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Toilet stains and odours

Toilet stains & odour

Equip yourself with facts and tools for getting rid of dirt, limescale and bad odour in your toilet

Let’s face it, your toilet comes in for a lot of abuse and it’s all but impossible to totally avoid stains and odours. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do about it.  

The best way to clean your toilet 

Keeping your toilet clean 

Domestos Power 5 toilet blocks toilet freshener from the UK's No.1 Toilet & Bleach Brand* help keep your toilet clean and fresh, battling limescale, stains and toilet smells with a combination of five powerful actions: Hygiene, Long Lasting Fragrance, Limescale Prevention, Rich Foam and Shine.  

*Domestos is No.1 Toilet & Bleach brand in value sales, Nielsen, data to 25.01.2021 

What causes stains in your toilet? 

There are several things that can cause build-up of stains in your toilet bowl: 

Limescale – This is a hard, chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Build-up of minerals such as calcium, which tends to be more prevalent in hard water areas, will eventually appear as visible yellow toilet stains if not checked. While you can remove stains from your toilet bowl with Domestos Toilet Gels, the best approach is to prevent mineral build-up in your toilet bowl in the first place. Toilet rim fresheners can help reduce limescale, stains and odours every time you flush. Find out more about limescale. 

Rust – If your stains are red or brown then rust is the likely culprit. This could be due to corrosion of your pipes, but it could also be the result of iron in your water, which combines with oxygen to produce iron oxide.  

Mould – Mould usually appears as black or green stains and even if it’s not very obvious, under the toilet rim, you’ll probably be able to tell it’s there by the acrid, musty odour it produces. Mould tends to proliferate if you don’t catch it early, and in some cases, breathing in the spores it produces can be dangerous to inhale. 

Copper – Bluish copper stains are usually caused by high concentrations of copper in acidic water. It’s always going to come back but it’s relatively easy to get rid of so long as you clean your toilet regularly.  

Cleaning your toilet with Domestos 

When you have a stained toilet and you need to get down and dirty, Domestos bleach products can help you clean and disinfect in one.

  1. Before you start, put on some rubber gloves. It’s best to either use disposables or make sure you keep a pair just for toilet cleaning.   

  2. Tidy up the toilet area and remove any items that might get in the way so you can clean thoroughly. 

  3. Start with the toilet bowl. Squirt Domestos thick bleach up into the rim of the toilet and let it run down the sides of the toilet bowl.  

  4. Give Domestos around ten minutes to sit in the toilet bowl and get to work on any stains and germs. 

  5. Use Domestos disinfectant spray to spray the rest of the toilet and cistern and wipe with a cloth or sponge. Pay particular attention to the flush handle and underneath the toilet seat, which are favourite spots for germs. Don’t forget to disinfect the base of the toilet and the floor, which can suffer from drips and stains. 

  6. Go back to the bowl and scrub any lingering toilet stains with a toilet brush before flushing to finish.  

  7. To release continuous fragrance in your toilet, find the right toilet bowl freshener in our Rim Blocks range 

Causes and solutions of a smelly toilet 

There could be many reasons for unpleasant toilet odours but there are usually three main culprits: 

1. Bacteria – this can often resemble the smell of rotten eggs and is caused by hydrogen sulphide, emitted by bacteria in your pipes, especially in hot weather. 

Solution: To remove toilet smells caused by bacteria in the toilet, pour some Domestos thick bleach into the toilet bowl, leave for a few minutes and then flush it through.  

2. Water evaporation – if a toilet doesn’t get much use (e.g., in a guest room) the standing water in the pipe can evaporate, allowing sewage gases to come through.  

Solution: Flush your toilet a couple of times to restore the water and be sure to flush regularly in future, even if it hasn’t been used.  

3. Mould – growing under the toilet rim, mould may not be immediately visible but still cause a musty smell.  

Solution: Squirt some Domestos thick bleach around the rim. Leave for a few minutes, then flush. You can also scrub the area with a toothbrush – be sure to wear gloves.  

For long-term toilet care, Domestos toilet rim blocks include long-lasting fresh fragrances to combat nasty niffs and can kill germs and bacteria before they can take hold. 

Other causes: 

Clogged pipes – almost anything backed up in your toilet system will start to smell after a while. Try pouring a bucket of water into the toilet bowl as you flush or use our Domestos Sink and Pipe Unblocker. If there’s no change, it may be best to have it looked at by a plumber. 

Damaged toilet – if your toilet wobbles, it could be that the wax sealing ring at the base is damaged. This can lead to toilet smells escaping and should be looked at by a plumber.  

Get more product recommendations and hints & tips to tackle all your bathroom cleaning problems. 

Domestos Partnership with UNICEF 

Read about our mission to help 100 million people have access to clean and safe sanitation by 2030, and how you can support our partnership with UNICEF. 

Domestos safety 

Be sure to wear gloves and protect your eyes and skin while you’re using Domestos bleach products – they’re powerful, and deadly to germs! Always make sure that you use Domestos products according to the on-pack instructions.Â