The one-ingredient solution for getting rid of hard water stains
If your sink, basin, showerhead, tap or toilet is suffering from a build up of lime scale or mineral deposits, help is at hand.
It’s very common in areas of ‘hard water’ for this build up to occur when water dries, leaving the calcium and magnesium behind which is hard to get rid of using bathroom cleaning products.
The good news is that hard water stains are actually quite easy to get rid of with one economical product – white vinegar.
Get a big bottle from the supermarket and a few old cloths and set to work.
Taps
Give the area a good clean with traditional bathroom cleaning products. Place cloths in a bowl and cover with white vinegar. Wrap the cloths around the stained areas and leave for 1-2 hours (add more vinegar if the cloths dry out). Remove the rags and see if the deposits have dissolved. If so, scrub with a clean scouring pad. If not, add more vinegar and soak the area for another hour.
Shower head
Remove the showerhead if possible and soak in a bowl of vinegar for one hour. Rinse the head under a hot tap and towel dry. If you can’t remove it, attach a strong rubber band to the shower head, and then fill a plastic bag (or ziplock bag) with white vinegar. Attach the bag to the shower head securely and leave for an hour to soak. Rinse the vinegar off by turning the hot tap on, or pouring some water onto it. Towel dry.
Toilets
Empty the water out by turning off the water and flushing the toilet a few times. Place cloths in a bowl of vinegar to soak, and then transfer them to the affected areas of the toilet. Leave for 2-3 hours, adding more vinegar as the cloths dry out. Remove cloths and scrub with a toilet brush. Turn the water on again and flush to rinse off the vinegar.
Have you successfully tried any other methods for removing hard water stains? We would love to hear your tips in the comments.