The Secret’s Out! Here’s How You Can Remove Hard Water Spots
If you have noticed little white spots on your shower walls, sink, mirrors, or dishes after washing them, but you don’t know where they’re coming from or how to get rid of them, then listen up! You have hard water.
Most plumbing companies would want to keep you in the dark about cleaning up hard water spots, so you’ll call them every time the spots reappear. B & D Plumbing, Heating & A/C doesn’t believe in that kind of business.
That’s why we’re letting the cat out of the bag and sharing our secrets about cleaning hard water spots and water softeners! Read on to learn more.
Signs of Hard Water
Before we get into how to clean up stains left by hard water, and how to get rid of your hard water, you may be wondering “what the heck is this hard water you people keep talking about?!” Hard water is a term used to describe water that has a high content of “hard” minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Signs that you have hard water may include:
Reduced water pressure caused by pipes that have been narrowed by mineral scale buildup.- Faded clothing coming out of the wash.
- Irritated, itchy skin, caused by dryness brought on by hard water.
- Dull, brittle hair.
- White spots on silverware and glasses after washing.
Cleaning Stains With Household Products
If you do, in fact, have hard water, you may find white spots not only on your silverware and glasses, but also in your bathtub, on your faucets, on shower doors and wall tiles.
Any other surfaces in your home that may have come in contact with water may also acquire these stains. The good news is that you can actually clean all those spots up with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your home.
Most hard water stains can be cleaned by spraying them with a mix of one part vinegar and one part water. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse, and wipe the area dry to avoid new spots from settling.
You can get out tough stains, mix vinegar and baking soda until they form a paste. Spread the paste over the stain and let sit for about fifteen minutes. Scrub until the stain comes out, then rinse, and wipe dry.
For mineral scale buildup around faucets, which can also affect water pressure, spray fresh lemon juice onto the scale, let sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean.
Prevent Future Spots With Water Softeners
Now that you can clean up the stains left behind by hard water let's do something about putting a stop to the hard water once and for all!
Water softeners remove magnesium and calcium ions from water to make it "soft" in various ways. The most common types of water softeners are salt-based ion exchangers and salt-free ion exchangers.
So if you’re tired of dealing with spots on your silverware, glasses, shower doors, mirrors, or anywhere else, call B & D Plumbing, Heating & A/C in St. Michael, MN today at (763) 497-2290 for more information on water softeners and other water filtration systems. Don’t keep the information you learned in this article to yourself- share the link with others who can also benefit from water softeners.