How To Remove Hard Water Stains From Windows

"Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window…" swoons Natasha Bedingfield in her latest single, ‘Unwritten’. Wait a second, did someone say dirty window? Is it just dusty or is it dirty because of something else? Something like a hard water stain? The very mention of hard water - with calcium compounds dissolved in it - can make anyone cringe. It causes tough and dirty stains on windows and makes them look old and unclean, even if the panes are not more than a few months old. Hard water stains are often hard to remove and if you try to scrape them away, you may even end up causing damage to the glass pane. In many cases, people tend to get their window replaced instead. Would it not be better if there were a way to get rid of these hard water stains, without hurting the panes? That would reduce the cost of maintenance and you wouldn’t have to get them replaced ever so often. As a matter of fact, there are ways to clean these stains with homemade as well as manufactured products. Listed below are a few ways on how to remove hard water stains from windows, listed just for you.

Getting Rid Of Hard Water Stains From Window

Given below are the best ways in which you clean hard water stains from your windows and prevent their recurrence as well.

Understand and try to look into the chemical constituency of hard water. Calcium, lime, and iron are the major chemicals that cause all stains when hard water comes in contact with your windows. The longer these chemicals stay on your windows, the more effort you will have to put in getting rid of them. If you have waited too long to get the hard water spots off, use cleaners specially made for these type of chemicals.
The safest, surest, and most widely used homemade solution that can be used to treat hard water stains is distilled white vinegar, with water. Get two parts of distilled white vinegar mixed with one part water and fill into a spray bottle. Spray on to the windows and clean after a few minutes. Since most of the stains are formed by components of calcium and of alkaline constituency and vinegar is mildly acidic, it works to break them down. It is good for spots that are little tough too.
Another homemade solution that works well for getting rid of hard water stains uses cornstarch and water. In lukewarm water, add just enough cornstarch to make the water look cloudy and turbid. Now, with a clean cloth, apply the solution to the window. Let the cornstarch and water solution dry on your window and then buff off with a dry cotton cloth.
After having removed the calcium build up on your windowpanes, you can rinse them off with water. You could also opt for your regular routine for washing windows. Wipe dry window with squeegee, when you are finished with the washing.
Buy a glass polish. Ensure that the polish is safe on the glass surface and does not damage it on application. Learn more about glass-cleaning agents that are designed to eliminate water spots, haze, and clouding on your glass window. Use them on your windows and get rid of all the stains.

Tip

Under any circumstance, if all your efforts have yielded no results, you should consider replacing your windowpanes. This is often the best option. You can choose to replace them with thicker glass panels for more durable interiors. This may not be the best solution, if you have stained color glass window, as these are expensive to replace and restoration is a more economical way to follow.

How to Cite

Related Articles

See also

More in 'Home & Living'