4 Ways to Remove Hard-Water Stains

I’ve heard horror tales about folks with exhausting water all my life, about how they wanted to soak their bathe heads to unclog the buildup or how they’d spend hours scrubbing at spots of their tubs that by no means appeared to go away, however I by no means realized simply how large of a ache it may very well be till I moved right into a home with exhausting water in 2017.

Not solely do all these additional minerals floating round our water provide wreak havoc on our home equipment (we’re on our third washer in simply six years) however it additionally makes retaining our sinks, counters, and bathtub clear an even bigger chore than it must be. 

Luckily, I used to be in a position to bend the ear of Jill Koch, proprietor and creator of Jill Comes Clear, about my water woes. And whereas she says the one technique to win the battle in opposition to exhausting water is to get an entire home water softener, there are some cleansing hacks I can use within the meantime that may assist me win the battle of the buildup.

Our home was a flip that had been transformed right into a rental earlier than we purchased it, and a drip in our bathe head should’ve gone unattended for some time as a result of the tap beneath it’s lined in a crusty white buildup. I’ve tried loads of totally different cleaners and used all of the elbow grease I may muster, however elements of the deal with stay encrusted. In keeping with Koch, the reply to my issues lies below my kitchen sink: vinegar, which she says I can use to soak my faucet till it loosens up the gunk. “Now, watch out as vinegar is acidic and can’t be used throughout,” she says, including that it shouldn’t be used on pure stone, tile, or painted finishes. Afterward, she says, an outdated toothbrush can deal with the remainder.

The granite surrounding the tap within the rest room and the kitchen was marred by the unaddressed buildup that was left behind by the earlier house owners. As a result of it’s a pure stone, I’ve been cautious in regards to the sorts of chemical substances I’ve used and the way aggressive I’ve gotten with my scrubbing, however in line with Koch, one other kitchen staple may remedy my downside. “I’d begin by making use of a baking soda paste (baking soda and water) and letting it sit a couple of minutes then scrubbing with a comfortable bristle brush or search for store-bought cleaners made for eradicating exhausting water,” she says. “If all of those strategies nonetheless don’t work it might should be professionally cleaned.” 

As I mentioned, all that onerous water has put my washer via the wringer (pun supposed), which Koch says just isn’t solely unhealthy for my machine, but additionally all the garments that undergo it. She suggests including a half-cup of Borax or a half-cup of Washing Soda to the drum of laundry earlier than I put my garments in. “Each of those act as laundry boosters and assist soften the water, which is able to in flip permit detergents to work higher too,” she says. You’ll be able to clear with each of those as effectively. Their packing containers have directions to be used and dilution.”

I’m positively not prepared for the funding of including a whole-house water softener, however Koch says I might be able to begin small. “There are filters that may be put in and particular filter bathe heads,” she continues. “This may no less than minimize down on the exhausting water deposits within the bathe and on our pores and skin and hair.”