a shop vac to suck out all the water in the bowl. Pour a gallon of undilluted white vinegar in and let it set for hours or overnight. It will brush free easily. I've used this trick many times with great success. --71.127.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by R [OH]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 9:13 AM
Message:

I like to experiment. If all else fails and before you get rid of the toilet try getting all of the water out of the bowl area that is stained and paint it with some Rustoleum paint. You might be surprised. Good luck. --65.214.xx.xx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by Mike45 [NV]) Posted on: Nov 16, 2012 12:36 PM
Message:

After I had one of these toilets replaced, I took it home and tried to get rid of the stain. Nothing seemed to work, including vinegar and muriatic acid (pool acid). I finally came up with R[Oh]'s idea, and spray painted it. I let it dry out completely, and I used about 4 coats of paint. I later had this toilet installed in another unit, and to the best of my knowledge, it is still looking decent.

I was going to use that porcelin repair stuff, but used spray paint instead.

--67.233.xxx.xxx

Stains--bottom of toilet (by FabricGal [CA]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2012 1:00 PM
Message:

Thanks for the good info!

FabGal --68.8.xxx.xxx

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Stains--bottom of toilet

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