There’s only one thing worse than lifting the seat of a toilet to find a dirty poop stain waiting for you – and that’s if you’re the owner of the house, and you’ve just realized that one of your guests saw it before you did, something that’s mortifyingly embarrassing.
Poop stains are among the most disgusting, unsightly things you can find in a toilet – but they’re usually not too difficult to remove. So in this post, we share some ideas and suggestions about how to remove poop stains from toilet bowls.
Why do poop stains appear on Toilet Bowl?
Before we talk about how to clean poop stains, let’s say a few words about how they get there in the first place – that way, we’ll have a better idea of how to clean them, and as we’ll see later, this information can help us stop them appearing in the first place too.
The main reason toilets develop poop stains is simple – someone uses the toilet, and when they flush, some of the excrement gets stuck to the bowl.
Then, if it isn’t cleaned off quickly, it dries out and can become incredibly sticky and hard to remove.
In addition, if it stays there for an even longer time, even if you manage to remove the actual encrusted poop, it can still leave a stain on the porcelain of your toilet bowl.
However, there are other reasons too.
It’s possible that if your toilet develops hard water stains, if poop comes into contact with that, it can also become mixed with the mineral deposit – so you end up with a stain that’s part minerals and part poo.
Another possibility is if your toilet bowl is scratched. Scratches in the porcelain can become stained much easier than shiny, smooth porcelain, so the stains may be due to a damaged toilet bowl.
Now we know the main reasons for them appearing, it’s time to move on to getting rid of them.
What can you use to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl?
When it comes to removing poop stains, you have several options. The first is to use any commercial cleaning detergent that’s designed for the job and that you can pick up at any store or supermarket.
However, some of these may contain harsh chemicals that you might not want to use – but there are also some other products you can use that are a lot cheaper and that you may already have at home. So let’s look at some of these now.
White vinegar
White vinegar contains acetic acid, and this is the active ingredient that makes it a go-to product for all kinds of cleaning jobs, including cleaning stubborn poop stains from toilet bowls.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice is similar to vinegar, but here, the active ingredient is citric acid. However, it does a similar job, and as a bonus, the smell is much more pleasant than that of vinegar.
Adding some essential oil such as tea tree oil will also enhance both the effect and the odor.
Bicarbonate of soda
Also known as baking soda, bicarbonate of soda is another item that most people already have in their home – and if you don’t have some already, it’s easy to find in any supermarket and is extremely inexpensive.
Like vinegar, bicarbonate of soda has become known as a go-to cleaning product for a whole range of household chores.
Borax powder
Borax is similar to bicarbonate of soda, but it’s a bit harsher, so you’ll need to pick it up at a hardware store. Usually, you can use it by sprinkling it on a stain – but we’ll have a look at how to do it in more detail in just a moment.
Cola
Using Coke to clean your toilet might seem like a slightly off-the-wall suggestion, but most DIY aficionados will tell you how effective it can be for things like unblocking sinks – and yes, cleaning poop from toilet bowls.
Coca-Cola contains acid that makes short of a whole range of stains and blockages – and if you don’t want to use Coca-Cola, colas made by other brands usually work just as well.
Trisodium phosphate
Trisodium phosphate is a strong chemical that can be mixed with water and used to remove difficult stains such as poop.
Bleach
Bleach can be seen as something of a nuclear option, but for the most stubborn stains, it can be considered. If you choose to use it, you need to take extra precautions because it can easily damage your skin and especially your eyes.
Here are some suggestions for using the products mentioned above to remove stubborn poop stains.
How to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl with White vinegar?
What you’ll need:
- White vinegar
- Spray dispenser
- Toilet brush
- Old cup or ladle
- Old towel
Step 1. Flush the toilet and scrub the poop with a toilet brush
Before you do anything else, start by flushing the toilet to wet the stain and then give it a vigorous scrub with the toilet brush. After a few moments, you may realize that the poop has come off and that no stain remains.
If this is the case, you don’t need to follow the rest of the steps and can stop here. Lucky you!
Step 2. Remove water from the toilet bowl
Depending on where the stain is, next, you should remove the toilet water from the bowl. You can do this by scooping out as much of the water as you can with an old cup or ladle and then soaking up the remainder with an old towel.
Tip: If the poop stain is well above the waterline, you may be able to skip this step.
Step 3. Spray the vinegar onto the encrusted poop and leave
Take the spray dispenser and spray the vinegar onto the poop stain. Leave it for at least 15 minutes to do its thing – or longer if possible.
Step 4. Scrub the stain off with the toilet brush
After leaving the vinegar to do its work on the poop, scrub vigorously again with the toilet brush. The vinegar should have softened up the encrusted poop, so most of it should come off easily now. Flush the toilet to wash away any pieces of poop that you’ve dislodged.
Step 5. Repeat
You may now find that the encrusted poop has now been dislodged but that some staining is still present – or you may find that some stubborn poop is still stuck to the bowl.
In either case, simply repeat steps #3 and #4 once or twice until you achieve the desired result.
Tip: The method for lemon juice is exactly the same – just substitute lemon juice and essential oil for the vinegar in the spray dispenser.
How to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl with Bicarbonate of soda
What you’ll need:
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Old cup or ladle
- Old cup for mixing the paste
- Old cloth, rag or sponge
- Toilet brush
- Spatula or old spoon
Step 1. Flush and scrub
Flush and scrub with the toilet brush as in the method above for vinegar. This may be all you need to do.
Step 2. Empty the toilet bowl
As in the method above.
Step 3. Mix a paste of water and bicarbonate of soda
In a cup, mix a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water with a ratio of 2:1 bicarbonate of soda to water.
Step 4. Apply the paste
Apply the paste to the stain with the spatula or spoon and leave it for at least 15 minutes to half an hour to take effect. It will soften any encrusted poop and start dissolving any lingering stains, making them easier to wash off.
Tip: If it’s convenient, you can even leave the paste on for a couple of hours. It won’t hurt, and it may help weaken the encrusted poop and lessen the stain further.
Step 5. Scrub and flush
After the paste has been on for at least 15 minutes or as long as you plan to leave it, scrub it off with the toilet brush. Flush the toilet and check the results. Wipe the area with the rag, cloth or sponge to clean off any staining that remains.
Step 6. Repeat as necessary
If there is still some staining, repeat the relevant steps once or twice more.
Tip: You can replace the water with white vinegar in the same ratio to make an even more potent paste.
How to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl with Borax
What you’ll need:
- Borax powder
- Toilet brush
Step 1. Flush and scrub
As explained above.
Step 2. Sprinkle on borax powder
Sprinkle some borax powder onto the affected area.
Step 3. Massage in with a toilet brush and leave
Using the toilet brush and a little water, massage the borax powder into the stain, making sure not to wipe it all off as you do it. Leave the borax powder on the stained area for 15-30 minutes.
Step 4. Flush and scrub
Flush the toilet to remove the borax powder and then scrub the area again with the toilet brush to remove any remaining poop or staining.
Step 5. Repeat as necessary
Repeat the above steps a couple of times if some of the poop or staining remains.
How to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl with Bleach
Simply pour the bleach into the toilet and leave it for an hour or two to take effect. After that, come back and flush the toilet, then use the brush to scrub. This will only work with stains that are on the bottom of the bowl, not on the sides.
How to Remove Poop Stains from a Toilet Bowl with Trisodium phosphate
Mix two tablespoons of trisodium phosphate with four liters (one gallon) of water. Soak a rag in the solution and use it to wipe the toilet clean.
Tip: Wear gloves when you do this – it will protect your skin and also prevent your hands from touching the nasty dirty toilet bowl.
How can you prevent poop stains in the first place?
If you can help it, it’s best to avoid poop stains or any other stains from building up in the first place, so here’s how to do it.
Make sure you always clean poop off your toilet bowl as quickly as possible. This will mean it doesn’t have chance to dry out and stick to the side. A quick scrub with a toilet brush when flushing is enough.
Also, be sure to clean your toilet regularly to prevent stains from becoming too encrusted – once a week should be often enough.
Finally, don’t allow other stains like mineral deposits from magnesium or calcium to build up since they will give the poop something to stick to, making the problem even worse.
Some tips for cleaning your toilet
To finish, here are one or two final tips that will help keep your toilet bowl clean – and will help you clean off poop stains if they appear.
1. Don’t use abrasive brushes
You might be tempted to try to clean a poop stain off your toilet with an abrasive brush, but you should avoid it.
Abrasive brushes will damage the surface of the porcelain, and this will make it easier for more stubborn stains to develop in the future. Also, avoid pumice stones for the same reason.
2. Flush several times after cleaning
This will help ensure that the poop and any products you used to clean it are all washed well away down the drain and won’t cause any blockages further down the pipe.
3. Wear protective equipment as necessary
When cleaning toilets, it’s always a good idea to wear a pair of rubber gloves. If using more potent substances like bleach, you should also wear protective goggles since these chemicals can cause serious, permanent damage to your eyes.
4. Use a gel or a foam cleaner
If using a commercial toilet cleaner, choose something like a gel or a foam version. These will stay on the side of the toilet bowl for longer than liquid and will be more effective at removing poop stains and other similar unsightly marks.
5. These techniques work well in other parts of your bathroom
Many of the techniques we’ve mentioned can be used in other parts of your bathroom on rust stains, mildew, bacteria stains, mold and more.
Relatively easy with determination and a few simple household items
If you find a stubborn poop stain in your toilet, there’s no need to panic since it probably won’t be too hard to dislodge.
All you need to do is try one or more of the ideas we’ve given in this post, and you can look forward to flushing the dirty poop stain away. Then all you need to do is take steps to make sure another one doesn’t reappear anytime soon!
