It’s known by several different names: hard water stains, lime scale, mineral deposits, mineral build-up, hard water deposits, etc. Whatever you call it, it’s that stubborn white crusty GUNK that builds up around your faucets, shower head, and toilet. These obnoxious hard water deposits form when tap water evaporates, leaving behind minerals such as calcium and magnesium that solidify into the crusty stuff you can never seem to get rid of!
Several years ago, I wrote here on my blog about my “Kitchen Miracle Cleaner” working miracles in the bathroom. But at the time, there was one thing in the bathroom I hadn’t been able to conquer, even with the miracle cleaner – those stubborn hard water stains!
There were mineral deposits around the faucet handles on my bathtub that just wouldn’t budge no matter what I tried. The jets in my whirlpool bathtub were in even worse shape! There was so much crusty buildup in and around the jets that I wasn’t even sure they would work properly, so I just didn’t use them.
At the time, I received a lot of great comments touting vinegar as the solution to my hard water stain problems. I was game to give it a try, so here’s what I did.
Check out a great cleaning tip for removing hard water deposits from your kitchen faucet in the video at the end of the post.
How to Remove Hard Water Stains
1. Soak one or more cleaning rags in white vinegar.
2. Drape or wrap the rag around the area affected by mineral deposits.
3. Leave the rags for an hour or more, adding more vinegar if necessary to keep the rags wet.
4. When the mineral deposits have loosened up or dissolved, remove the rags and clean the area with a clean towel or sponge.
And sure enough, it worked like magic! Those stubborn hard water stains had dissolved and I was able to wipe them away easily. You can use this method to clean hard water stains on shower heads, faucets, countertops…pretty much anywhere they crop up!
And, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, I found out that the same vinegar-soaked rag technique can work in your toilet too! It’s pretty much the same process listed above, with a couple of added toilet-specific steps.
How to Clean Hard Water Stains in Your Toilet
1. Turn off the water to your toilet.
2. Flush it repeatedly until the bowl is empty of water.
3. Soak your rags with straight white vinegar and line the toilet bowl with them.
4. When the rags dry out, add more vinegar. Do this for several hours, or until the scale starts to dissolve.
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5. When the stains start dissolving, use your toilet brush and scrub the remaining scale off.
6. Turn the water back on and rinse.
Unfortunately, the buildup inside the jets in my bathtub were way beyond the capacity of a few vinegar-soaked rags. So I continued to search for an answer and finally found the solution I was looking for (on a gardening forum, of all places!) Here is what worked for me:
How to Clean Hard Water Deposits in a Jetted Tub
1. Fill tub with hot water to a couple inches above jets.
2. Pour in 1 cup bleach and 1/2 cup powdered dishwasher detergent. (You could substitute vinegar here if you would rather not use bleach.)
3. Run the jets for 15 minutes, then let soak for an hour or so.
4. Empty tub and refill with cold water.
5. Run jets 10 more minutes to rinse, then drain.
Here is what I discovered when the water and bubbles had receded…
No kidding! I didn’t lay a FINGER on that jet! I thought for sure I would have to repeat the process a few times AND take a scrub brush to it, but nope! One “treatment” and all the hard water buildup was gone!
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Thanks to this method, I have been enjoying the whirlpool feature of my tub ever since, and my hard water worries are a thing of the past. I just love a happy ending. :-)
VIDEO: A Clever Hack for Cleaning Your Faucet Head
Any ideas about how to get this build up off granite? I’ve been advised not to use vinegar on my granite countertop. Thanks for any tips you may have!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Get an Earthstone Bathstone cleaning block from Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond and try it very carefully in a hidden area. This product is made of recycled glass and does not etch porcelain. I have not tried it on granite. It comes in a couple shapes, maybe try the Kitchen one if that shape might work better. You don’t need to add any cleaning product to get a result from this cleaning block.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was so sick of my water spotted and mineral stained shower doors that I literally took them COMPLETELY apart – trim, rubber, everything. After I’d scrubbed them clean (don’t remember how I did it) and put them back together again I bought a shower curtain. I chose a heavy duty CLEAR plastic curtain and hung it inside the shower doors. I hung it from a tension rod that is hidden behind the top rim/panel of the door. The shower curtains I’m using are a bit pricey so I recently bought a much less expensive one on Amazon to try. Because the shower door is closed during a shower, I’m hoping that will take care of any movement on the curtain. The shower curtain has been GREAT, not very noticeable, and I’m happy. Hope this helps.
thank you very much i will try. I love your stuff
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have this horrible build up in my entire shower and tub. I was so frustrated with it once that I took a razor blade to it all. That lasted about a week. Any suggestions on getting all this white crap off?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Inside a tub or shower I wonder if part of the buildup is soap scum in addition to hard water buildup? Have you tried a soap scum remover like the Tilex spray one and a Mr. Clean Magic eraser? That did the trick for me. Once you get it clean, no matter how you do it, you will be able to keep it clean longer if you ALWAYS dry the walls and tub after each use with a towel. I’d rather wash towels more often than face cleaning those tiles.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can you use vinegar soaks on Bronze faucets? Thanks for all your tips, I enjoy learning new things and have used vinegar for many projects!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any advice for shower doors. I just can’t seem to get mine clean enough…..
Thanks.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have the same issue! All glass shower it’s a constant battle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have marble in your bathroom or kitchen, I have a feeling that vinegar may damage the marble surface.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Any advice for cleaning the build-up on glass shower walls/door? Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No matter how many times ive washed them, my biyfriends dishes and glass pot luds always have an oily film on them. Any ideas
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just bought a house that the master bathroom shower door is so crusted. Do you think the vinegar will work for cleaning it?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I also have a tip for you:-)
After you have cleaned the toilet bowl and it is dry, polish it with Mothers Car paste Wax. I have used it on shower doors, faucets and toilets for years. Saves lots of scrubbing time and especially on shower doors.
Vinegar will definitely work on the shower door! Thanks for the tip :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is this safe to use on granite?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a beautiful crystal vase that is hiding in a cabinet because of water stains. I can’t wait to try this on it so I can enjoy it again. It’ll be a good excuse to treat myself to fresh flowers!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Dear Jillee, thank you for your lovely and useful posts. Talking about stains, i bought an electric device online that had light black grease mark. Is there a way to clean it ?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Try rubbing alcohol!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m going to have to try the vinegar soaked rags in the shower door tracks! They not only have tons of hard water build-up, it’s orange looking because we have a lot of iron in our water. So yeah, orange crusty gunk! I guess my bathrooms will be getting a thorough vinegar soaking tomorrow!! Thanks for the tips!
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