Stains from rust and other deposits can form on the inner surface of your toilet, bathtub, and sink, especially if you have hard water. If your water has a high content of dissolved iron and other minerals, eventually the minerals deposit on your bathroom surfaces and cause stains.
Most bathroom cleaning products are not effective at fully removing hard water and rust stains from porcelain. Harsh chemical solutions exist to dissolve these stains, but why use toxic cleaners when some old fashioned scrubbing will do the trick naturally?
Pumice is a naturally occurring volcanic rock that is most often used to exfoliate dry, dead skin from feet. Pumice stones are available in nail care or foot care sections of large supermarkets or at drugstores and nail salons.
A pumice stone works wonders at removing rust stains from porcelain. Don't worry - the surface of your porcelain toilet, tub, or sink will not be damaged (the surface of the porcelain is much harder than the pumice stone).
To get rid of those stubborn rust stains, all you need are some rubber gloves and your pumice stone. Put on the gloves to protect your hands and wet the pumice with water. Scrub the inside of your toilet bowl wherever rust or mineral stains occur. Within minutes the hard water stains you thought were impossible to remove will be gone.
Use the pumice stone to remove other stains from porcelain, including stains in your sink or bathtub. Rust rings from shaving cream cans will disappear. Stubborn ring-around-the-bathtub lines can be removed with pumice. You can also clean hard water mineral deposits around your faucets, but take care not to scratch the faucet itself.
Pumice stones can also safely be used to remove rust stains from ceramic tile surfaces. Do not use pumice forcefully on the tile grout, as pumice can damage it.
Though any standard pumice stone will work to remove rust stains from porcelain, Pumie brand pumice stones are made especially for this use. Pumie stones are available at most hardware stores.
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