Mineral build-up on your faucets and showerheads isn’t just icky looking. It also reduces the efficiency of water pipes and appliances. Mineral build-up is often a sign of hard water. Water is considered “hard” if it has a high concentration of dissolved minerals like magnesium and calcium. These minerals form scum, film, or lime scale.
We all like our fixtures and appliances to sparkle and gleam. Lucky for you, we have some great ideas on how to remove mineral build-up from your fixtures and appliances and prevent it from coming back.
Removing Mineral Build-Up
- Sink Fixtures and Showerheads
Attach a bag filled with white vinegar around the showerhead or facet with a rubber band. Leave it overnight. Then, remove the bag and scrub the fixture with a cloth. You may need to remove the aerator and clean it with a soft toothbrush if the fixture is heavily saturated with minerals.
- Shower Doors
Spray with white vinegar or white wine to remove limescale and hard water stains from glass. You can also try CLR and a fine steel wool and scrub in a circular motion. Hard water etches glass over time so you may not be able to restore the glass to 100 percent.
- Dishwasher
Fill a small container with one cup of distilled white vinegar on both the top and bottom racks and run a regular wash cycle without dishes or detergent.
- Washing Machine
Run an empty load on the largest cycle with hot water and 1 cup of vinegar. After it has run a few minutes, add ½ cup of baking soda and continue to run. The rinse cycle will remove the vinegar and baking soda.
- Toilets
Adding white vinegar to the toilet tank will get rid of hard water stains. Scrub the bowl with vinegar and baking soda and let it sit for up to 30 minutes.
- Coffee Maker
Running a cycle with white vinegar instead of water will help remove mineral deposits. Run two more cycles with water before brewing your coffee.
- Sinks and Tubs
Spraying sinks and tubs with lemon juice or vinegar will help the fight against soap scum. You may have to do this multiple times.
Preventing Mineral Build-Up
We can’t control the quality of water coming into our home, but we can help improve its quality after it gets inside. If you’re tired of constantly having to clean that icky build-up from your faucets and appliances, the simplest solution is to install a home water softener. You’ll enjoy better quality water that won’t wreck your fixtures and appliances.
Do the benefits of a water softener sound good to you? Our experts will help you choose the right product for your household’s water demands. Now is the perfect time to invest in your home and your water! Just contact us to get started!
