Sometimes my arms would get so tired from scrubbing and scrubbing at hard water deposits. But, no more! Here is how to Remove Hard Water Deposits
So today, I am going to introduce you to a great, new product.
Vinegar.
Oh, but not just regular vinegar.
Have you ever heard of Cleaning Vinegar? Neither had I until I pinned this pin from Cupcakes and Crinoline.
Cleaning Vinegar has 6% acidity instead of the 5% acidity found in regular vinegar. And guess what? That little 1% difference boosts all the good attributes of vinegar by 20%! **Note** This vinegar is not for food consumption.
So what does this cleaning vinegar do? Well apparently there are a lot of uses, but the one I wanted to focus on today is that it can remove hard water deposits in a jiffy!
All you need to do is pour some salt into a small bowl and then add just a splash of cleaning vinegar. You need just enough to make a paste.
Apply your vinegar and salt paste to the areas affected by the hard water deposits and let sit for, oh, let’s say about 10-15 minutes.
Next, you need to rub the paste into the affected areas and rinse with warm water. Then stand back to admire your sparkling cleaning faucet with no hard water deposits!
Now to be fair to the test of this pin, there were a couple of stubborn water deposits so I took a sponge that had a rough side to it and scrubbed a little, but the deposits still came off fairly easily.
Wow. Look at that! This is a great way to remove hard water deposits naturally with no chemicals. I got so excited that I immediately ran and applied this process to my kitchen sink faucet and then forgot to take pictures! I wish you could have seen how beautiful that turned out.
Cleaning vinegar can be found in the cleaning section of your store and also in the aisle with the rest of the vinegars. I purchased mine at Wal-Mart.
This Pin (and cleaning vinegar) Totally Rocks!
For more cleaning ideas that really “rock,” check these out!
Click on the picture to go to the article
Super Stubborn Grease Stain Remover
We are sharing this with:Mandy’s Recipe Book, Inside BruCrew Life, Hun What’s For Dinner, Tatertots And Jello, Just Us Four Blog, Be Different Act Normal, Will Cook For Smiles, Nifty Thrifty Things, Keeping It Simple
Thank you so much for sharing, Debbie, and I am very happy that it worked so well for you!
Mary Beth…it sure did! Thanks for your great post…we love your blog!! Deb – The Oldest Sister
Do you know what would work in the dishwasher to help remove mineral spots from dishes and the inside of the dishwasher? I have very hard water….we’re talking VERY HARD water.
One thing that I add extra into my dishwasher is LemmiShine. I get it at Wal-Mart and for me it works wonders!
I use a pack of koolaide. Just plain old, unsweetened koolaide powder. It works.
Um one thing. Salt and vinigar are chemicals. And there is a reason its cleaning vinegar, it’s a harsh chemical….
Just saying. And yes it works great. I’d say its a cheaper solution than CLR….for hard water spots like this
Bob….good to know. Thanks for the heads up! Deb
Where does one buy cleaning vinegar? I’ve never seen or heard of it before. Thanks!!
Hi Jenna! I bought mine at Wal-Mart in the cleaning section but I’ve also seen it with the rest of the vinegars. Thanks! Deb
I wonder if this would work on that plastic tray under the ice maker on the refrigerator. My kids and hubby never wipe up the water they spill and I have hard water spots on that try that won’t come off. I’ll have to give this a try.
Okay, tired it with regular vinegar and salt and placed it on my plastic tray under the ice dispenser on my refrigerator and it worked!
Erlene…you just made my day! Pretty slick huh? Deb – The Oldest Sister
Glad to hear that one! Mine is just awful and I have done a few things to try to get it clean but nothing worked!
I love using vinegar for removing hard water deposits. I had never thought to add salt though but it makes sense.
I know…right? I have never used it either but it worked SOOOO good! Deb
Don’t you have stronger vinegar in your county? In Germany we have vinegar “Essenz” . It is 25% acid. This really works!
By the way: This is not such a secret hint. It is clear that acid removes lime.
Hi Julia, I don’t think we do have that kind of stronger vinegar here. I hadn’t even heard of the cleaning vinegar before this pin but it sure worked well. Thanks so much for stopping by! Deb – The Oldest Sister
Well apparently it was a secret to lots of us, judging by the comments here and the Pinterest pins.
would it work on a stainless steel fridge?
Nicole, I would probably test an area first, like the back of the fridge just to make sure that it won’t damage stainless steel. Hope that helps. Deb
I just checked the Heinz site for more info about its Cleaning Vinegar. I was surprised to find they say it’s OK for cooking. Here’s the quote, “It’s made from sun-ripened grain and crystal-clear water, so it’s safe for cooking and perfect for cleaning. ” And here’s the link if you want to double check: https://www.heinzvinegar.com/products-cleaning-vinegar.aspx
Wow! Great to know Nancy. Thanks so much! Deb
Would this help remove hard water stains on a shower glass door or do you have another solution for that?
Christina I would say that it would work on glass, it might just be a little tricky rubbing this all over a shower door. Good luck!
I purchased Heinz cleaning vinegar at Walmart. It’s 6% and can also safe for cooking.
As a home stager I have been using Vinegar for this purpose for many years. Please be sure to watch your clock and check your “vinegar paste every 5 minutes or so. If you happen to leave it too long it will take he finish right off your faucets etc.
Great tip! Thanks so much for passing that along. Deb
I accidentally left a vinegar-soaked rag wrapped around my faucet overnight and this is exactly what happened! Removed the finish as well as the hard water stains.
Oh no! So sorry to hear about that. Just a few minutes did the trick for me!
I have used vinegar and salt on all of my copper bottomed pans for years. Just apply vinegar with a cloth or spray bottle and sprinkle with salt. The tarnish comes right off.
Great tip Marilyn! Thanks!
ooo. I wonder if it also works on fish tanks accessories.
I have the white on the fish tank, the filter and the lid and I have been so wanting to clean it (or get a new fish tank).
do you think this would work on plastic/glass?
Boy Megan, I THINK it would work but you may want to test a small area first so that it doesn’t ruin anything.
I have used vinegar for years to clean my fish tank. (Of course take the fish out first.) The book that came with the tank said Vinegar was the safest thing to use. Just rinse out tank before refilling.
haha sure glad you take your fish out first! But vinegar works magic!!
Thanks for this; I didn’t realize there was a “cleaning grade” vinegar out there. I will definitely try this. I’m hoping it works well on glass, as that’s been the toughest job in my house.
Thanks, also, for having your subscription pop-up delayed. For the first time while visiting a blog, I wasn’t assaulted with “Want to join?” before I’d even had a chance to read it over. I really do appreciate that as a reader; it’s one of my biggest pet-peeves.
Madeline, I would love to hear how this works for you and we are so glad that you stopped by! Deb
I was so excited when I found this, as my bathroom sinks look exactly like your before picture (similar faucet style and all), BUT this didn’t work for me. I followed the directions to a T, maybe even leaving the solution on for an extra 10 minutes, and nothing happened, even with scrubbing. Suggestions?
Darn! I don’t know what to suggest Rischelle. I did minimal scrubbing and things came right off. Did you get the cleaning vinegar?
I just want you to know this little tip on the cleaning vinegar changed my life!!! I didn’t even need the salt on what I was cleaning! I had some areas that I could not get clean no matter what I did, and I had no idea that cleaning vinegar even existed. I introduced it to my mother-in-law as well and it worked wonders in her bathroom. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I never knew it about it either until I saw it somewhere else!! Don’t you just love it now? Thanks so much for your sweet comment!
This is my bathroom sink faucet! I’ve had the worst time trying to remove mineral deposits. Thank you so much for your post, I can’t wait to try it. Now to find cleaning vinegar!
I think I got mine at Wal-Mart but have seen it other places since finding out about it. Good luck!
Can you guys tell me where I can buy a faucet like this? Thanks!
Hi Melissa! Here’s a couple of links to faucets like this!
https://amzn.to/2cr6y5r
https://amzn.to/2cS2gcS
https://amzn.to/2c6Fuwy
Hope that helps!