How To Remove Water Stains From Toilet Bowl

No matter how much y'all clean, if yous find white or cloudy-looking spots on your spectacles and shower, chances are you accept hard water which is leaving backside mineral deposits. These hard water stains non just leave behind unsightly residuum but they can also tedious and eventually clog drains. Knowing how to remove hard water stains rapidly and easily can cut downward on the elbow grease required to remove those chalky marks and assistance forbid build-up to proceed your showers and faucets flowing freely.

Here at the Practiced Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, nosotros test hundreds of products year-round to find the all-time cleaning products. We also find the best methods to go along your house sparkling clean, including removing hard h2o stains. And since null'southward worse than cleaning your crystal only to have spots left behind, we've put together our best tips and methods to remove hard h2o stains from every surface of your home.

What is difficult water and what causes information technology?

When h2o contains loftier levels of minerals, such every bit magnesium, calcium and iron, it's considered "hard." Those unsightly difficult h2o stains are acquired when hard water droplets dry out and leave behind mineral deposits. Normally, these stains are chalky white just tin can besides be brownish or rust-colored depending on which minerals are in the water.

The best ways to remove difficult h2o stains

There are diverse methods and cleaning products that you can use to easily remove hard water stains and buildup. Depending on the surface you can use vinegar, a combination of baking soda and vinegar or cleaning products specifically designed to eliminate hard water stains.

Tools & Materials

Power Stain Destroyer

Scrubbing Bubbles amazon.com

$15.12

Pumice Stone Toilet Basin Cleaner

Powerstone amazon.com

$eleven.99

How to remove difficult water stains from glass

To remove hard water marks from drinking glasses, y'all'll need a basin that's large plenty to submerge your glassware in vinegar.

Warm upwards vinegar: Heat some white vinegar in the microwave until information technology's warm, and pour it into the basin.
Let sit: Immerse the glasses in the vinegar for 10 minutes, turning them to cover all sides.
Add baking soda: After ten minutes, remove the glasses and sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda directly onto the glass.
Rinse: Rub the baking soda gently with your fingers to remove the stains, rinse and buff dry.

How to remove difficult water stains from shower walls and bathtubs

To clean your shower and bathtub, grab a spray canteen and mix equal parts of water and vinegar. Spritz the solution onto affected surfaces, let sit for at least 15 minutes, and then wipe clean.

How to remove hard h2o stains from showerheads

If your shower stream doesn't feel as strong anymore, it could be a sign of the minerals in difficult h2o jamming your shower head and nozzle. To make clean your shower caput, dip a toothbrush in white vinegar and scrub the h2o jets, and so wipe it clean and turn on the jets to blast out the clogging minerals. (While you lot can soak the showerhead in vinegar, be wary that doing this could damage some finishes.)

How to remove hard water stains from sinks

Make your chrome sink fixtures wait polished once again by using a solution of fifty/50 water and vinegar.

Wrap the fixture: Dip a fabric into the mixture, wrap it around the stained item and leave it for up to 10 minutes.
Scrub and rinse: After letting information technology sit down, give it a scrub, so rinse and buff dry. Repeat if needed.
Soak the aerator: If your sink has an aerator (a removable screen), unscrew it, soak it in vinegar and scrub with a toothbrush to remove the mineral build-upwardly.

How to remove hard water stains from the toilet

The easiest fashion to go rid of yucky balance is to utilize a toilet cleaner made specifically for hard water stain removal, like Scrubbing Bubbles Power Stain Destroyer. Only utilise the product around the inside of the toilet bowl, let information technology sit down for xv minutes and scrub your mode to a sparkling bowl. In our Cleaning Lab tests, nosotros found this production like shooting fish in a barrel to use thank you to the curved neck bottle. For tough hard water buildup, a second application may exist necessary.

If you prefer to utilize items that may already be in your abode, a DIY cleaning solution of vinegar and baking soda is a peachy culling:

Vinegar and Blistering Soda Method

Cascade in vinegar: Measure one cup of vinegar and cascade information technology effectually the inside of the toilet basin, making certain to encompass the hard water stains with vinegar. Classy it around with a toilet brush and permit information technology sit for a infinitesimal.
Add baking soda and more vinegar: Later on letting the vinegar sit, sprinkle a cup of baking soda effectually the toilet bowl and then add some other cup of vinegar over the baking soda. The mixture should fizz. Let this sit for approximately x minutes.
Swish solution and let sit down: Using a toilet brush, classy the solution around the toilet, making sure to cover any stains, and let the solution sit down for upward to 30 minutes. Stir the solution around the bowl a few times to make sure you get rid of the stains.
Scrub: After xxx minutes, if there are still stains, apply the toilet castor to scrub them away.
Rinse and echo: Affluent the toilet to rinse, and repeat as necessary for stuck-on stains.

Toilet Cleaning Stone Method

Sometimes, despite your all-time efforts, hard water deposits notwithstanding settle inside a toilet, especially along the h2o line. For these tough-to-remove stains, try a toilet cleaning stone, like the Powerstone Pumice Stone Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Made of crushed and compressed glass, these stones scrub away deposits without scratching porcelain fixtures. Just wet the rock and the basin, then gently scrub the line of hard h2o deposits to loosen and wipe them away. The stones tin be used over and over again and gradually wear down over time.

Hard Water Stains FAQs

Are hard h2o stains permanent?

Hard water stains can become permanent if left besides long. It's best to remove hard water stains as soon as they appear. While it may be tempting to let a mild stain sit until cleaning day, the longer information technology sits the harder it is to remove.

Can vinegar get rid of difficult water stains?

Yes, one of the best means to remove hard water stains is with an ingredient you probably already have in your pantry: vinegar. This cupboard staple can remove spots from spectacles, polish up faucets and chrome fixtures, and de-gunk showerheads.

Does CLR get rid of difficult water stains?

Yes, for stubborn hard water stains on shower walls and tiles, bathtubs, sinks or faucets that demand more scrubbing power, you may take to use something stronger than vinegar, like CLR Brilliant Bathroom Cleaner, a top-tested production that won a 2020 Expert Housekeeping Cleaning Honour. CLR works to dissolve the mineral deposits that cause hard h2o stains.

How to prevent difficult water stains

To combat those cloudy stains from happening in the outset place, Carolyn Forte, Executive Director, Habitation Care & Cleaning Lab says, "It's important to proceed fixtures dry out. Wipe down any wet surfaces such as glassware, faucets, sinks and shower doors with a soft cloth." We love the Maker'due south Clean Waffle Weave Cloth, which won a 2020 Good Housekeeping Cleaning Laurels for its softness and ability to soak up water. Wiping up excess water will prevent information technology from drying on surfaces and leaving minerals backside. As for your toilet, information technology helps to regularly clean the basin (though fifty-fifty with frequent cleanings, hard h2o stains tin can still appear).

If wiping down fixtures and frequent cleanings are too much of a chore, the easiest way to forestall difficult water stains from happening everywhere in your habitation is to go rid of the problem altogether by consulting a plumber virtually installing a whole-home h2o softener, which requires professional person installation to your domicile'south water lines. Most water softeners work with salt — which needs to exist replenished — to filter the water and remove the calcium and magnesium minerals, preventing the stains from happening in the first place.

Jamie Kim Contributing Writer and Analyst Jamie Kim is a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing.