Toilet limescale is irritating and unsightly but very common. Can any supermarket cleaners match my favourite, Harpic?
Limescale, also known as calcium carbonate, is made up of mainly calcium and magnesium created through hard water. These mineral deposits accumulate on the surface of the toilet bowl, appearing as a white or off-white residue, sometimes with pink or brown streaks, especially in hard water areas.
Limescale can build up in various appliances, such as kettles, taps, and showers. One particular area many people struggle with is the toilet, with limescale building up in the bowl and around the rim. So, I recently tested a variety of limescale removers from Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, M&S, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl to see if any of them could compete against Harpic.
Morrisons Ocean Wave Toilet Cleaner: 70p
I’ve never tried any cleaning products from Morrisons before, so I was excited to try this one. It doesn’t claim to be a limescale remover, and I can definitely say it didn’t do that, but it did clean and freshen the toilet, leaving a fresh scent in the bathroom.
Score: 2/10
Sainsbury’s Limescale Remover Toilet Gel: £1.25
Sainsbury’s limescale remover toilet gel was simple and easy to use, with clear instructions on how to use it. It claims to be five times more powerful than bleach, and whilst it definitely worked to remove the limescale and clean the toilet, I wouldn’t say it was the best one I tried.
Score: 5/10
Tesco Power 100% Limescale Remover: £1
Tesco’s limescale remover worked very similarly to Sainsbury’s, and I actually couldn’t tell a huge difference between them. It claims to remove tough stains, and although I cannot vouch for that, the toilet was left spotless.
Score: 5/10
M&S Toilet Gel: £2
I absolutely love the packaging on M&S’s cleaning products, but the price really lets this product down. I think the bottle was hard to hold and pour, and it didn’t work any better than the other toilet cleaners in the test. It smelt nice, but other than that, I wouldn’t reach for this product again personally.
Score: 3/10
Asda Toilet Liquid Gel Cleaner: 70p
Asda’s toilet cleaner had a strong pine scent to it, which was pleasant but maybe a little too strong. It flooded the toilet bowl nicely, but annoyingly, it did leave a few stains behind, despite not leaving it for long to work. Saying that, it did well to remove the limescale, but I wouldn’t reach for it again.
Score: 3/10
Aldi Toilet Gel: 55p
Aldi’s toilet gel was my favourite in the test for a number of reasons. The first one is price, and it is over £1 cheaper than Harpic, but it worked very similarly. It helped to remove limescale around the rim, had a subtle but not overpowering scent, and I’ve reached for it more than any of the other cleaners.
Score: 9/10
Lidl Marine Wave Toilet Gel: 55p
Lidl’s toilet gel was quite runny compared to some of the others, which were a little thicker. I did notice it removed some of the limescale under the rim, but when brushed away, a lot remained.
Score: 5/10
Harpic Power Plus Citrus Toilet Cleaner Gel: £1.65
Harpic Power Plus Citrus Toilet Cleaner Gel, also known to many as “Black Harpic”, has been my favourite cleaning gel for years. However, with the price continuing to creep up, there were many alternatives in the test that worked just as well. I do love using it and will buy it when it’s on offer, as it does well to remove limescale, but it is just too expensive for a toilet cleaner.
Score: 7/10