What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?

--
History teaches us that men and nations only behave wisely once they
have exhausted all other alternatives.
- Abba Eben

On 5/31/2017 3:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


Minerals and solids in the water. That is where the water evaporates
first leaving residue. I put in a glug of bleach, let stand about 10
minutes, and brush it around at least once, maybe twice a week.

I'm a stickler on clean bathrooms. The rest of the house can be in
disarray, but the toilet has to be perfectly white and no odors.

On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 2:18:46 PM UTC-5, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?
--


Grape jelly. ヽ(ヅ)ノ

[8~{} Uncle Germ Monster

On Wed, 31 May 2017 15:18:40 -0400, Wade Garrett
wrote:

What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?

Cooties and minerals. Is your water soft or hard? Water softener or
not, well water or not.

--
Cootie Lives Matter

On 5/31/17 4:44 PM, Oren wrote:
On Wed, 31 May 2017 15:18:40 -0400, Wade Garrett
wrote:

What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?

Cooties and minerals. Is your water soft or hard? Water softener or
not, well water or not.


County water system, annual water quality reports always excellent, 21
mg of calcium carbonate per liter making it soft water, no water
softener in house.

--
There is always a government solution to every human problem— neat,
plausible, expensive, and wrong.
- H.L. Mencken

On 05/31/2017 12:45 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/31/2017 3:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting
for a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


Minerals and solids in the water. That is where the water evaporates
first leaving residue. I put in a glug of bleach, let stand about 10
minutes, and brush it around at least once, maybe twice a week.

I'm a stickler on clean bathrooms. The rest of the house can be in
disarray, but the toilet has to be perfectly white and no odors.

Does chlorine remove the minerals with out damaging the porcelain?

On 05/31/2017 03:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:


What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?








Maybe try this:



https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Origina.../dp/B004L8XAW2

On 5/31/17 11:50 PM, T wrote:
On 05/31/2017 12:45 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/31/2017 3:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the
waterline in the toilet bowl when you let it go without
cleaning/disinfecting for a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


Minerals and solids in the water. That is where the water evaporates
first leaving residue. I put in a glug of bleach, let stand about 10
minutes, and brush it around at least once, maybe twice a week.

I'm a stickler on clean bathrooms. The rest of the house can be in
disarray, but the toilet has to be perfectly white and no odors.

Does chlorine remove the minerals with out damaging the porcelain?

I took his post to mean the bleach is a disinfectant, not a mineral
remover...

--
Character is much easier kept than recovered.
- Thomas Paine

On 6/1/2017 8:33 AM, Wade Garrett wrote:
On 5/31/17 11:50 PM, T wrote:
On 05/31/2017 12:45 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/31/2017 3:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the
waterline in the toilet bowl when you let it go without
cleaning/disinfecting for a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


Minerals and solids in the water. That is where the water evaporates
first leaving residue. I put in a glug of bleach, let stand about 10
minutes, and brush it around at least once, maybe twice a week.

I'm a stickler on clean bathrooms. The rest of the house can be in
disarray, but the toilet has to be perfectly white and no odors.

Does chlorine remove the minerals with out damaging the porcelain?

I took his post to mean the bleach is a disinfectant, not a mineral
remover...


But it easily cleans it too. I don't know how well it would work if
you let it build for 6 months though. Should be done at least weekly,
depending on use.

On 5/31/2017 12:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting for
a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


It's the "poop line."

On Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 11:50:42 PM UTC-4, T wrote:
On 05/31/2017 12:45 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/31/2017 3:18 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:
What is that dark ring that grows around the top edge of the waterline
in the toilet bowl when you let it go without cleaning/disinfecting
for a week or ten days? Mold, bacteria, worse?


Minerals and solids in the water. That is where the water evaporates
first leaving residue. I put in a glug of bleach, let stand about 10
minutes, and brush it around at least once, maybe twice a week.

I'm a stickler on clean bathrooms. The rest of the house can be in
disarray, but the toilet has to be perfectly white and no odors.

Does chlorine remove the minerals with out damaging the porcelain?

Not if it's established and on there long enough. But some hydrochloric
acid does.

On 6/1/2017 11:16 AM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

I think it must depend on the water. We swab our toilets daily and
clean them weekly with a good quality OTC product. However, even with
that effort we are left with a browish ring at the water line. We
have started using a commercial caustic toilet cleaner every two
weeks which eradicates it completely. These were brand new toilets
when we had them installed 4 years ago.


AFAIK, your area has very hard water. Are you doing any treatment?

Some of the in-the-tank treatments work, but Kohler (the brand we have)
says not to use anything as they can harm the workings.

On 06/01/2017 08:16 AM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
browish ring

That is iron deposits. Some of the wells around
here have huge iron deposits. Their toilets
look like hell.

Fortunately, our water is mildly soft and is
mostly calcium. It builds up over time, but
it is not so ugly as iron deposits.

On Fri, 2 Jun 2017 14:55:26 -0700, T wrote:

On 06/01/2017 08:16 AM, Wayne Boatwright wrote:
browish ring

That is iron deposits. Some of the wells around
here have huge iron deposits. Their toilets
look like hell.

Fortunately, our water is mildly soft and is
mostly calcium. It builds up over time, but
it is not so ugly as iron deposits.

Maybe brown with iron from wells. Soft water rings will be reddish and
look brown.

Couple cups of muriatic acid will remove the ring with a good
brushing. The cooties can also be in the rim of the bowl so it needs
some acid down the overflow tube in the tank.

If you have iron sewer pipes or a septic system, neutralize the acid
with baking soda before you flush the toilet.

Heavy calcium will vigorously fizzle when you add acid to the bowl,
but not as much if you have softer water.

Minerals in the bowl rim can clog the rim jets; causing a slow flush
with little vortex action.

On Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:43:28 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote:


The conmmercial product we use contains muriatic acid. I'm sure part
of what is in our water is iron. However, our area is known for
having extremely hard water. I"m not sure what our water source is,
but I thing a large percentage of Arizona water is from river
sources. Ours is a public water supply and we don't personally have
a well. There doesn't seem to be any type of buildup in the bowl
rim. We hve a good flush and water from every orifice.

Our water comes from Lake Mead, which also is sent to Arizona. Likely
the hardest water in the country. Even the local water district
doesn't remove all the calcium. With an in ground pool soft water
would cause damage, difficult for the chemistry. Without a softener
our appliances would fail at a rapid pace. Nevada was once covered
with salt water so there is heavy salt in the soil. We don't have your
native spring water :-)

(Search Lake Mead Ring) Minerals in the rocks. Images:

https://tinyurl.com/ydyjpdae