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How to Clean Hard Water Buildup

I had a reader ask me how to clean hard water buildup and I had a little grime around my kitchen sink faucet so I thought I’d demonstrate for you!  The key to getting off water grime is actually something that I learned from my father in law.  The house we built a few years ago had really hard water so we were constantly battling water build up on our faucets and shower heads.  So here’s the trick: white vinegar.

Before
 

Step 1:  Pour white vinegar all over the grimy area.
Step 2:  Cover with saran wrap to seal in all of the fumes.

Step 3: Wait 15-30 min (depending on how bad the grime is), then remove the plastic wrap.
Step 4: Scrub grime away with sponge or toothbrush.  For this project I like using a toothbrush because it has softer bristles than a sponge does so it’s less likely to scratch your fixtures.

Step 5: Rinse with water.

 Voila!  Nice and clean!
 

Here are the before and afters again:
BEFORE
 

AFTER

To clean a shower head or faucet all you have to do is put 1 cup of white vinegar in a plastic baggie and tie it around your faucet head using a rubber band.  It’s good to let it set at least 30 min.  Then remove the baggie, scrub the faucet head with a sponge or an old toothbrush and then flush it out with water.  Works like a charm!  To clean the base of the sink, or around a drain, would be the same concept but use saran wrap, like I did above.

About Anna

"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!"

Comments

  2. Candace says

    You have so many great ideas! It makes me want to go clean. Which is your whole goal, I think! 😉 Speaking of that, I love love love that glass cleaner! To be totally honest, I wasn't all that excited at first when I found out that I won glass cleaner. Don't get me wrong, I was totally appreciative but not exactly pumped. I was picturing a bottle of windex, I think! But then I used the stuff you gave me and I couldn't stop using it! It is a miracle worker! Now it'd be great if you could find a spray that keeps little hands from touching glass in the first place. 😉

  3. Under Her Wings says

    Anna, first of all thanks for your comment on my post, and second, I want you to know that I am a new follower~! Thanks for taking the time to research and give good advice for the questions of others. I'm sure that sometime I will have one. Have a blessed Friday! Gloria

  4. Falcon Family says

    OH, ANNA THANK YOU!You've made me so proud of my kitchen once again!!!I have to admit that I had my doubts that although this seemed like the most simple and logical solution, this wouldn't work in my kitchen…my hard water stains were not like yours at all, more like solid calcium build up!I've tried everything…Bar Keepers Friend(mild abrasive safe for the granite, Old English scratch cover(I'd heard it would work…FAIL!)I even thought of calling the granite company to come and re-polish the granite after having my husband take off the faucet and clean it with an abrasive!!!I swore if I could just get mine clean I'd be diligent in keeping it clean next time!!!IT WORKED!!!after a few minutes of soaking in the vinegar and nothing happening with the toothbrush, I used a Pampered Chef scraper to gently remove the buildup…OH MY GRAVY! A piece came clean…and then more…even my granite is clean and shiny…YOU'RE MY HERO!:)

  5. Carol says

    I am going to try your idea out this week! Thanks for the tip. I use vinegar a lot to clean my house. I think the key to this is the plastic wrap. We shall see…

  6. Anna says

    Thanks Falcon Family! I think that's the best review I've received so far. 🙂 I'm so glad that it worked for you!!!Anna

  7. My name is Ali... says

    Anna! Your cleaning tutorials are AMAZING!!! I just cleaned yuck from my 1965 master bath faucet and although the sink is still aesthetically ugly, at least it isn't ugly with yuck all around it! We never thought that sink could clean after trying a million and one cleaners on it! Thank you thank you thank you!And have to also mention that I have my washing machine sitting with vinegar in it right now, following your washing machine cleaning tutorial….can't wait to see the magic that will happen in just a little under an hour!You rock girl and I Love love love your blog!! 🙂

  9. The Bearded Iris says

    OMG – the baggie on the shower head?! BRILLIANT! I usually take the shower head off and stick it in a bucket with vinegar, but the baggie sounds easier. I'm all about easier. Thanks!!

  10. Debra says

    Good morning, I'm following from the Totally Tuesday Blog hop. Great tip, thanks for sharing. Have a great Tuesday!Debra

  11. Melissa says

    I love white vinegar! I hate the smell but it works great to clean with. Thanks for sharing over at Tuesday Tell All.

  13. Mrs. Sanchez says

    Oh Anna,I am doing this as we speak. I'm coming back here for sure. I have been thrust into the life of a homemaker and do not know all these awesome tricks/to-dos.I found you via TT blog hop and am happily following.Follow back at jothome.blogspot.com

  18. Christina @ The Tattered Tag says

    You have such nifty tips…I see your blog featured everywhere. I remember you in the beginning, happy to see your blog thriving!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your nifty cleaning tip by linking up to my blog bash K.I.S.S. @ The Tattered Tag. Please remember tomorrow is another fun blog bash, so drop by and link up more of your creative tips! 🙂Drop by The Tattered Tag

  19. Cristina says

    Anna, I had been looking all around for a solution to tough water stains. I thought I was going to have to replace my faucets at some point. I tried several things and nothing worked, I even ruined the finish in one of my faucets by scrubbing it. Just thought I should thank you for the post! And to think I ended up here after searching for tips on how to clean my Dyson! Your site was a great find! I will be sure to bookmark it, and share it! Thanks!

  20. Suzanne says

    Great tips! Here's my "Ask Anna" — how can I removed cloudiness from drinking glasses? These are really glass, and I think it might soap/hard water from the dishwasher. Did do some soaking in vinegar, which has been my go-to in the past, but it didn't cut it. Even though the glasses are technically clean, we don't want to drink from them when they look like this. Help!

  22. Lynne says

    Hi, sorry if someone else has asked this and I missed it, but would the vinegar be okay on a plastic shower head?

  23. vicki says

    I have this same problem in my bathroom, but with a stone counter…. I’m told acid will etch the counter. Is there a fix for hard water build up that’s safe for granite, marble, etc?

  24. Pam Baldwin says

    Hard water stains inside the toilet bowl…..that off white ring at the water line – how do you get rid of that????

    • mreynolds says

      Pam,

      This is Monique, Anna’s assistant. This is a really great question. I will go ahead and add it to the list of Anna’s “Reader’s Questions”. Be on the look out for a blog post on this topic! Thanks for reading Ask Anna!

  25. Kay Melton says

    I am not sure the information you have given above will work for my problem, but let me explain and see what you think. I have recently been bleaching glass Christmas balls to make them clear glass. Stupid me did not realize what this was doing to my bathroom sink where I did the project and poured the bleach water with paint and (I guess) mercury residue from the old glass balls. Now my bathroom sink (which was old and had a rough surface to start with) looks terrible (ruined) and I cannot get it clean!! Please if you have any suggestions besides the white vinegar, again PLEASE let me know. I am desperate !!! I cannot afford to get a new sink. Thanks for your time. kdm

    • Anna says

      Is it that the finish is ruined? Can you email me a picture, I’m a visual person so pictures always help. 🙂 askannamoseley (at) hotmail (dot) com.

  27. Sharon says

    how do you get rid of the brownish hard water or calcium build up at the inside bottom of a toilet bowl?

  28. Elaine says

    I have granite and marble counters so this won’t work. I’m trying to find a solution to this problem right now but all I find are articles that have an obvious bias promoting certain cleaners. Any suggestions?

    • Anna says

      I emailed my fabricator and here is his reply –
      “Steel wool usually works, try #0000 super fine. For most granites you could use a little coarser #00. The marble could scratch from the super fine steel wool. Always test in a small out of the spot place first to make sure whatever you try does not hurt the stone. The minerals in the hard water could etch (chemical burn) the polish away. In that case the top would need to be refinished. Honed marble is highly recommended for high use areas and is much easier to maintain and keep looking uniform.

      You can also use a razorblade to carefully scrape the layer of deposits off. Lay the blade flat across the surface and push the blade flat across the surface like using an ice scraper on a car windshield. Use caution and keep your other hand clear. If the corners dig in the marble it could scratch it, testing and working with the granite first to get the technique is highly recommended.”

  29. Jeannie says

    I have a yellow haze on my tub, I have scrubbed, used bleach, vineger, ajax…everything I have seen on pinterest and nothing works. Any ideas on what it is and how to get rid of it?