Whoever it was who suggested "The Works" for cleaning the toilet. I finally did it today, and it looks like when it was brand new.

We have hard well water and a couple years ago, our water went "funny". It had a funny smell and left the laundry smelling sour if I didn't take it out right away. We had it tested and it was safe to drink, but showed that we had more than the usual amount of iron and manganese. The water testing facility said that, since I live on rock ledge, and have a very deep artesian well, that the slightest earth tremor can knock loose the sediment that was on the well shaft. Eventually, it cleared out.

Long story short, our toilet all of a sudden looked HORRIBLE! It had a ring of rust all around, and below the water line was a combination of built up calcified sediment and rust. I was actually going to replace it, but just the toilet, WITHOUT the plumber to install it, was going to be $600.00! Our house was built in the mid seventies and has "harvest gold" tub, toilet and sink. I would have had to special order the harvest gold toilet.

After reading about "The Works" on here, I looked at it in Walmart and read the bottle. I was reluctant because it is hydrochloric acid and requires VERY careful handling. You cannot get it in your eyes or on your skin. You have to wear gloves and goggles. You also have to be careful not to spill it on anything. I was also concerned about it harming the bacteria in my septic tank, though it says that it is safe for septic.

Well anyway, I bought it and did it today. It took an hour to soak it, scrub, soak some more, scrub, etc. I used the whole bottle. It was a very tiring job. But WOW!! Every bit of sediment and rust is gone. It is shiny and new looking. I couldn't believe it. DH, too, said he had thought that the toilet was a lost cause. It smells so much better, too.

I know that it's pathetic when your life gets exciting over a clean toilet, but so be it. LOL!

Thank you to whomever suggested it. I learn SO much from my "sisters" here at Momsview. Thank you again.

By Karen~admin on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 05:49 am:

I must have missed that - I have no clue what you are talking about, but - happy to hear that there is a product that apparently works so well! :-)

By Bobbie~moderatr on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 07:35 am:

Hol, it is funny the things we get excited about.. Most women are excited about a beautiful ring etc.. I on the other hand think my best gift ever was my vacuum. I am so lame.. Glad it worked for you.. It is some strong stuff that is for sure...

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 08:03 am:

I'm glad you got all the crud off your toilet!

By Dana on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 08:14 am:

Oh, yes, "THE WORKS" tub cleaner is awesome too. But DO NOT let it set on the tiles. You need to wipe it off immediately or it will etch the shiny on the tile. Brings the tub and tiles back to the brand new look.

I used to purchase it at the Dollar Store, but you can purchase larger sizes for less at Big Lots.

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 08:14 am:

$600 for a special order toilet? Yikes, think I would have gotten a non-matching white one! LOL!!!!! Glad you got it taken care of!

By Enchens on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 01:46 pm:

Can anyone guess what I'm buying to clean out our toilets? LOL I've tried several things that semi-work but this sounds really good.

Hol, count me in there with you. I was so excited when I was able to show dh how clean I had gotten our floor tile grout. Thinking back it was a great picture moment. My excited expression with his "you've got to be kidding me, you're excited about this" expression were too funny.

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 - 02:41 pm:

I love the Works, tht might have been me! We had hard well water also, in a 30 year old house, and it saved replacing toilets for us. I love that stuff!

By Wandilu on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 12:20 am:

When we moved into my house,the rim of my toilet (underneath) was BLACK !!!! I cleaned it many times and it would not come clean.I was so embarressed by it, I would explain to each person that went in there that I had cleaned it but that it was like that when we moved in. One day I was at Dollar Tree, and I picked up a bottle of The Works. Since it was so cheap, I fiquered it probably wasn't any good.But took it home and used it , and WAH-LAH !! My toilet was SPARKLING clean !!

By Hol on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 01:13 am:

Yes, it IS cheap ($1.28 in Walmart here). My family was still talking today about how nice the toilet looks. Yes, my house is 33 years old, too, and it is the original toilet.