The Secret To Removing Stubborn Hard Water Stains
This simple cleaning hack will get rid of stubborn hard water stains from around your faucets and fixtures with ease. Don’t waste money on harsh chemicals when you can get rid of build up using two basic household products!
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The Secret To Removing Stubborn Hard Water Stains
I love a good cleaning tip. Cleaning is one of my least favorite things. We have really hard water here in Texas and because I do not cleaning regularly ( you know, because I hate it) the hard water builds up around the sink. It’s SO hard to get it off. If you have the same problem as me I have the best solution for you.
Paper Towels and White Vinegar
Vinegar for Removing Hard Water Stains
Why is vinegar used in so many homemade cleaning products? That is simple. It’s cheap, it’s effective, it’s non-toxic, it’s biodegradable, antiseptic, easy to find and did I mention it’s cheap?
Vinegar is a weak acid that I mostly use for cooking and cleaning. Chemically speaking it is a combination of water and acetic acid. It’s considered a green cleaning ingredient because its pH allows it to break down Alkaline or base substances. It also has a long shelf life and is kept at room temperature making it easy to store.
What makes vinegar so effective on hard water stains is that ability to break down alkaline materials. Calcium and magnesium are the two main minerals found in water. When you shower or wash your hands, water is splashed on near by surfaces.
The water itself eventually evaporates, leaving the minerals to build up on the surrounding area. When you pour something acidic, in this case we use vinegar, on the alkaline minerals, it softens them and breaks the minerals down.
There are a lot of other ways to use vinegar around the house such as cleaning windows, mirrors and glass, cleaning trash cans, drains and garbage disposals, bathroom fixtures, linoleum floors, most countertops, appliances and things like coffee makers, irons, tea kettles and humidifiers. You can also use it in your laundry!
Check out my DIY Stainless Steal Cleaner or DIY Chemical Free Reusable Dryer Sheets that also use vinegar!
However, you have to be care because not all things should be cleaned with vinegar. It can be harmful on cast iron, aluminum, tile grout (it can dissolve glue), unfinished wood, natural stone countertops and electronic items.
If you’re wanting to clean something and you aren’t sure if vinegar is the right choice, do some research to make sure. And NEVER mix vinegar with bleach or hydrogen peroxide because the vapors that emit from the mixture can be toxic!
Steps to Removing Hard Water Stains
- First grab your vinegar and paper towels. You can use rags if you’re looking for a more eco friendly solution.
2. Next, soak strips of paper towels (or rags) liberally in vinegar.
3. Now, wrap those wet paper towels all around the sink pieces so the hard water spots are completely covered.
4. Leave them there for 10 to 15 minutes. You want those stubborn hard water deposits to soak up all that vinegar.
5. Remove the vinegar drenched rags and rub them all over the spots where they’ve been resting. Hard water stains should practically disappear.
Does vinegar r work on vinyl flooring. Bathroom has many stubborn water stains. Is my monthly cleaning using some product I should be aware to avoid?
Thanks
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It totally works on vinyl flooring. If you only have a couple of spots then you can use this same method of soaking a towel and setting it on the spot. If you have a lot of big areas then you might want to create a larger amount of a vinegar/water solution to srub and then mop the whole floor with.
Thanks Katie!
We had a new shower with glass doors installed and I’m lazy too! Thanks for this great tip. and you are funny. I chuckled several times!
Kim
I’ve passed on your comments to Katie! Glad the post was helpful!