How to Remove Hard Water Spots

Co-authored by Erik Bakirov

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 Approved

Hard water is water with a high amount of mineral deposits like lime, silica, and calcium. When the water dries, the deposits are left behind, leaving unsightly spots on glass or ceramic surfaces, particularly in bathrooms and kitchens. If you're tired of looking at the brown or white scum that has collected in your living spaces, you can use vinegar or something stronger to clean it up. See Step 1 to learn how to brighten your kitchen and bathroom surfaces in no time.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Cleaning Light Spots

1
Make a vinegar solution. Vinegar - cheap, natural, white vinegar - is the best tool you can use to combat those every day hard water spots that keep your surfaces from gleaming. Prepare a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. ^{[1]
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- If you're using a spray bottle that used to contain chemicals or other ingredients, make sure you wash it out thoroughly before you add the vinegar and water mixture.
- Be sure to use regular white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar and other types of vinegar won't do the trick.
Whether it's your glass shower door, the sink or your floor tiles, go ahead and spray those spots with vinegar. Vinegar has a pungent smell but it's completely safe to use on surfaces other than wood. Spray the area thoroughly, making sure you don't miss any spots.

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Light hard water stains should come right off. If you'd prefer you can instead pour the vinegar solution into a bowl and soak a rag in the solution, then use that to clean our surfaces.
Then buff dry with a clean cloth. Make sure it's totally dry - otherwise, the water will leave more spots!
Remove faucet aerators and shower heads periodically and soak them in vinegar. A brush will help to loosen stubborn deposits.
The toilet bowl may also be stained with hard water spots. Vinegar works to clean these stains, too. Pour 1 1/2 cups of vinegar in the toilet bowl. Use the toilet scrubber to scrub the spots until they're gone. Flush the toilet to get rid of the vinegar.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Getting Rid of Tougher Scum

1
Try letting the vinegar sit on the hard water spots. If you let it sit and soak in for a few minutes instead of wiping it off right away, it'll have more time to break down the mineral deposits holding the scum in place. Let it soak in for a good 5 - 10 minutes before you try to wipe it off. Use a scrub brush to loosen thicker deposits.
- You can also soak a towel in the vinegar solution and drape it over the stained surface. This works well for shower floors and bathtubs. ^{[2]
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2
Use a cleaner with hydrochloric acid. Look for a bathroom cleaner made for getting rid of hard water stains and soap scum. This should be a last resort, since hydrochloric acid is a harsh chemical. ^{[3]
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Research source} Make sure the room is well-ventilated - open the windows and turn on the fans - then spray the stained area with the appropriate cleaner. Wipe it away, then rinse the surface with water and dry it.
- Be sure to wear gloves when handles hydrochloric acid.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Preventing Hard Water Spots

After you take a shower or bath, or splash water in your kitchen, use a dry towel to wipe the surfaces. This will mop up the mineral deposits before they can dry out and leave spots. ^{[4]
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You can add a water softener to your washing machine to prevent calcium deposits from building up. Powder or liquid water softeners are available at hardware stores. ^{[5]
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If your water is extremely hard and you're tired of dealing with the mess it leaves - it's hard on hair and skin as well as bathroom surfaces - consider getting a system installed that will remove the mineral deposits from your water. This is an expensive option, but it might be worth the trouble.

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Question

My bathtub has had a hard water stain for a long time. I have tried many methods, but the stain cannot be removed. What can I do?

Community Answer

Sprinkle powdered orange drink mix on the stain and let it set for 30 minutes. Sometimes, this can work better than store-bought cleansers.

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How do I clean a hard water stain on a tub surround?

Community Answer

What is the material of the tub surround? If it’s marble, avoid vinegar or descaler because it will etch the surface. For anything else, you can use vinegar. Heat it up and pour it over paper towels that are placed on the areas that you want to clean. Make sure that the paper towels are kept drenched with vinegar for hours. Use a non-scratching white nylon scrubber to remove partially dissolved mineral deposits. When you are satisfied, dry and wax the area for future prevention of deposits. Note: This will not work if the area that you want to descale is dirty and has a film of soap scum on it, so clean it first with a cleaner (without bleach in it) before moving on to descaling with vinegar.

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Question

How would I remove hard water spots from the exterior of a stainless steel dishwasher?

Community Answer

Use Barkeepers Friend. You can find this at Walmart and other stores. Follow their instructions for use.

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Tips

Use paste car wax after cleaning shower doors, walls and faucet. It will help very much to keep soap scum and hard water spots from building up. ^{[6]
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Research source} Don't apply the car wax to floors and carpets.

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In the future, try to watch for water spots and get them as soon as possible because they will be much easier to remove when they are "fresh."

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Try using a roll of strip cotton to wrap around the taps. This can usually be purchased (and lasts a long time) from a beauty supply. Wrap around for fit (size) and tear off strip. Soak it in the cleaning solution and wrap. It doesn't fall apart as easily as toilet paper does.

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Warnings

When working on a car, immediately wash and wax the car afterwards, as the vinegar will remove your wax.

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Things You'll Need

white vinegar
towel
plastic spray bottle
clean cloth
small brush

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How to Remove Hard Water Spots

Steps

Cleaning Light Spots

Getting Rid of Tougher Scum

Preventing Hard Water Spots

Community Q&A

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

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