Cleaning your toilet can feel like a daunting task, but there's nothing quite like having a gleaming loo again after trying to ignore the responsibility of getting it to look as good-as-new. But if your toilet has an unsightly build-up of limescale and nothing seems to be working properly, it can feel impossible.
Mrs Hinch fans have taken to the group Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips, however, to share that a popular fizzy drink can banish the limescale, rather than using traditional cleaning products such as bleach.
Someone asked for advice, sharing a series of photos with awful brown limescale in the toilet bowl.
They wrote: "These are from a rental that I manage for someone. We are in a hard water area and this has built up over a couple of years or so.
"The tenant has tried bleach, and limescale removers. Do you have any ideas about what I can try please and what could have caused it? Thanks in advance."
In the comments, people were quick to offer alternatives to typical chemical cleaning products, and the most frequent answer was surprisingly Coca-Cola.
The popular drink was mentioned by multiple Mrs Hinch fans.
One wrote: "Empty toilet and empty a bottle of coke and scrub. Works a treat" and someone agreed "Coke! Leave it for an hour or so - best thing."
"Can of coke and leave overnight", another added, whereas someone else suggested "cheap cola".
One Mrs Hinch fan waded in and claimed: "This isn't due to hard water it's due to lack of cleaning and being filthy.
"Sadly too common these days! Hard water may not help but living in a hard water area our toilet has never got like this! And I'm no clean obsessive! Just basic hygiene would prevent this.
"The coke option does work, as does the black Harpic. And a good scrub! I'd also check to make sure the ball valve is working properly and not continuously running down into the pan."
Coca-Cola has released a statement, however, urging fans to stick to traditional cleaning products.
The brand stated: "Rumour-mongers have claimed that Coca‑Cola, due to its acidic nature, can be used to clean toilets and corroded car batteries, loosen rusted bolts and remove rust spots from car bumpers, get rid of grease from clothing and clean road haze from windshields.
"It's true there is a small amount of edible acid present in Coca‑Cola - just as there is in many foods and drinks. And it's quite possible that this edible acid could do the things the rumour-mongers claim. But we wouldn't recommend using it for any of these purposes. Just stick to regular cleaning products…"
Have you ever used Coca-Cola as a cleaning product? Let us know in the comments.
