Most homes will have experienced problems with hard water staining at some point, and if you don’t keep these areas clean and stay on top of them, they can quickly spread throughout the home and not only make the place look unsightly and dirty, but can begin to smell, too.
Some common hard water staining occurs frequently on bathroom fixtures, or leaves a cloudy film on coffee carafes, and in fact it can affect up to 85% of households throughout the country. The effect you see from hard water staining is caused by a build up of minerals that are left behind when water evaporates, and they can quickly block many components within the home.
However, as problematic as hard water stains may be, fortunately they are easy enough to eliminate if you follow a few simple steps:
- 1st Step:
Many of us nowadays prefer to use natural cleaning solutions when tackling stains and grime in our homes, and a great hard water stain removing formula can be made from equal parts of vinegar and water. Simply place the solution into a spray bottle and squirt it liberally over the affected areas. Leave it on for a few minutes at least, before you move on to the next step.
If you prefer to use a chemical solution for removing the hard water stains, then you can buy an acidic cleaner, such as a metal and rust remover. If you are doing this, be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the bottle or packet.
- 2nd Step:
Get ready for some scrubbing! You can use an old toothbrush or any kind of cleaning brush to scrub away at the affected surfaces and remove the mineral deposits that should by now have been loosened by the vinegar or acid solution. You will need to use a tool with bristles though, otherwise you won’t be able to lift off the deposits very easily.
- 3rd Step:
For those mineral deposits that are not so easy to remove first time around, you may need to spray them again, wait a bit longer, and scrub again. If this still doesn’t work, try pouring the water and vinegar solution that you’ve already prepared into a bowl, and adding some baking soda. You want to create a paste, so be sure to add enough soda. Smear it onto the affected areas, wait a few minutes and then you should find that even the most stubborn of deposit stains is easily lifted with minimal scrubbing.
- 4th Step:
Once you’ve scrubbed all the hard water stains off, rinse the area thoroughly with a wet sponge before wiping down with a soft cloth. It’s important to dry the whole area well or those hard water stains will simply reappear!
If your home is badly affected by hard water stains and you don’t have the time or energy to tackle them yourself, you could always call in the professionals and have a cleaning company do all the hard work for you.