Monday Funday! {okay, I know…laaame.}
My little family and I just got back from Tennessee a couple days ago and let me tell you…we left our house clean and within an hour of being home it looked like a tornado had hit. You know…walk in the door, throw down suitcases, pull out the kiddos toys, eat, now there is dirty dishes in the sink…need I say more? So today I have been scrambling around to make things tidy again. I have got the ‘clean freak’ vibe goin’ on. This feeling is few and far between friends….especially for a Monday!
I was scoping out blogs and my dear friend GOOGLE for quite some time trying to find a natural hard water stain removal product. I looked at hundreds {maybe hundreds is a little dramatic 
} 30 something recipes before I decided to just create my own remedy. I cleared off the counters, gathered up some products from my pantry, found an empty spray bottle and started the mixing process! {Of course I had researched about all the items before I started mixing things together!} Here’s what I found worked!
INGREDIENTS:
Before I show you the results I want to show you what I’m dealing with….
{Gag} Disgusting right?! That is what our sink looked like ALL the time even after I used products on it.
RECIPE:
{{For extreme hard water stains, I would suggest pouring a little baking soda on the tough spots first, let it sit for 5 mins and rinse before doing this remedy.}}
*Fill up nearly half of a spray bottle with vinegar.
*Now add 1/4 cup lemon juice.
*Fill up the majority of the remaining space in spray bottle with your soap of choice.
*Shake up that bottle and soak those stubborn stains baby.
*Let it sit for 30 mins….
*Now, time to scrub that grime away!
*Rinse and dry {and be amazed }.
Do you remember that nasty pic I showed you in the beginning? Well check it out now…
Here’s a before and after pic…
Pretty fantastic right?? I have tried many different products and never have I received results like this! {Pumped!!!}
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great DIY!
after you make that mixture, is it ok to leave the extra in the bottle?
It is okay to leave the remaining liquid in the bottle. I actually have it stored with the rest of my cleaning supplies and pull out the bottle and use it when necessary!
awesome! thank you! I’m going to try it right now
I loved reading what you shared with us! And I admire you (living in Indiana…we moved FROM central Illinois 31 yrs ago partly because we hated the climate!!!) Your hard water removal formula is GREAT!!! And a really natural solution. Keep sharing your life with us! */*
Thank you!!! So nice of you
) I’m glad the solution worked too !
This is terrific. Thanks to my daughter who passed the tip along. Good for you!
Thanks! I use it frequently… can’t live without it now
Glad you are pleased!
How about the bottom of a shower? Do you know of anything that is good for cleaning that? Thank you! Awesome tip!
I’ve heard many others just use half vinegar and half dawn soap in a spray bottle. Spray the bottom of the shower and let it soak for 30 mins. Scrub, rinse and wipe away!
What a great idea! Can you use this on glass as well?
I’ve not tried it on glass yet but that’s a great idea! I would say it is safe to use it as a hard water remover on glass but as you know I’m sure, it wouldn’t do well as a glass cleaner! I’ll be sure to try it on glass this evening and update the results!
I’ve used this on outside windows and rinsed with water from the hose. Beautiful! No streaks!
i love to clean glass with a microfiber cloth (from the dollar store
rinsed in hot water. scrub the mirror and rub dry with a lint free towel, for example an old baby spit rag from the hospital or a hanes men’s undershirt.
works like a dream, no chemicals necessary At All!
Natalie I wanted to let you know that it doesn’t work quite as well on glass. I found on http://www.frugaliciousme.com/2011/07/totally-tasha-tuesday-upcycled-ts.html that alcohol and water work for glass. I haven’t tried it before but another blog suggested it!
My husband often uses plain water and ammonia spray’s on and wipes off with a lint free rag or paper towels. Works great and streak free.
Growing up, my mom would mix some concoction of dish soap, alcohol and water (maybe something else too) but I didn’t find that solution would leave everything streak free like the water and ammonia does.
Also, my sister has been converted to Norwex clothes. Two microfiber clothes. Use one for washing and the other for drying. It is pretty impressive how much crap one of those clothes can pick up that a normal cloth can’t…. only thing is, those clothes cost quite a bit.
She also uses vinegar and water on glass (quite a few glass cleaners that uses it) however: this concoction will not work on had water stains on shower doors. Last Thursday I was cleaning a shower door and decided to try this since everyone claims it works. I soaked paper towels in vinegar and water then adhered them to the glass. Every so often I would go back and spray with same concoction but added Dawn since it would help it adhere better. After cleaning a massive kitchen (4000 sqft home) and everything else in the bath I removed the paper towels …. nothing. At least nothing impressive. Don’t waste your time! Why it would work on stainless sinks and faucets and not glass is beyond me.
I used this solution on my shower doors and surround and it worked great! The soap scum and hard water stains had been there for years. No product I tried would remove it, until this concoction! I sprayed it on the doors, let it sit for about an hour and then used a magic eraser to wipe it off. Our “frosted” doors are now clear! Some soap scum on the tub/shower surround had to be re-sprayed, but all in all this worked better than all the products I’ve purchased over the years. I’ve been using it all over my house!
a friend has a professional window cleaning service and he recommends sudsy ammonia, dawn and plain water mixture to clean windows. It is a strong smelling mix as he mixs 5 cups ammonia to 1/4 cup of dawn dishwashing liquid(blue) and the remaining fill of a gallon with plain warm water..on exterior he uses a squeegee and interior NEWSPAPER! my windows never looked so good!
I use equal parts vinegar and tap water on glass with a lint free cloth or newspaper and will never go to anything else. I really look forward to the lemon juice cleaner to tackle my dad’s house mua haha!
Magic eraser and hot water on glass shower doors cuts through soap build up like butter. On windows, plain hot water works great. Streak free and chemical free…
The best glass cleaner I have found is half vinegar and half water and a big spoonful of corn starch. Yep Corn Starch like you use in gravy. You will be amazed
Awesome…i love it, came off quite easily!!!
Fantastic! Glad to hear!
Definitely going to try this since nothing else has worked.
Let me know how you like it!
It was the ONLY thing that worked for my insane hard water stains.
what can i use in replace of the lemon juice is it okay for me to use grapfruit juice?
You could try grapefruit juice if you’d like! This sounds kind of strange but I would actually try to use club sofa in replace of lemon juice!
Would lime worm instead of lemon juice
Worked 100% amazinly on my hard water stains on my faucet!!! Thank you so much, woohoo! My facuet now works as a mirror too, so happy!
YAY!! Happy to hear it worked just as well for you as for me! Thanks for the positive feedback
Oh, and CLR couldn’t even get that stuff off!
THANK YOU! I did this a few weeks ago but didn’t know I had to let it SIT! I will be trying it again the right way!
I let mine sit for a SOLID 30 mins so it could do it’s magic. Definitely try it again and share the results!
We have water stains on our granite around our faucet (our granite is sealed too). Wonder if this will work on granite or harm the granite?
I just checked into that and it seems there is a chance it could damage the granite. I found on http://www.frugaliciousme.com/2011/07/totally-tasha-tuesday-upcycled-ts.html that Lavender Oil and Baking Soda work for granite. I have not tried the combination together but if you click on the link it should explain more!
I have a black granite sink do you think it would work? I have heavy hard water stains around the fauset and handle of my sink?
I would be cautious to use it on granite. It can possibly damage it because of the lemon juice. I suggested to another reader to try Lavender Oil and Baking Soda on granite. For more info on how to use that combo check out this bloggers site… Http://www.frugaliciousme.com/2011/07/totally-Tasha-Tuesday-upcycled-ts.html
Could this work on a toilet?
It’s perfect to use on a toilet! It washes those unsightly rings around the bowl away!
I tried this today and I’m impressed! I’ve used vinegar before but the spray bottle and lemon juice are helpful too. Really got the hard water stains off. Unfortunately, my apt sink looks like maybe someone has messed up the finish or something…there are still weird stains on mine. Some areas of dark streaks where it’s obvious water has been running down the side, and other areas where it looks like maybe some other strong cleaner ate away at the finish and messed it up maybe? Any ideas for those dark streaks? Doesn’t come off no matter how hard I scrub =(
Pleased to hear you saw an improvement! The last thing I would suggest for your sink would be to use bicarb soda with white vinegar. Rub on with a cloth or sponge, rinse off with hot water, dry with a towel. Good luck!
Years ago, I used a product called ‘Restore4′. I don’t know if it’s still around. But it took a yellow (with age), 20 year old kitchen sink and made it look like new. They also had products for floors and hard surfaces.
restore 4 works great…the wood restore kept me from having to replace all the trim…amazing stuff
I have seen what your talking about before. I worked at a gas station and one of the other girls used toilet cleaner on the faucet and it ate the finish off and left some dark streaking. I bet that someone before you tried the same thing.
Wondering about the hard water build up in my electric steel kettle? the heating elements are all internal (hidden) so you can’t see them. I’m excited to try this out.
Let me know how it works for you!
Add a bunch of water, and about a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Don’t turn it on. Let it sit over night. Wash it out in the morning. I’ve done this with mine and it works like a charm.
The reason this works is because of the acidity of the solution. Therefore, I would NOT suggest using baking soda on the stains before using the solution. Baking soda will neutralize some of the acidity of the cleaner and make it less effective.
Thank you for your suggestion!
Does this only work on stainless steel sinks? Mine is ceramic I think. Thanks for the tip! I’m so excited to try it!!
According to the attached link below, vinegar and lemon juice are supposed to be a great cleaner for ceramic! Please click and read the link info before attempting though!
http://www.ehow.com/info_7764317_vinegar-harm-ceramic-shower-cleanup.html
Oh. My. Goodness! I am so glad I found this via Pinterest. I have tried everything (everything!) to get rid of hard water stains and nothing has even come CLOSE to working this well. Thank you SO much! We are moving and now my sink and faucet won’t look gross anymore! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Yayyy! I LOVE hearing positive results! Thank you for your comment
Hope your move goes smoothly!
Spray down the clean sink, shower walls/doors, sink, etc, with Pledge every day. The “wax” repels the hard water so it won’t adhere to faucet, etc.
Thanks for the tip!!
I would love to know, is that Pledge… like for polishing furniture?(wood) wow, wouldn’t think…
I use car wax to polish my stainless steel sink and bench after I have cleaned them. Water and other fluids bead and run straight off. Takes much longer between “big” cleans.
I use a paper towel with some olive oil on it to shine the sink once or twice a month.
Use car wax that says it is “Carnuba” on your fiberglass showers and laminate counter tops. Apply and polish with clean cloth…It will shine for a couple of months and water just runs off.
this really works. I had tile for the first time in a new home, my tile guy told me about pledge (lemon oil) it worked when we moved out 4 years later it still looked brand new and no water spots ever.
Doesn’t it make you tub slippery?
My sink is so bad I have considered replacing it. I AM TRYING THIS TODAY! I will let you know my results. THANKS !!!!
Great! Good luck
Well, I sure am impressed AND pleased! I have tried so many products over the years, this is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for your comments ladies!!
I am from New Zealand and this is on my” to do list”! thanks heaps, amazing power of the good old lemon and vinegar! We use these two simple things on our steel grill at work in a restaurant, it comes up shiny and silver like new!
Has anyone tried this on shower doors that have soap and hard water build up? I have tried numerous products and cannot get the shower doors clean, they are really bad… I was also thinking of using a magic sponge but I am afraid of scratching or damaging the glass… I might try your solution…
I use equal parts vinegar and blue dawn on the soap scum in the shower, I’m excited to try this one inthe kitchen!
I have used the Magic Eraser on the glass shower doors – it doesn’t work. I still have a very light film on mine – I do use shower spray after every shower – but I can’t seem to get the rest of it off.
I tried this on a shower that I was sure we needed to replace due to the grime (past homeowners NEVER cleaned it- I’m sure) Guess what? After trying this…and then recaulking the entire shower, it looks BRAND NEW! My husband thanks you for saving us a few hundred dollars!!!!
YAY!! I LOVE hearing the positive results from other people! Thanks for sharing
)
I just did my shower doors today and they look so good now I could cry!! Crystal clear! I used the exact recipe posted, let it sit and very lightly scrubbed (just to make sure the solution was spread everywhere).
I live in NM where the lime scale is extremely bad. I cut a lemon in half, wiped it on the shower door, let it sit for a few minutes and then used one of those green and yellow scotch scrubbers and it came off with no problems.
I have used this on my glass shower doors. Tried everything under the sun & nothing has worked except for this. Spray it on & let sit 1/2 hr- 1hr. Reapply if some of the water spots are still there. My shower door has never looked this good. AMAZING stuff!!!
YAY!!! So excited for you
use a razor blade first….the flat kind that u use to scrape paint off glass…it can be used on a flat top glass top stove also…
I have cleaned my shower door with a wet fabric softener dryer sheet. I but the cheapest ones I can find and I also use them to wash my car-it gets off bugs very well.
I just tried this and I have to admitt… I was a bit skeptical. I have tried so many things on my nasty, grungy kitchen sink and they work okay. Not great… Just okay. So, when I read this I figured I would just have mediocre result. Boy was i wrong!!!! My sink looks AMAZING!!!! Thank you so much for putting your dirty sink out there for all of us too see!! I truly appreciate it!!!!
Thanks for great comment Sara!!! I was in the same position…I tried many different products on my sink and I was ready to give up and just buy one. I was SO thrilled with the results & I’m pleased to hear you are too!
Has anyone tried it on granite?
Thanks so much for sharing this i have been battling hard water in our new home, it builds up so quickly. With three little ones i don’t have time to scrub all day, wears me out! Anyway it works great i love it.
Great!
I have a little one myself so I totally understand.
Thanks for the comment!
Be careful wearing your jewelry when you use cleaning products. Some of the products will pit, discolor, stain etc. your rings and stones.
So true! I’m horrible about not wearing gloves or taking off my rings! :-/
after cleaning ,rub wax-paper on your faucet & etc and it will repel the water making it easier to clean in the future
what about hard water build up on the inside of a dishwasher which has a stainless steel interior?
I used it on a stainless steel sink so it should work perfectly!
Not sure I would put the dish detergent mixture into a dishwasher. (foam) Try running a HOT cycle and use Country Time lemonade mix instead of your usual dishwasher formula. You won’t believe how clean it gets everything!
I have used half water and half after shave cologne. Works well as the after shave has alcohol in it. Leaves a nice smell (depending on the after shave)! Love using this on the inside car windows.
Great way to use up all the colognes hubby gets as gifts, but really doesn’t like.
I saw some people used it in showers, would it work on those plastic shower walls or ruin them because of the lemon?
Chemically, lemon juice and vinegar are basically the same thing – acids. Vinegar is acetic acid and lemon juice is citric acid. So you could leave out the lemon juice and the solution might last longer.
Also – I am pretty much horrified that you just randomly tossed things in bottles without knowing anything about chemistry, and actually had an EXPLOSION! Some commercial products, when mixed together, will release chlorine gas which could actually kill you, and your baby. Please be careful about the experimenting, it’s not as safe or “fun” as you seem to think.
I experimented with baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar combinations. It more or less just bubbled over. Thank you for your concern though.
In your defense, when I read “gathered up some products from my pantry”, I assumed it wasn’t chemicals/cleaners your were speaking of, as you usually wouldn’t store those items in a pantry, lol! Thanks for the great tip!
Cant wait I try this!!
thanks for the share!
@ rachelle, I did the half vinegar/dish soap mix, I sprayed it on half of the shower floor, and let it sit for a couple hours… I had an extremely yucky floor in the shower-and so I did scrub with a scrubbing sponge, it came off(slightly) so I sprayed it again scrubbed, and closed the doors and let it sit over night!
I was eager to see what happened over night-that’s how bad I wanted it clean
Jumped in, scrubbed with my foot and sponge…. It was a stronger vinegar smell then I’m sure I should’ve been breathing. Haha ok so scrubbed with the foot, turned the water on, and it disappeared!! Ah.maz.ing!!
I used 1 cup vinegar put in the microwave for about 60 seconds, pour in bottle. Add 1 cup blue dish soap. Swirl around, and use! Rinse with water…
What does the lemon juice do? I’d think that the vinegar alone with the soap would work as well.
I tried it and it was great!!! the faucet is sparkly! thank you so very much
For every one with granite questions…Whink makes a product specifically for hard water calcium that builds up. I am self employed cleaning lady for 15 years…used it many times on the faucet/granite combo, takes it right off, no harm to the granite…
As for the shower doors, and acrylic and fiberglass shower walls, go to Dollar General and get the two pack Scrub and Wipe sponges. Use THE WHITE SIDE, not the mesh side. Generously soak the surface with NON ARESOL Scrubbing Bubbles. Get the sponge wet. Wet. The water activates the soap. The scum should come off with minimal scrubbing. If it seems that you are working hard, spray more cleaner and reset the sponge. Dollar General brand is the only one that works. Don’t go get the Target, Walmart etc version. They don’t work the same. For super stubborn stains in the floor or sinks, simply use Soft Scrub with Bleach.
I have cleaned some of the most heinous houses in my years, and they all come lovely clean with these products.
As for glass, windows, any hard surface, invest $6 on an Ultimate Cloth. They have a five year guarantee and they clean with just water. They can be bleached and run through the washer. I have not used glass cleaner since 2004. And the paper towel is obsolete in my cleaning retinue.
Sorry, Mrs. Long-winded is finished.
Thank you so much for your insight!
Everyone talked about using this mixture on stainless steel fixtures. Has anyone tried it on other type of sinks and faucets such as brushed nickel, etc that are so popular today?
I didn’t get a fast result, but over a course of several days using this in the shower and allowing it to sit overnight, the results are fantastic! I’m currently working on the tubs in the house. After baths are done, I spray it on and let it sit til next time and give it a bit of a scrub. Then after the next set of baths, do the same. Just takes a few days to get built up calcium off!! Love this cleaner!
This is really wonderful! Did a great job cleaning my shower handle and the area around it. I just wanted to point out, though, that it is *not* “all natural” as you imply in the bold part of your second paragraph. That part was really misleading, IMO. Otherwise, thanks for sharing your recipe!
It IS all natural if you were to use Simple Green as your soap ingredient.
This won’t harm a porcelain sink?
I tried using just vinegar in my dishwasher and noticed the glasses did not have as many spots on them. I am needing to know how much soap you put in? By the pictures it does not look like you used very much but you said the fill the rest with soap.
I topped off the rest of the bottle with the soap so the remaining of the space was filled. Let me know if you have more questions
I tried this two times in a row and it didn’t work. So not sure if I just have the worst hard stains ever or if I did something wrong. Also there is a part of the faucet the stem part (for a lack fo better lingo) that has the stains but when I spray the liquid on there is just runs off. Enough doesn’t stay on there…any suggestion there?
Maybe try soaking a rag or paper towel in the solution & wrapping it around the “stem” to sort of soak in?
I think I love you…I have tried every horrible chemical concoction available to remove hard water stains (esp from the shower doors). I’ve even gone against my “not-tested-on-animals” pledge to find ANYTHING that could save these doors only to have wasted money and bent my principles. THIS WORKS!!! My chrome faucets and glass shower doors look brand new and I feel so much better for using natural ingredients that didn’t harm animals (I used an ‘approved’ brand of dishsoap). You may have saved my sanity…I will forever be indebited to you.
That’s incredible!! So thankful to hear this! Thank you for your feedback
Try soaking a towel in the liquid and wrap it around the stem and let it sit for several hours. I clean my shower head by putting vinegar in a baggie and hang it with the shower nozel in the vinegar and then twist tie the baggie on the stem. I let it sit until I shower again. Cleans the calcium out of the spray head. So letting the wet towel sit on the stem might do the trick, it may take a few times, too.
I tried the vinegar/Dawn shower “recipe”. It worked well but it was horrid to rinse off. I tried other dishsoaps (I wanted something other than Dawn because I clean green and cruelty free) and the same thing happened. So now I have a few houses that I clean with really yucky shower/bath floors and I sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom and then sprinkle a little of the Method floor and surface cleaner (in clementine!). You can let it sit but you don’t have to. Cleans like a dream and smells heavenly. No horrid fumes.
I can’t wait to try this combination because I have a few houses that have spotty stainless sinks and have found nothing that works well. Thanks!!
Tried it out and it works fantastic!!!!
I am in SHOCK. I live in a small town in Switzerland and we have such hard water – I have never seen anything like it. I’ve been battling it for five years… but as of today my sink looks like the day we moved in. THANK YOU!
Thank YOU for following along with me! I’m so happy to hear the great results!
don’t use Method brand products on anything that will scratch like front of appliances, stainless or other metals. After it scratched my daughter’s brand new apartment fridge on the front, we read the ingredients and it has some kind of grit in it. Very misleading with the clear liquid that actually scratches.
Just a small word of advice for future readers! Using this mix without rinsing thoroughly creates streaks, so rinse really well. ALSO – the best glass/mirror cleaning method I have ever found is just a 50-50 mix of water and vinegar and instead of a papertowel or rag…….USE A COFFEE FILTER! Best thing I ever learned from working in the food industry!
Thank you for your input!
Very true that’s what I do too for my glass.
I’m gonna try this later!
Also, just this past weekend I rubbed some baby oil on our faucets and they don’t look as spotty yet!
Made this & it’s AMAZING! I use it on my flat top stove & it takes the burnt-on stuff off like nothing else I’ve tried! Might not add quite as much soap next time but this WORKS! Thanks for sharing!
That’s also one of my favorite ways to use this product! Thanks for the feedback
)
I’ll be trying this today!!! I’ve tried CLR, you name it and NOTHING has worked, so hoping today is the day— Wish me luck!
Done and super happy with the results!!! This will be my go-to all purpose cleaner from here on out, thanks for sharing!
Now— I have a question– I have an oak two shelf bookcase in my patio/lanai (as native Floridians would call it) and I have a Nautical Theme throughout. I would like to paint/antique this bookcase with a cream color, but I was thinking, (and this is where I am asking for your opinion, lol) before I apply the first coat of cream paint, what about painting the edges and corners with a grayish/blue paint, so that when I sand the corners and edges for the antique look, I’ve got an old bluish color peeking through?
Believe me, I’m new at this DIY-ing and I appreciate any tips or suggestions you might have!
Thank you!
YAY! I’m happy it worked well for you! I especially love using this product on my stove top to get off the grease and burnt nastiness that’s left on it after cooking.
)
In reply to your question, I LOVE the idea of painting it to look “antique”! I would suggest you sand everything FIRST and then paint a thin coat of your blue/grey paint over the whole piece of furniture. Once it’s dried then paint your main color and then sand the edges lightly for the antique look and for your first color to show through. Best of luck!!
I always heat vinegar up, being very careful not to breathe the steam in after the first time I did that, and dump it over hard water stains. No soak needed!
I sprayed this on the drip tray on our fridge door water dispenser, let it sit overnight, and the next morning it WIPED clean.
I have tried everything on that & used the toughest scouring pads I could find and they didn’t even touch the rust-colored scale that had built up there.
And for those who think that it is the same as just using vinegar, different minerals might react better to one or the other of the acids &, besides that, it sure smells nicer than straight vinegar!
I have a white finish on my Moen faucet to match my porcelain sink. I’ve tried soaking paper towels with vinegar and let it sit with some results, not as awesome as I’d like. I’m worried about this etching off the finish of the white powder coating material (or whatever it is). Anyone had any luck with limescale and hard water buildup on these types of fixtures? I use soft scrub with bleach for the sink and it works very well.
What about hard water buildup in my toilet bowl? I also have septic so i dont want to use anything that will upset the flora in my septic tank.
You said to use baking soda first for really tough water stains. Should I wet it to make a paste?
Thanks,
Nancy
I made sure the area with the hard water stains was damp with warm water and then sprinkled on the baking soda. Good luck!
Omg Iwill definately try this at home mom of 4 very difficult to clean and stay clean. So many tips thanx. Now I want to pick ur brain. How would u if at all possible take out the strain out of white ceramic floor tile. ? Would pray u have answer.
For cleaning old fiberglass tub/shower combos I use Lysol toilet bowl cleaner. Using gloves, just spread it on tub with scrubber pad. (No need to scrub, but the scrubber pad spreads the product nicely.) Wait about 10 minutes. Spread the product around again, then rinse. No scrubbing needed at all.
I need help with hard water on granite
I can usually get the hard water deposits up from granite with razor blade. But most importantly, cleaning up water puddlettes before the hard water forms deposits is ideal. Even a damp cloth leaves watery streaks. I’ve happened upon 1/2 water 1/2 alcohol… i am totally in love. safe and leaves granite sparkling! (dry cloth though:)
I’ve been using a vinegar and dish soap solution to clean the tub, but the kids complain loudly about the vinegar smell. Who would’ve guessed that adding lemon juice would make it all better? Thanks!!!
I tried this this morning on my bathtub and shower. OMG! My faucets sparkle! And forget “scrubbing”! I just wiped it off. Wipe. Wipe. Had to do a second go round in a couple places, but this just melted the soap scum and hard water right off. Thanks! This is my new go to for cleaning sinks and tubs now!
Reblogged this on Italian Brat's Obsessions.
Any tips for removing grease from cabinets? I just got my first apartment and the previous tenants loved cooking fried foods. I’ve been scrubbing the cabinets using everything from Lysol degreaser to dawn soap and they are still greasy
sticky to the touch.
Try a little goo gone. Or sometimes I use a little GoJo because I have a grease monkey husband and son who leave car grease smears around the house. I’ve also used Windex to help cut the grease. Whether your cabinets are laminate or finished wood, be careful not to scrub too hard and remove the finish. I’ve also used a magic eraser, but again a light hand is in order so you don’t mar the finish.
Thanks Paula! I actually tried a similar solution to this! I mixed baking soda, dish soap, and lemon juice together to make a paste and applied it to one of the cabinets overnight. The next day I scrubbed it off with a sponge and they are smooth! I can’t believe it worked! Now I can paint!
So glad you found a solution that worked for you Carly! Happy Painting!
i know it is a chemical but i use amonia non sudsing with hot water stinks while cleaning but no odor after it dries
Wet a rag, wrap wet rag around your index, middle and ring fingers. Add dawn dish soap to rag covered fingers and scrub. works great. On top of the cabinets just draw a line straight from the bottle and lightly scrub… notice how I said lightly.! No hard scrubbing needed. Yes it make it soapy and you’ll have to rinse; but a lot easier and cheaper than all the expensive “degreasing cleaners” I’ve tried.
What size spray bottle did you use?
I would also like to know this! I have a round spray bottle that looks much larger than the one posted in this above pic. It looks like 1/1 ration of Vinegar to Dish Soap with 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice. Anyone?
The size of the bottle is equivalent to a standard windex bottle.
Would this work on oil rubbed bronze fixtures?
Curious how to get hard water stains off the windows of my car without damaging the paint or getting tendinitis! I have to park my car outside and the sprinklers are killing me.
Holy cow!! THANK YOU!! This stuff is unreal! Works 100X better than store-bought chemicals. I never thought I would get my sinks nice again (hard water), bathtubs, etc.
You are awesome!
THANKS! I appreciate the feedback
So excited it worked as well for you as it did me!
THE GREATEST SOLUTION EVER TRIED FOR HARD WATER STAINS !!! IT WORKS AND I THOUGHT I’D TRIED EVERYTHING NOT TIL YOUR REMEDY! YOU GO GIRL!!! I CAN FINALLY BE HAPPY TO LOOK AT MY SINK! WOW, I CAN’T GET OVER THAT IT WORKED, WOW!!! THANKS FOR SHARING
Thank you for letting me know your positive feedback! I’m so thrilled that it worked for you just as good as it did for me! I love knowing what exactly is in the product as well!
Just awesome!
I tried the dawn and vinegar solution but only had apple cider vinegar and did not heat the vinegar. Sprayed away and I am the type that can’t wait the stated time so in about 5 mins I couldn’t stand it anymore so I went in and started to rub it away with a microfiber cloth and I couldn’t believe it. Beautiful…The floor of the shower had been a not so lovely shade of yellow for longer than I would like to say so I figured I would have to get a brush to clean that not so it just wiped right off. wow. next time I am going to heat the white vinegar and wait an hour(if I can) I was taking a shower after the cleaning and looked out the door and it wad amazingly clean. Thanks so much. I even go back and admire it every so often.
One word: AMAZING!
I just tried this on my shower doors and it actually worked!
I had to change the recipe slightly, I went for a mix of white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, boiling water and a touch of CLR.
The mixture seemed a little dangerous: very fizzy and it looked like it was going to explode out of the spray bottle.
I sprayed this all over the shower doors and scrubbed off after 30 minutes.
I can’t believe how good my shower looks, this actually got rid of all the calcium stains!
This is awesome! Will have to do.
Thank you & good luck with trying it!
I’ve always used. Just vinegar but adding soap and lemon juice what a great idea!…..vinegar alone smells pretty strong….I’ve always left it on until its just about dry..then just wipe with a cloth and Viola
One side of our shower has really bad hard water stains. I was wondering how I would go about getting the baking soda to stay on the wall so I could spray it with this wonderful sounding cleaner?? I’ve tried TONS of different cleaners out there to remove the stains and nothing seems to work :-/ soooo i’m really excited about trying this! I hope it works for me like it has everyone else
Thanks for following along! I hope it works just as well for you too!!
You can either dampen the wall and sprinkle it that way or apply the mixture to the dampen wall and sprinkle baking soda on top of the mixture. It will fix up a bit but no worries… it’s just going to work for you!
Thank you so much for your speedy response!!
I can’t get the hard melted stains off the top of my flat top electric stove. Any suggestions?
razor
Trying this now…thanks!
Would it work on a plastic shower curtain?
I use it on a whole variety of items! I definitely believe it would work on a shower curtain
)
I had hard water stains and red mold growing on my plastic shower curtain. I washed it in my washing machine with 1 cup of white vineagar and it took the hard water stains and mold right off my shower curtain. However it did make my shower curtain a little wrinkled from being agitated in the wash.
Thanks for the tip! My stainless steel sinks are now sparkly. The bathtub is next. I have my house up for sale and will definitely leave this recipe in the “handy file” for the new owner!
Made it to use on the front of my stainless fridge where water dispenser had left really bad water stains -NOTHING ELSE would get off. Didn’t get it off the Black Plastic yet but it is better than it was!
I have the HARDEST water… I’ve tried everything to get rid of the evidence. Baking Soda and vinegar work, but stink (and hubby HATES the smell). Can’t wait to try this. Once it’s all clean, Gel Gloss is THE BEST to keep it clean. I used it like clock work and kept build up at bay for a couple years then let the ritual slide… now I deeply regret it. Once the build up is gone the ritual is BACK!! Follow the directions every other week and even the hardest water will repel =)
I’ve done the Vinegar/Dawn thing that’s all over Pinterest, but didn’t get these results. The lemon juice must be the magic ingredient! I’m gonna try this for sure. We have crazy hard water and my kitchen faucet looks just like yours in the before pic. Thanks for sharing!
good luck!!
Now replace the old rubber washer in the faucet and you won’t have the leak that caused you the calcium build up!
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=leaky+faucet+kitchen&mid=AFBE1B8FAEA13322EC5EAFBE1B8FAEA13322EC5E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE4
I am in need of doing that! Not sure why I’ve put it off for so long
thank you so very much!!!!!! so excited to try.
This worked soooooo well. I posted my before and after pictures to my blog and l and linked your site! http://diyopolis.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/diy-hard-watercalcium-remover/
For those of you reading this at a later date, my blog has moved. http://www.diyopolis.com/2012/12/08/diy-hard-watercalcium-remover/
Here are the results! YAY calcium remover!
Oh my gosh ! this mixture is completely life changing, thank you so much for sharing it , I found it by chance on pinterest and we have extremely hard water with heavy built up. I sprayed all my sinks my tub shower unit everything I could find , it took absolutely everything off it shines like they were all just installed! I’m gonna to now call it “my secret sauce” lol .My husband is so impressed said he’s never seen me so excited about cleaning …tee hee Thanks again for sharing ! Bless you
I’m so happy to hear this!!! It sounds like your husband is pleased as well
It worked so well for me I HAD to share this recipe! Thanks for the positive feedback 
)
After trying several products and no luck; I found your link today, I had the ingredients, and I followed what you said, It truly works! I used it on my glass shower wall and door. You saved me!! Thank you!
I like the valuable information you provide for your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and take a look at again here regularly. I am fairly sure I’ll be told a lot
of new stuff right right here! Best of luck for the following!
Can you use apple cider vinegar instead?
Love the fact that its made with products that I already have on hand.
I live in an apartment and the kitchen floor is cheap vinyl tiles. More like linoleum! I cannot get the dirt off the floor though I’ve used just about everything that won’t damaged the tiles. I even tried liquid Spic & Span, which cleans about anything!
Most of the dirt is ground in due to scuffing from kitchen traffic. Is there anything to bring back a uniform clean?
I will be trying this in the morning once everyone is out the door. I have a fiberglass shower surround that is just horrible! We are a family of 7 and have only one shower…so the soap scum and hard water build up driving me NUTS!! Magic Erasers, Scrubbing Bubbles, CRL and various other products haven’t helped me on bit!! About to hang a hose outside and force everyone to bathe in the yard if I can’t a handle on this problem…WISH ME LUCK. I will post my results soon!!
Yay!! Can’t wait to hear the good results!
Wonder if this would work on a refrigerator, for the door water/ice maker tray. Mine is nasty and never can get it clean or to stay clean!
I’ve used it before on mine and it worked wonders!
So happy to have found this! I’ve tried baking soda and vinegar with no luck I’m hoping the lemon juice will be the boost needed to get the hard water buildup in the bridge between my double kitchen sink. Right by the faucet is so icky and I’ve had no luck with anything else I’ve tried. Fingers crossed I’m doing the 30 minutes sit time now. Your before nd after pics give me such hope!!
OMG I am so excited! My sink is beautiful! Thank you! Thank you! I bow with hands over head
Haha! Well thank you! Happy to hear you found something that works !!
Where did you actually acquire the concepts to write ââDull
to Shiny « DIYconfessionsâ? Thanks a lot ,Wilbert
Wow! We have extremely hard water and ours looks real nasty and have tried straight up baking soda, but not this mixture. Straight up baking soda did not work. Going to try this – thanks!
Your ROCK!!! thanks for sharing:-)
I am from Australia and I found this via Pinterest. I have tried everything from bathroom products, pastes, gels and even straight bleach and nada.. but I am AMAZED! I did this yesterday and I was so surprised by how easily it all came off! My bathroom is gleaming! I tried it on the shower glass too, a lot came off, I think a couple more treatments and it will be perfect.
Every housewife on the planet needs this tip! Thank you so much!! xx
Need a remedy for getting rid of a mildew stain around my shower door. I don’t have mildew, just the stain. Have tried everything including straight bleach.
going to give this a try,we have a deep well with different layers of clay ( blue green ,white ans so on )
here in Georgia the water is hard and no amount of scrubbing can get ride of that white green film .The really yuk is in the toilet bowl I scrub with a puma rock forever ( never get it all out) and in 1 week it is the right back , I am going to try it there AFTER I see how much it suds ,cant have the toilet bubbling over when you flush lol
thanks for this recipe
Praise the LORD! Seriously, you have no idea. Our shower/faucet/etc are SO gross and have so much build-up that I’ve considered just replacing them out of our own pocket–and we’re renters! Our kitchen faucet is so calcified that the pull-out hose barely works and the head won’t swivel anymore.
I don’t have lemon juice on hand right now but do have a lime I can juice–think I’ll give it a whirl.
(my husband will be so THRILLED when he gets home from his business trip if it works!!)
Just tried this. Actually left it on for longer than 30 minutes and did absolutely nothing for my hard water stains. Doesn’t work
You do have to be cautious with vinegar and know when and when not to use it. Vinegar should never be used on or a near marble, quartz or granite. This will cause those surface to etch instantly causing hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of damage. The only way to bring those surfaces back to life to have them professionally honed. Vinegar is acidic and over time will even destroy faucets & fixtures. As an owner of a maid service for over 20 years, I am all for green cleaning & educating the consumer, but not all “home, non-chemical remedies” are safe for such surfaces.
Little off subject but i’m looking for a good spray bottle that has a little bit longer “handle” (where your fingers go). Many are so short, my fingers slip off. Some also are hard to squeeze and my hand gets “squeeze fatigue” in a short time. Thanks.
I got one from walmart in the plant section.Febreeze has a bottle with a better ergonomic handle now.
Do you know how to get rid of the smell in well water?
I use baby shampoo in water to clean my windows,as I have got window film on them to reflect the summer sun.It works really good.
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not
writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say excellent blog!
Greetings from Colorado! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the info you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I
get home. I’m amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .
. Anyways, fantastic site!
I use just vinegar and dish soap, and it works great on sinks, showers, tubs, shower doors…..so much easier and less chemicals!
I will immediately grab your rss as I can’t in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you have any? Please let me recognize in order that I could subscribe. Thanks.
Hello Aisha! On the top right hand side of the site under my picture you will see where you can follow by email. Just type in your email address and you will receive all updates through it. Thanks!
Just be careful I did this and our powder room where the was hard water around our faucet on granite counter top. It TOOK THE FINISH OFF THE GRANITE now looks worse. Just be careful. I am sure no one knew…
Ours look like this, too (the “before” picture) and because I don’t want to use toxic chemicals, I’ve not found anything that would work. Definitely will be trying this; thank you for sharing!