# The toilet stain that ate New York.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toilet-stain-that-ate-new-york/715255>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 18, 2015, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toilet-stain-that-ate-new-york/715255 "2015-03-18T02:17:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toilet-stain-that-ate-new-york/715255/21 "2015-03-18T15:35:56Z")

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> [@Malden\_Capell](#):
>
> I’m finding the website’s offer to buy a framed print of a dirty toilet strangely amusing…

> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I’ve ordered a framed print. Thanks!

I find it more amusing that the coupon code (listed right there) is SPRUCEUP40

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**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toilet-stain-that-ate-new-york/715255/22 "2015-03-18T19:24:04Z")

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I rushed in to tell you to use a BLACK pumice stone, like this:

[http://www.houseofbeautyworld.com/mipestbl.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=mipestbl&gclid=CLueu\_DOssQCFdgIgQodBbAAlw#](http://www.houseofbeautyworld.com/mipestbl.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=mipestbl&gclid=CLueu_DOssQCFdgIgQodBbAAlw#)

Do not use the one that looks like a rock. It will scratch your toilet.

The black one is soft and will work like an eraser. It will also dissolve in your hand as you erase the stain. You will need a couple. You can get them in local drugstores for a lot cheaper than my online link. Cheaper as in around $1.49 each.

My brother and I bought an investment property in FL and the toilet there was 20x worse than this. 6 hours of hard work later, after trying everything else from the grocery store and hardware store with only marginal improvement, I was ready to replace the toilet when someone suggested pumice. It erased the stain like chalk on a blackboard.

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**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toilet-stain-that-ate-new-york/715255/23 "2015-03-19T01:13:16Z")

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> [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](#):
>
> The stain actually looks like a metal – judging by the color, probably copper from the water supply pipes. Try putting about a dozen 500 mg Vitamin C tablets in the bowl. Let them dissolve and sit for a few hours. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) complexes most metals, including copper. The ascorbic acid-metal complex is water soluble, so you can then flush away the stain.

Neat. Thanks.

Pumice stone abrasively removes ALL stains that are on the porcelain surface. Hard water stains, dried paint spots, anything. Magic Eraser is a sponge and will not clean your toilet. Use pumice.

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