Black Stains in a Toilet Bowl? Why & How to Remove Them

BLACK STAINS IN A TOILET BOWL? WHY & HOW TO REMOVE THEM

WHAT CAUSES BLACK STAINS IN A TOILET BOWL?

Unlike in the 1900s when toilets used to be colorful, today’s toilets are all white which makes cleaning them rather difficult. It is also very easy to spot any stain on the toilet, especially black stains in a toilet bowl. Black stains/spots in a toilet bowl are caused by mold or mineral deposits especially manganese. If the stains appear above the waterline, you most likely have black mold while manganese deposits usually cause black spots under the bowl’s waterline.

To remove black stains from a toilet bowl, start by soaking up the water at the bottom of the bowl using a cloth. Prepare a vinegar and borax or baking soda paste and apply it all over the stains. Wait for about 30 minutes and scrub off the stains using a toilet brush.

Although you can use other products like bleach and muriatic acid to remove black spots from a toilet bowl, baking soda/borax and vinegar are less toxic and gentler on your plumbing. Bleach or acid will also kill the good microbes if you are on a septic system.

MOLD VS MANGANESE BLACK SPOTS IN A TOILET BOWL

Mold spores are always present in our homes. They however thrive in dark, warm and damp surfaces like the toilet bowl or even inside the toilet tank. Apart from black, mold can also be green, grey, orange, purple, pink or even red.

To prevent mold from growing in your toilet bowl or other fixtures, clean them regularly using baking soda and vinegar. The vinegar penetrates through surfaces thereby killing their roots.

Since molds need oxygen to grow, they will be found above the toilet bowl’s waterline where there is an ample supply of air. Constant flushing of the toilet supplies them with the moisture they need to thrive.