What is the best solution for hard water stains on my sink and tub?

We have all seen them in sinks, tubs and toilets—ugly calcium deposits and water stains. Where do they come from? The answer is they come from the rain.

You may recall learning about the Water Cycle in grade school. Water evaporates from the earth’s surface and forms clouds. When the temperature conditions are right, it condenses and falls as rain absorbing some carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This makes the rainwater slightly acidic. As a result, when it hits the ground and permeates through the soil and rock, it dissolves and absorbs minute amounts of various minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron. This is how water becomes “hard.”

This hard water eventually finds its way into your municipal water system where it is treated for a variety of potential biological hazards. This water treatment process, however, does not remove these dissolved minerals. As you use water in your sink, tub and toilet, over time there is a build up of mineral residue. These appear as white or rust-colored stains on your bathroom fixtures.

There are a number of options for eradicating these hard water stains. There are several commercial products available such as CLR or Lime Away that claim to remove them effectively.

Then there are the home remedies such as soaking the stained tap or faucet in vinegar or a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice. This is highly recommended for calcium stains. A paste of baking soda and vinegar can also be used for gently scrubbing a particularly stubborn stain on a porcelain surface. One website even suggests using a paste made of cream of tartar and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide.

Perhaps the best solution for this problem is to prevent the stains in the first place, rather than searching for ways to remove them. This involves installing a full house water treatment system to soften your hard water by removing the minerals before they reach your fixtures. Most companies that sell water softener systems will do a free test to determine how hard your water is.