Over time, stubborn urine scale can form in toilets and sanitary facilities. This not only leads to unpleasant smells. Removing urine scale from the toilet can be a strenuous and time-consuming task. Even special toilet cleaners do not always manage to remove all deposits. They are also expensive and have a negative impact on health and the environment. But there are home remedies with which you can easily remove urine scale – without the hassle of scrubbing.
Urine stone: what is it?
Yellowish to brown deposits in toilets or urinals are usually urine scale. The porous to solid contamination often occurs when urea reacts with calcareous water. This in turn means that households with soft, i.e. low-lime water have few problems with urine scale in sanitary facilities.
Urine stone: Are the deposits harmful?
Urine stone can be a cause of unpleasant odor. The crystalline surface also serves as a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. And these are often harmful to health.
In addition, urine scale, like lime, can eat deep into surfaces. You should therefore remove the mineral deposits so that the material is not damaged in the first place.
Home remedies for urine stone – what works and what doesn’t?
Vinegar
An effective home remedy for discoloration and urine scale on sanitary surfaces is vinegar. But the acid doesn’t just dissolve stubborn dirt. It also has an antibacterial effect and therefore removes not only urine scale but also harmful bacteria.
Pour about 300 to 400 milliliters (two cups) of vinegar essence over the dirty areas in your toilet.
Work the deposits with the toilet brush. This will work the vinegar into the urine scale and the deposit will come off easily.
Let everything soak in for about 30 minutes.
Then go over the urine stone again with the toilet brush.
Rinse everything off with water.
The urine stone should now be gone. If the incrustations and discoloration are still there, use baking powder or baking soda
Does it work? Vinegar does not remove stubborn urine stone. For light deposits, however, the home remedy is a good solution.
Vinegar and baking powder/baking soda
Vinegar and baking soda is a tried and tested home remedy combination for removing numerous dirt and incrustations. This also includes urine stone.
Pour a cup of vinegar into the toilet and let it sit for a few hours. Then add a packet of baking powder.
Feel free to sprinkle the powder slightly into the toilet bowl. A chemical reaction (bubble formation) should now be visible.
Let everything soak in for about half an hour.
If necessary, work the home remedies into the urine stone with a toilet brush.
Now wait a few minutes again.
Then pour hot water over the dirt. The acidity of the vinegar and the reaction with the baking soda help dissolve the urine stone.
Tip : You can replace the baking powder with baking soda.
Does it work? Yes. The combination is effective.
citric acid
Citric acid is a good alternative to vinegar and can dissolve urine stone just as effectively.
Mix a few tablespoons of citric acid with warm water.
Pour the solution over the affected areas.
After a while, you can easily remove the urine scale with a toilet brush.
Tip : In contrast to vinegar essence, citric acid leaves a pleasant scent.
Does it work? The citric acid trick works moderately for stubborn deposits. It is a good solution for light dirt and also ensures a pleasant scent in the bathroom.
cola
The popular soft drink can also be used as a home remedy for urine scale. It is also a good measure to continue to use stale cola that is no longer drunk and not to have to waste it. The phosphoric acid in cola can dissolve urine scale.
Tip : If you use fresh cola, the effect is enhanced by carbon dioxide. Because carbonic acid reacts with lime (calcium carbonate) to form calcium hydrogen carbonate. And the substance is much more soluble in water than lime.
Pour at least one glass of cola down the toilet.
Leave everything on for a few hours or overnight.
Rinse thoroughly after exposure.
Does it work? In the t-online test, the method was only successful with weak urine stone deposits. If the contamination is stubborn and older, the Cola trick won’t work.
Denture cleaner
Add two to three tablets of denture cleaner into the toilet.
Pour in some hot water – this will enhance the effect of the tabs.
Leave everything on overnight.
Does it work? The trick doesn’t work with stubborn urine stone deposits. For light ones, it can be a good and comfortable solution that also provides a pleasant scent in the bathroom.
baking powder and salt
Another way to remove urine scale from the toilet is to use a combination of baking soda and salt.
Mix these two ingredients in equal parts and apply the mixture to the affected areas using the toilet brush. When you scrub, the salt crystals act like sandpaper and remove the urine scale. The baking soda also ensures that the urine stone is loosened or dissolved.