• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Activities for kids
    • Books
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Toys
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breads and Rolls
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dietary restrictions
      • Clean Eating
      • Gluten Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Just Crockpot Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Side Dish
    • Snacks
  • Grandma’s Lifestyle
    • Beauty/Makeup
    • Book Reviews
    • Crafts for Home Decor
    • Fashion
    • Get Me Organized! (Cleaning tips too)
    • Hobbies
    • Lifestyle
    • Nutrition
    • Relationships
    • Technology
  • Travel
    • Personal Travel
    • Places to take Grandkids
      • Midwest U.S.
      • Northeast U.S.
      • Northwest U.S.
      • Southeast U.S.
      • Southwest U.S.
  • Reviews on kid stuff!
    • Books
    • Games
    • Toys
  • Holidays
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Misc. Holidays
    • New Year’s Eve
    • Patriotic Holidays
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Service Opportunities
  • Free Printables

Get Me Organized! (Cleaning too!)

Remove Hard Water Deposits

Pin
Share
Post

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.DSC_0877

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!

DSC_0869

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.

DSC_0881

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.

DSC_0881

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!

Debbie

signature-debbie

For more cleaning ideas that really “rock,” check these out!

Click on the picture to go to the article

Magic-Window-Cleaner

Super Stubborn Grease Stain Remover

This-gets-stubborn-stains-out-fast.-I-thought-I-was-going-to-have-to-through-this-dress-away-353x1024

Easy Shower Mold Solution

 

 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

 

Remove Hard Water Deposits with Two Ingredients!

 

 

Pin
Share
Post


50 Comments

« Super Saturday Link Party #36
DIY Alphabet Pillow »

Comments

  1. Mary Beth @ Cupcakes and Crinoline says

    March 22, 2014 at 10:18 pm

    Thank you so much for sharing, Debbie, and I am very happy that it worked so well for you!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      March 22, 2014 at 10:26 pm

      Mary Beth…it sure did! Thanks for your great post…we love your blog!! Deb – The Oldest Sister

      Reply
    • Mary Lou Unger says

      April 4, 2016 at 9:21 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Debbie says

        April 10, 2016 at 8:27 am

        One thing that I add extra into my dishwasher is LemmiShine. I get it at Wal-Mart and for me it works wonders!

        Reply
      • June Kessinger says

        September 23, 2016 at 7:45 pm

        I use a pack of koolaide. Just plain old, unsweetened koolaide powder. It works.

        Reply
  2. Bob says

    March 23, 2014 at 7:03 am

    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

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      March 23, 2014 at 7:20 am

      Bob….good to know. Thanks for the heads up! Deb

      Reply
  3. Jenna says

    March 24, 2014 at 5:56 am

    Where does one buy cleaning vinegar? I’ve never seen or heard of it before. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      March 24, 2014 at 3:53 pm

      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

      Reply
  4. Erlene says

    March 30, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    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.

    Reply
  5. Erlene says

    March 30, 2014 at 5:09 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      March 30, 2014 at 7:52 pm

      Erlene…you just made my day! Pretty slick huh? Deb – The Oldest Sister

      Reply
    • marilyn says

      October 26, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      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!

      Reply
  6. Angela Says says

    April 25, 2014 at 10:23 am

    I love using vinegar for removing hard water deposits. I had never thought to add salt though but it makes sense.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      April 25, 2014 at 8:30 pm

      I know…right? I have never used it either but it worked SOOOO good! Deb

      Reply
  7. Julia says

    April 26, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      April 27, 2014 at 10:52 pm

      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

      Reply
    • Nancy Cornett says

      May 20, 2014 at 8:26 pm

      Well apparently it was a secret to lots of us, judging by the comments here and the Pinterest pins.

      Reply
  8. nicole says

    May 8, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    would it work on a stainless steel fridge?

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      May 8, 2014 at 9:47 pm

      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

      Reply
  9. Nancy Cornett says

    May 20, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      May 20, 2014 at 10:14 pm

      Wow! Great to know Nancy. Thanks so much! Deb

      Reply
  10. Christina says

    July 12, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Would this help remove hard water stains on a shower glass door or do you have another solution for that?

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      July 12, 2014 at 8:38 pm

      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!

      Reply
  11. Jackie says

    July 17, 2014 at 10:11 am

    I purchased Heinz cleaning vinegar at Walmart. It’s 6% and can also safe for cooking.

    Reply
  12. Alphamomma says

    July 23, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      July 23, 2014 at 12:57 pm

      Great tip! Thanks so much for passing that along. Deb

      Reply
    • Amie says

      November 3, 2014 at 12:15 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Debbie says

        November 3, 2014 at 6:28 pm

        Oh no! So sorry to hear about that. Just a few minutes did the trick for me!

        Reply
  13. Marilyn says

    August 26, 2014 at 8:05 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      August 26, 2014 at 11:36 pm

      Great tip Marilyn! Thanks!

      Reply
  14. Megan says

    January 31, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      February 2, 2015 at 1:23 pm

      Boy Megan, I THINK it would work but you may want to test a small area first so that it doesn’t ruin anything.

      Reply
    • Mickey says

      March 26, 2015 at 8:24 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Debbie says

        March 27, 2015 at 4:18 pm

        haha sure glad you take your fish out first! But vinegar works magic!!

        Reply
  15. Madeline says

    April 7, 2015 at 11:04 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      April 8, 2015 at 9:33 pm

      Madeline, I would love to hear how this works for you and we are so glad that you stopped by! Deb

      Reply
  16. Rischelle says

    November 11, 2015 at 5:28 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      November 16, 2015 at 4:08 pm

      Darn! I don’t know what to suggest Rischelle. I did minimal scrubbing and things came right off. Did you get the cleaning vinegar?

      Reply
  17. Niko says

    January 16, 2016 at 9:24 am

    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!!!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      January 16, 2016 at 2:17 pm

      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!

      Reply
  18. HeatherB says

    February 22, 2016 at 11:06 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Debbie says

      February 23, 2016 at 10:57 am

      I think I got mine at Wal-Mart but have seen it other places since finding out about it. Good luck!

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      September 8, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Can you guys tell me where I can buy a faucet like this? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Debbie says

        September 12, 2016 at 5:42 pm

        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!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome to TGIF – This Grandma is Fun!

GrandmaDTS
Come join Sherri, Tracy and Debbie as we share fun ideas to do with grandkids! With 12 grandchildren between us (and more to come!) we are loving this time of life and want to share what we are doing to make lasting memories and to uplift and support our families. We hope you come back often!

Copyright © 2025 · THIS GRANDMA IS FUN · PRIVACY POLICY