What causes hard water stains?
Table of Contents,
Hard water consists of dissolved minerals at a very high level in which iron, magnesium, and calcium are the most common ones. As water is a good solvent so whenever it travels between rocks and soil, some minerals are added in it, which although becomes invisible but come into your water supply.
So, when you wash your pans and pots from this hard water, some minerals will stick to them in form of white residue or sometimes these minerals cause orange or blue color.
How To Remove Hard Water Stains
If you are washing your utensils with hard water, you must observe different stains caused by hard water on them. These stains are different minerals that are left behind causing white marks when the water is left to air dry.
It might seem a difficult task to remove such stains and cause frustration when you see your cooking gears not clean even after cleaning. Some people spend a lot of time removing these stains while others simply ignore them. Whereas all you need is the use of the right tools at right time.
So here we are providing some effective actions to tackle these stains in the best possible way:
General Care Tips
Following are the tips that you must follow in order to avoid hard water stains.
- Best way of cleaning your pots and pans is thoroughly handwashing of them with soapy and hot water and then drying this cookware with soft piece of cloth before storing them.
- To avoid stains, wipe up the drops of water quickly and do not let the excess water to settle down.
- It is best to install some water filtration system which will help to avoid these stains.
Cleaning Methods
Following are some techniques that you can use to remove stains from pots and pans:
- Vinegar and water
For removing hard water stains on stainless steel, the most popular cleaner is white vinegar. It neither stinks nor has any type of bad smell.
For fewer stains, use an equal amount of water with the vinegar and clean the stained pots with this diluted mixture. However, if there remain still some stains, heat the mixture for at least 10-15 minutes and then use it for cleaning the pots.
On the other hand, you can soak the pots and pans in this vinegar mixture or can leave them overnight for removing old sticky white residue
- Tang
In order to get rid of hard water stains, one of the quickest and easiest ways is mixing of tang juice with any dishwashing soap. It contains ascorbic acid, which helps in getting rid of calcium deposits and works efficiently in connection with most dishwashers.
- Hydrogen Peroxide & Cream Of Tartar
hydrogen peroxide is the best cleaner for stubborn water stains and soap scum that accumulate on metal fixtures and bathtubs. Add it with baking powder and cream of tartar and make a paste and then apply it to the pigmented area. Let this paste settle down for at least 30 minutes and then remove it by scrubbing to get the best results.
- Baking Soda
Making a paste of baking soda with water is another effective solution and also a natural cleaner. This paste can also be applied on ceramic pans affected by hard water stains. Scrub this paste with any bristled brush or toothbrush after few minutes of applying so it can penetrate the stains deeply and thoroughly and get a new clean look of your tiles.
- Fluoride Toothpaste
Fluoride toothpaste is used for cleaning and protecting our teeth from dental caries and cavity etc. but this product is also much efficient at removing hard water stains. It works best on glass as well as metal fixtures.
- Sponge or Soft Cloth
Using abrasives can scratch the metals, which accepts more stains, so there is no need to use them of stainless-steel pans and pots. Instead, you should use a soft piece of cloth or sponge so the deposits can be scrubbed off gently.
This method works well for deposits of hard water and especially calcium. But in some cases, some stains become stubborn and do not go away easily. In this condition, you should avoid reaching such a state by taking proper care of cookware in terms of thorough washing and wiping them.
There are many sprays in the market that can make your job easy and remove these stains from the bottom of pains very easily. I will recommend you to use bioclean hard water stain remover. you need to spend a few bucks on it and it will benefit you for years.
How to Get Rid of Calcium Deposits in Pots
Hard water mainly contains a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. Therefore, if there is some white chalky residue is left behind in the interior of your cooking pans and pots, then it will be a calcium deposit. Calcium deposits are left behind when hard water remains in utensils for a longer period. Even drying the cookware with air after washing with hot water also causes calcium deposits. Therefore, dry your utensils quickly and immediately after washing them so that there remain no calcium deposits.
Following are a few actions that must be followed to avoid calcium deposits.
- Keep your cookware dry
Moist places cause the formation of calcium deposits. Therefore, all your cooking utensils must be dried thoroughly to prevent the formation of such white calcium stains.
- Clean with Mixture that fight calcium build-up
For cleaning pans and pots, Lemon juice and diluted vinegar (Vinegar and water mixture) etc. are excellent cleaning solutions for keeping hard water stains away.
Remember, not to use harsh chemicals with such cleaning solutions.
- Soften your water
Another solution of avoiding these stains is making use of a water softener in the hard water. This will help to remove unwanted minerals from hard water and in return turn the water soft.
- Do frequent cleaning
Clean your cooking utensils frequently so that there will remain no chances of accumulation of calcium deposits.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Stainless steel is corroded by a few acids like sulfuric acid, where vinegar contains acetic acid, and it is perfectly safe to use diluted vinegar. And using vinegar with clean water is good to use for avoiding minor corrosion.
Hard water stains can be found on the glass such as on the walls of the shower in the form of thick soap scum and spots. Natural Multi-Surface Cleaner is best for the removal of these stains. Baking soda paste can also be used for this purpose.