Hard Water Natural Cleaning Products

If you have hard water, you'll see the evidence all over your home. Floors and countertops that you clean with the hard water will show deposits unless you dry them immediately after cleaning. Spots may appear on dishes, even when using high-quality dishwashing detergent and high temperature settings. Bathtubs, sinks and showers bear the biggest brunt of the hard water problem because the hard water makes it easier for soap film to build up in those areas. Before you buy specialized cleaners to remove hard water deposits, try natural products.

Vinegar

White vinegar may be the most versatile cleaner in your home. You can easily mix a solution of vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle, and apply the cleaner to surfaces with hard water deposits. Vinegar is especially suited for cleaning china, porcelain, laminate, ceramic tile, plastics, stainless steel and glass, and is safe for most fixtures, except chrome. Adding a cup of vinegar to your dishwasher during the fill cycle can help prevent hard water spots on dishes, but check your manufacturer's guidelines before you use vinegar in your dishwasher because certain cleaners can damage some appliance models.

Baking Soda

For stubborn buildup of hard water and soap film, make a paste of baking soda and vinegar to apply to bathtubs, showers, sinks and fixtures, except those made of chrome. Given time to work, the paste will loosen the hard water and soap scum buildup, making it easier to remove without scratching the surface of the object. You can combine baking soda with rubbing alcohol to form a paste suitable for cleaning chrome fixtures. You can also safely use baking soda as a cleaner directly on surfaces, such as plastics and fiberglass, without damaging the surface of the object.

To clean stubborn hard water and soap scum buildup from fixtures that protrude from the wall, pour vinegar and baking soda into a plastic bag, and attach the bag to the fixture with rubber band or bread tie. The cleaner takes about an hour to work, but should loosen the hard water and soap scum deposits so that you can easily wash the deposits away.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is an acid that you can safely use as a cleaner on any surface that is suitable for vinegar, which is also an acid. If a vinegar cleaning solutions fails to remove hard water spots, a lemon juice cleaning solution might work better.