Even people who don't mind housework will quail at the sight of hard water stains. If your home has hard water, you know why these stains are so frightening. The iron, magnesium, and calcium build up on your bathroom fixtures, leaving rusty looking scummy stains that are highly resistant to regular cleaning products and even your own serious elbow grease. Fortunately, various cleaning gurus have come up with some effective approaches to getting rid of these unsightly stains.

Bathtub Stains

You can try using mixing up your own concoctions using ingredients from your cupboards. Fill a spray bottle with half water and half white vinegar. Then spray it on the buildup and stains in your shower, tub, and sinks. Wait for a few minutes to allow it to soak in. Then take a cloth or sponge and wipe clean. If that method doesn't work for you, try applying a paste you make from baking soda and vinegar. You have to let this mixture set for about fifteen minutes before you scrub it off. You will need to rinse the fixture surfaces thoroughly to prevent leaving a film.

Toilet Methods

Toilet bowls can look pretty bad just from regular use, but if you add hard water to the mix, they get gross pretty quickly. One product that may help is a can of cola from your refrigerator. The fizzing action combined with the acid can scrub through a lot of built-up minerals. You can also try vinegar in the toilet, although experts recommend emptying the toilet bowl and letting the full-strength vinegar work overnight. If you do, you should see significant improvement by morning.

Water Softening

The best way to reduce or eliminate hard water stains is to add a water softening system to your home. A whole house softener will not only make cleaning easier, but it will make your water more palatable. Your hair will be softer and your soaps will lather much better. In fact, most tasks are easier when excess minerals are removed from your water.

When you face a house full of hard water stains, you may feel overwhelmed. However, your cupboards may hold the answer to getting rid of the film and ugly blotches. Try the non-toxic way first because the manufactured products can be harmful, particularly if you breathe the fumes. Once you've cleaned your home, talk to a water softening company such as Metro Water Conditioning Inc about installing a system in your home.

 

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