Major Rust stains on tile, toilet bowl, etc- help-?

Question

my aunt lives in a home with incredibly hard water from a well. it has extremely high content of iron- solid and soluble. it runs through an iron filter system, but still- full of iron. her shower stall is covered in thick rust stains, the toilet tanks and bowls are terrible- but able to be scrubbed clean with heavy duty toilet bowl cleaner. she will be getting city water connect as soon as they finish the construction, and obviously does not drink the water. she said she used to use some heavy duty chemical in the shower stall a couple times a week, but thought about the environment and stopped. we have tried many different products on it, and cannot get it clear. is there an easier way to do this- easier on the person cleaning and easier on the environment? the rust is so bad that it begins staining after every shower, and the automatic shower cleaners or daily shower sprays just don't do much.

Answer 1

Go to Menards and find Iron Out. You can also try Heavy Duty "Zud" Both are very effective. Iron Out tablets can even be dropped into the toilet tank, just don't mix chemicals.

Wear gloves and guard the eyes when using chemicals.  

A pumice stone may help get off the most stubborn stains.

Answer 2

Try Barkeepers Friend - you'll find it next to the Comet Cleanser at most stores.

Answer 3

There is a hard block thing that you can buy at Wal Mart. I can't for the life of me think of the name of it... it's something like, bath block or something... anyway, it works VERY VERY well and is totally environmentally safe! I have used it in the same situation before. I used it in the shower, in the toilet, in the bathtub, in the sink, even the concrete and vinyl siding on the exterior of my house! It really does work, and it's worth it's weight in gold! It was like 4 dollars.

Answer 4

CLR is environmentally safe, takes little effort and works really well.

Answer 5

Try vinegar -- straight.  You can buy it at the dollar store. Use it ONLY in the bowl, not in the tank, as it eats away the rubber seals and gaskets.  Just add white vinegar directly to the bowl several times a week.

My dad used muratic acid on hard rings. He would open windows and turn on the fan in the bathroom.  The fumes are pretty bad.  The acid worked in a few minutes.  Be careful - don't get it on your hands or breathe it in!  This stuff is about 3 or 4 bucks a quart, from any hardware store.  Keep it away from kids and pets!