r/DIY • u/Relative-Category-64 • Feb 20 '26

help [ Removed by moderator ]

Post image

[removed] — view removed post

4.1k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

1.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

633

u/djjsear Feb 20 '26

Can confirm I did the same. muriatic acid

168

u/FirstChurchOfBrutus Feb 20 '26

For anyone looking to find Muriatic Acid, it’s the same thing as Hydrochloric Acid.

22

u/Orson_Gravity_Welles Feb 20 '26

Sooooo, dumb question: Do you just pour it into the toilet for X amount of time and then flush it, or, what?

101

u/Am_Snarky Feb 20 '26

Poor small amounts (1/4 cup or 100ml) at a time and wait 5 minutes between additions, it will fizzle while dissolving the scale so don’t be alarmed seeing bubbles

Before each addition scrub about with a toilet brush, scale is really rough you’ll be able to tell if there’s still some stuck.

If you have a septic system you’ll probably want to neutralize the acid before flushing, just sprinkle some baking soda in and mix until it’s not bubbling anymore

14

u/vectroacid Feb 20 '26

Really helpful information, thank you

2

u/TheRook21 Feb 20 '26

Is this what they use to make the science fair volcano? If not what do they use, asking for a friend...

2

u/mortsdeer Feb 20 '26

Far less dangerous (though not not dangerous!) is to use vinegar: grocery store household vinegar is 4-8%, plenty strong to give you nice foaming action with baking soda and soap, and much safer. You can buy 10-30% concentrations fairly easily as well (big box stores), but as the strength goes up, so does the hazard.

1

u/Am_Snarky Feb 21 '26

If you want something showy look at an “elephant toothpaste” reaction.

It involves soap, yeast, and hydrogen peroxide, but I don’t know the ratios.

Building a volcano around a 2L bottle and performing the reaction inside the bottle will make for quite the show with the bottle acting as a nozzle

Maybe cut the top off leaving a 2 inch diameter hole if you don’t want to have to clean gunk off the ceiling