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How to get rid of stuff » Stain Removal » How to Get Rid of Hard Water Stains
 

How to Get Rid of Hard Water Stains

February 13th, 2007 by admin
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What is Hard Water?

The term “hard water” is used to describe water that is high in certain minerals, usually calcium and magnesium (Tips on how to get rid of hard water). A high enough concentration of these metals in your water can cause white lime scales on surfaces which the water comes into contact with. This can be anything from your showerhead to your tea pot or coffee maker. The scales build up over time and can become a real eye-sore, in the case of showerheads and spray-nozzles, they can even clog the small holes and reduce their efficiency.

Hard Water Stain Removal

Hard water stains are nearly impossible to remove with ordinary cleaners – but are amazingly easy with the right approach. Regular soaps are worthless against lime scale, but the right acid will dissolve those pesky deposits without any scrubbing at all. Following are some simple instructions for the most common hard water stain victims. In the following sets of instructions I’ve specified the use of vinegar (For other uses of vinegar, read 25 other uses for vinegar), but if you don’t have any handy, lemon juice will also work.

Showerheads

Removable Showerheads:
  1. Remove the showerhead.
  2. In a pot large enough to submerge the showerhead, bring equal parts white vinegar and water to a rolling boil.
  3. Place the shower head into the pot and simmer it for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Allow the shower head to soak in the mixture for a few hours (or overnight).
  5. Replace the showerhead.
Fixed Showerheads:
  1. Fill a plastic bag large enough to cover the shower head with equal parts white vinegar and water.
  2. Secure the bag over the showerhead with rubber bands, duct tape, hardware clamps, whatever is around the house that will hold it well.
  3. Let the showerhead soak in the solution overnight.
  4. Remove the bag, repeat as necessary.

Faucets

  1. Fill a plastic bag large enough to submerge the faucet with equal parts white vinegar and water.
  2. Secure the bag over the faucet with rubber bands, duct tape, hardware clamps; whatever is around the house that will hold it well.
  3. Let the faucet soak in the solution overnight.
  4. Remove the bag, repeat as necessary.
For level areas, such as the base around the edge of the sink, you can use a towel soaked in the vinegar solution to dissolve any hard water stains. Stubborn stains can be scrubbed with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda (just enough vinegar to make a paste).

Sinks, Bath Tubs and Toilet Bowls

  1. Fill the basin as high as you can with water.
  2. For sinks, add 1 cup of vinegar. Tubs, 1 liter. Toilets, 1 cup.
  3. Let the solution soak in the basin overnight.
  4. Drain and rinse.
  5. For extra-stubborn stains, make a paste from baking soda and white vinegar and scrub. Continue nightly soaks until they’re gone.
Be aware that not all hard water stains can be removed. Mineral deposits can be dissolved, but sometimes the metals in the water bond with surfaces (most commonly glass) and leave permanent white stains.

Cookware, Glasses and Tea Pots

Lime scale on metal or glassware can be soaked away using a solution of equal parts vinegar and water. Glasses and bowls should only require 15 minutes to an hour of soaking while cookware like pots and pans may require longer (Try heating up the solution on the stove if your cookware isn’t coming clean).

Coffee Makers

  1. Fill the reservoir with white vinegar.
  2. Run the coffee maker through a brewing cycle and allow the vinegar to run through the system.
  3. Follow up with one or two brewing cycles using regular water to remove remaining vinegar.



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  1. October 21st, 2009 at 5:50 pm    brandy Says:

    i second shaz’s suggestion of using dryer sheets. i just tried this myself after scrubbing the hard water on our shower doors for 20 minutes and getting absolutely nowhere, and it worked perfectly. Just rub down the doors with the dryer sheet, then go over it with glass cleaner and it will look brand new!! I’m so glad I found this tip!

  2. July 27th, 2009 at 6:23 pm    Meredith Says:

    The vinegar trick worked great! Thanks so much. My parents have had horrible hard water stains in their sinks for years and this is the only thing that made it look like a brand new sink!

  3. April 11th, 2009 at 9:02 pm    Ryan Says:

    EVERYBODY – I used cameo brand copper and porcelain polish power on my shower doors, frame, and side panels it turned out awesome! You’re going to need some elbow grease. Get a spray bottle filled with just water and set it to a fine mist spray. Lightly spray the area you’re going to clean. Get a rag and spray the rag with the bottle (just get it damp). Next take your Cameo polish powder and lightly “sprinkle” the powder on the damp area of your rag. Next in a concentric circle motion rub the powder over the surface to be cleaned until the hardwater stains go away. I used a concentric circle pattern and followed it with a clean rag in an up and down fashion. There may be slight residue leftover after cleaning which can be wiped off with a clean damp rag or very mild cleaner. Keep in mind it took me roughly two hours to really get everything cleaned. ALWAYS TEST A SMALL AREA BEFORE DOING THE WHOLE SHOWER SO YOU DON’T ACCIDENTALLY SCRATCH OR DAMAGE YOUR SHOWER. And be careful around your caulked and siliconed seals.

  4. March 25th, 2009 at 2:51 pm    kenny Says:

    what can i use to remove hard water stains on my truck from my sprinklers?

  5. February 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 am    Nicole Says:

    I had a slow leak in my bathtube for months now, and the water has set in the lower end of tube (close to drain) and caused a THICK calcium/hardwater build up. It has been IMPOSSIBLE to remove thus far. I have tried every product available, and it is still there. I really need some advice with this headache…. Thank you in advance:)

  6. January 6th, 2009 at 4:33 pm    Greg Says:

    i couldn’t even see through my shower doors and i tried all the products. some of them worked a little but it never removed it all. my girlfriend told me about this paste stuff called Bruce’s and I foudn it at ace hardware. i used a blue scrub pad and scrubbed it on and let it dry. when i wiped it off i could see through the door for the first time in years. this stuff really worked

  7. January 5th, 2009 at 6:19 pm    Katie Says:

    i tried the vinegar and no results. what will take this soap scum off my shower doors? it’s pretty bad.

  8. October 16th, 2008 at 1:06 am    J.Hubert Says:

    how do you remove a water stain from a suede headliner of a boat?

  9. August 23rd, 2008 at 11:55 am    gail harmon Says:

    IS using vinegar frequently hard on pipes?

  10. August 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm    Elizabeth Says:

    I have an antique pourous clay flower pot. It has a raised flower design on it and several colors decorating it. Does anyone know how I can get rid of the brown and cream scuzzy stuff that accumulated on the outside presumably from overwatering. I am worried about hurting the colors. Thank you.

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