nothernewbie Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Anyone have any recommendations for removing hard water stains on toilets, shower doors, dish drains, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpychimp Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 On the toilet bowl you can wear rubber gloves and use muriatic acid with 350 grain sandpaper to remove the mineral ring at the water line. On glass like shower doors or drinking glasses use BAM in the purple bottle with the orange lid. It is corrosive so you can't leave it on too long and if the stain is calcium buildup use a sponge that has a scrubby side to it and give it a bit of a scrub. This is good for the bottom of drinking glasses that have been upside down in the dishwasher and get calcium buildup in the indentation on the bottom of the glass. On stainless steel sink I find vinegar with the scrubby side of the sponge works quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Go Solar Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Safest & gentlest way is to place paper towel or thin cloth over the area, and keep it saturated with vinegar, Can take 1/2 day to 2 days. With full respect to gimpy, I'd be careful with any kind of sandpaper on a glazed porcelain finish like a toilet bowl, you could ruin it very easily. The muriatic acid on it's own should do the job. Cuidado, it is very strong stuff, full eye and hand / body protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookie Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Should the muriatic acid be deluted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 on the toilets remove the lines o the stains with a pomace stone and some miiatic acid. The muriatic acide get dilutes in the toilet. If you do not have a pomace stone , they are found at the tianguis , brick will also work as it is softer than porcelain. On porcelain I do not dilute the acid. On glass I use white vinegar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joco Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I use a pumice stone on toilet bowls. It takes a lot of scrubbing but it won't take the finish off the toilet bowl like acid will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Third the motion for pumice. It works really well and costs almost nothing. As bmh said, you can buy pumice at any tianguis. Look for small-ish, pinkish, light rocks. I use pumice for removing the 'ring around the toilet' syndrome, for cleaning the occasional burned stuff off metal or clay pots (not non-stick, though), and for scrubbing off any dead skin on my feet. Obviously you will want a different stone for each use. Pumice stones are so inexpensive and last so long that I always have several around the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joco Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I think a bag of 10-15 stones at Aurrera is less than $10 pesos and will last a long, long time. Much safer and kinder to the environment than the acid. The acid will eat the finish off anything it touches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothernewbie Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Thanks for all the advice. Will start with pumice and try vinegar on the glass. The acid scares me but that is what my housekeeper recommends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mexnow Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Up north we had terrible water at one house and would get a pearl glazing develop on everything it came in contact with. Lots of iron in that water. The only product that would make a difference was "Lysol toilet bowl cleaner" it caused the iron to drip away and left the surfaces like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joco Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Thanks for all the advice. Will start with pumice and try vinegar on the glass. The acid scares me but that is what my housekeeper recommends. The Mexicans all use the acid because it is fast, less work and they don't care if it burns away the finish or harms the environment. I have never had a Mexican not want to use it. The acid is what they grew up with and what they know. The pumice is a lot of work at first but once the stain is gone make sure the toilets are cleaned every day or two and the stain will not come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineyDay Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Actually mexico's favorite beverage will also work-- Coca Cola. Just think about what it does to your stomach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bennie2 Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 is there such a thing as hard waterstains on clothes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osoprehistorico Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I think a bag of 10-15 stones at Aurrera is less than $10 pesos and will last a long, long time. Much safer and kinder to the environment than the acid. The acid will eat the finish off anything it touches. I hope so. Used in the toilet and flushed as I have (?had?) some roots growing in the sewer line. Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Actually mexico's favorite beverage will also work-- Coca Cola. Just think about what it does to your stomach? If you drop a nice tough piece of sirloin steak in a glass of Coca Cola, it will dissolve in no time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Be sure you use those heavy duty blue gloves if you're going to fool with muriatic acid. But, I'd start with vinegar. It's amazing how well it works. For instance, run a cup of vinegar through your hard water encrusted coffee pot. Works. We had a new dishwasher installed less than a year ago, and before long, the dishes again didn't look clean enough. The repairman said to put a cup of vinegar in and run it on "sanitiize" setting once every week or two. WOW! What a difference. You can soak those clogged up showerheads and faucets in vinegar, too. (We don't want a water softener in our system, BTW. A considered option..... but rejected.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Should the muriatic acid be deluted? Yes. As well as the above (except of Coke) I've used a razor blade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Just this week, I was doing some research on cleaning and I came across a demonstration on You Tube (I don't know if you have access to it), but someone showed four different ways to clean stained glass and the most effective was using To remove hard water stains use Oxalic acid. As I was unfamiliar with this chemical, I looked it up: Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the formula H2C2O4. It is a colorless crystalline solid that dissolves in water to give colorless solutions. It is classified as a dicarboxylic acid. In terms of acid strength, it is much stronger than acetic acid. Also, here is a recipe for cleaning Stainless: CLEANING STAINLESS STEEL: Small amount Cream of tartar with water to make a paste. Spread on stainless steel Wipe down with paper towel ALSO, to keep it shiny and protected use Car Wax. To clean most anything, usually it is not necessary to buy any commercial products. People usually have what they need with very simple ingredients which are non-toxic and cheaper. It's just a matter of knowing what to mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Actually don't laugh but WD40 is the best cheapest thing to clean stainless steel. I didn't believe it but its true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradshoe Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 How about windows? We have a couple of sliding doors that have been directly exposed to the elements and they seem to be etched with water spots. The glass that's under cover has been easier to clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I think there are many solutions that will work. I use White vinegar, soapy water and a squeegy on windows with old newspaper. Again, with really tough stains that Oxalic Acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACinMX Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Next time you are up north you can buy a product called Bar Keeper's Friend available in lots of places but for sure at Pier 1. (Google it) It does a fabulous job with glass, ceramics and stainless steel. It was great restoring all my wine glasses' dingy dirty calcium coating to sparkling. No gloves required. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineyDay Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 They should have it at Wally World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony_In_Mexico Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 How do I ask for pumice in Spanish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 How do I ask for pumice in Spanish? Piedra pómez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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