Best toilet limescale remover

Cleaning the loo is a loathed enough chore as it is, but if you happen to live in a hard water area like London, the task is made tougher thanks to hard water.

Hard water occurs when rain, which falls as soft, filters down through the porous rock and picks up hitchhiking minerals like magnesium and calcium along the way. These impurities lead to a build-up of limescale in the bathroom and elsewhere in the home, from around taps and showers to inside washing machines, dishwashers and kettles.

It can also build up in loos where running and standing water is an ever-present element. Aside from looking awful, unchecked limescale can affect the efficiency of your toilet too. If allowed to build up, it can plug the water portholes under the toilet rim and result in slow, weak flushes.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to shift, and there are plenty of home remedies to try and battle against the scum. Made with everyday cleaning staples such as lemon juice, baking soda and white vinegar. Some even believe that all-purpose WD40 can help soften rust and lime crust, making them easier to clean off. All these products, teamed with a fair level of elbow grease and a toilet brush, promise to bring your toilet back to its sparkling clean form – but with varying results.

Enter specialised limescale remover formulas, many of which are designed specifically to target toilets. These hardworking solutions often need nothing more than a quick sprinkle and flush, with a short wait in between for activation, to free your toilet bowl and rim from the scourge of limescale.

Forget yellowing toilet shame, and keep your loo looking ship shape for longer with our pick of the best limescale removers for toilets.

Viakal Bathroom Limescale Remover Spray 500ml

Cleanfluencer Mrs Hinch namechecks this cleaning spray for getting rid of limescale buildup in her toilet bowl and elsewhere in the bathroom, like showers and around taps. It’s safe to use on myriad surfaces, from chrome to ceramics to tiles and shower doors and uses anti-droplet technology to stave off water stains and limescale from returning quickly. All this while being free from chlorine, bleach and ammonia too.

Buy now £3.00, Amazon

Domestos Zero Limescale Toilet Limescale Remover 750ml

One of the best-known cleaning brands around, Domestos needs no introduction. There’s a cleaner for every possible surface, including the porcelain in your toilet bowl.

This isn’t a cleaner for anyone worried about using harsh chemicals; the lemon-scented thick gel is packed with firepower. But the upshot is a solution that promises to eliminate 99.9 per cent of germs and 100 per cent of limescale and works even below the waterline. Sounds like a winner to us.

Buy now £5.90, Amazon

Delphis Eco Toilet & Limescale Cleaner 750ml

Who knew royal warrants were issued for cleaning solutions? Delphis has double insignia on its toilet and limescale remover, which uses biodegradable, renewable and sustainable ingredients to make a powerful eco-friendly cleaner. It may be free from things like phosphate and phosphonate but it will leave limescale quaking in its boots, not to mention unsightly stains and other blemishes like rust marks.

Buy now £3.00, Amazon

HG Toilet Cleaner Gel

A familiar name to anyone who’s had tough stains to deal with, what HG lacks in flashy packaging, it makes up for with a high-performance cleaning solution. This cleaner is designed specifically for loos with a formula that protects surfaces while seeing off limescale scum.

Spray under the toilet’s rim and into the bowl and put up your feet for half an hour before a quick brush and flush to reveal a sparkling fresh-smelling toilet.

Buy now £6.71, Amazon

Dr. Beckmann Power Foaming Toilet Cleaner

When nothing but a deep clean will do, reach for Dr. Beckmann. The domestic cleaning brand has this foaming cleaner that bypasses the need for any real elbow grease. Each box contains three treatments, each of which should be sprinkled into the toilet bowl and left to develop under the waterline where it will remove stains, leaving not a trace behind except a fresh lemon scent.

Buy now £3.02, Amazon

The Pink Stuff – The Miracle Foaming Toilet Bowl Cleaner

From a legendary cleaning brand comes this hard-working solution. Simply sprinkle the contents into your loo and watch it fizz and foam as it gets to work cutting through grime and limescale. It can be used on its own but if you’ve got a lot of limescale to cut through, a few rounds with a toilet brush will help the situation.

Buy now £5.42, Amazon

Harpic Limescale Remover Regular Toilet Cleaner Gel 750ml

Only have five minutes to get your loo back to its shining best? Harpic can get the job ticked off your to-do list in a speedy fashion. Its limescale-removing gel vanquishes limescale, bacteria and viruses as well as stains to make your toilet look like new.

Apply generously under the toilet bowl and rim and leave it to work for five minutes before scrubbing clean with a brush. While it’ll do a good job in five minutes, leave it for ten if you’re aiming for a deep clean.

Buy now £1.30, Tesco

Powerstone Pumice Stone Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Handle

A pumice stone may be an old-fashioned way to clean porcelain and ceramic, but it works, even with all the cleaning solutions available on the market now. The major draw is that it works without chemicals, meaning no environmental harm, and it can be reused.

Pumice cuts through tough calcium deposits, limescale, and hard water rings that can blight toilets while leaving no damage or odours. It comes with a vented storage case to allow it to dry completely, ready until the next time you need it.

Buy now £16.99, Amazon

Kilrock Brush On Gel Descaler

This thick gel is made to cling to smooth surfaces like the inside of toilet bowls, ensuring the formula has a chance to work on hard water limescale scum. The specialised descaler can be used anywhere there’s hard water build-up, from taps and showerheads to tiling.

Buy now £5.21, Amazon

SonicScrubber Household Electrical Cleaning Brush

Save yourself the elbow grease and clean your bathtub, shower, sink and toilet in less than half the usual time with this electrical cleaning brush.

The AA battery-powered SonicScrubber blasts through difficult-to-reach and difficult-to-clean areas laughably easily, leaving you with a clean space in up to 57 per cent less time. It comes with a set of brush heads to use on everything from mouldy tile grout to the underside of taps as well as toilet bowls and baths.

Use with cleaning sprays and products for results you won’t be able to stop talking about. Just don’t mix it up with your toothbrush.

Alternatively, you can buy this set of cleaning brushes that attach to a drill for £16.99 at Amazon.

Buy now £22.95, Amazon

Register now for one of the Evening Standard’s newsletters. From a daily news briefing to Homes & Property insights, plus lifestyle, going out, offers and more. For the best stories in your inbox, click here.