How To Clean Hard Water Stains From Dishes

Hard water is created from the buildup of mineral deposits, especially calcium and magnesium. Hard water deposits, also known as lime scales, are quite difficult to remove, as they have a natural film on them. They tend to leave stains on bathroom fixtures, sinks, bath tubs, toilets, showers, shower doors, washing machines and kitchen appliances. Hard water also leaves stains on dishes and glasses. The best way to get rid of hard water stains is to frequently clean the dishes. The longer the stains are allowed to develop, the harder it gets to remove them. Given here are some methods that will help you clean your dishes affected by hard water. Read on to know them.

Tips For Removing Hard Water Spots From Dishes

White Vinegar

Fill a 1-gallon jug with distilled white vinegar, ensuring that there is enough to clean the dishes.
Now, clog the pores of the sink. Fill half the sink with distilled white vinegar and the remaining sink with cold water. Cold water is mainly used for the entire process, as warm or hot water will not remove the hard water deposits completely.
Soak the dishes in the sink water for about 3 to 4 hours. Place the dishes one at a time to make sure that each of them gets completely immersed on both the sides.
After the dishes are soaked for quite some time, small bubbles will start forming. This indicates that the hard water deposits are coming off the dishes.
Remove the dishes from the water one at a time and dunk them several times.
Dry them using paper towels and put them on a drying rack.
Perform this process every few months to keep removing hard water stains from the dishes.

Dishwasher

Load all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
Fill a glass with ¼ cup vinegar and place it in the top rack, right-side-up.
Fill baking soda in the small detergent compartment in the dishwasher.
Process the dishwasher as usual.
Check the dishes to make sure that the hard water stains are gone.
In case the spots still appear, run the dishwasher again following the same steps above.

Lemon

Lemon juice is a natural way of getting rid of hard water stains.
Simply cut a lemon into two pieces and rub the hard water spots on your dishes. Let the juice sit in for half an hour. Then, wash the dishes using water.
Another method would be to prepare lemon juice and pour it into a spray bottle.
Spray the juice on the affected areas and allow it to sit for half an hour.
Thereafter, wipe the dishes with a soft cloth. Alternately, you can scrub the dishes to clean them completely.

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