Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
After a long day of traveling, you finally get home after some time away, and make a beeline for the bathroom, and a familiar toilet. Except instead of the gleaming white toilet bowl you left behind, you find one full of brown lines and a ring. This is (probably) because you live in the 85% of the United States that has hard water.
What causes hard water stains in toilets?
Hard water contains dissolved minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron. When hard water dries on surfaces like chrome sink faucets, it often leaves behind chalky, white stains (which are technically mineral deposits).That residue can end up in the dry parts of your toilet bowl, too, but if your toilet is white, you probably don’t notice it. It’s much harder to ignore brown or rust-colored rings or stains, which are typically the result of having iron or manganese compounds in your water.