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Limescale buildup on faucets is a common issue, particularly if you live in an area with hard water or if you’re on well water like we are. Here’s how to remove those unsightly calcium deposits quickly and easily.
We have the most beautiful faucets in our ensuite. We actually renovated this room ten years ago and I still love everything about it because we chose timeless finishes that make sense for our 120-year-old farmhouse. The shiny chrome faucets are definitely in keeping with the traditional style of our old house and they’ll just never go out of style. Unfortunately, even the most beautiful stylish, high-end plumbing fixtures aren’t immune to a little limescale buildup and calcium deposits from hard water. While this issue might make it look like your faucet is completely ruined and needs to be replaced, removing the lime stain is actually a quick and easy process. You’ll be amazed at how your faucet suddenly looks brand new again without any scrubbing or elbow-grease.
Pictured above: Faucet | Tiny cordless lamp | Similar marble tray
What is Limescale?
Limescale is a white-ish chalky substance made up of minerals from your tap water that can build up anywhere water flows in your home. Common places to see limescale are bathroom and kitchen faucets, your showerhead, and even dishwashers. You may see evidence of mineral residue in a porcelain toilet-bowl, or in the form of hard water stains on glass shower doors or sinks. Depending on your water’s hardness, you may see a small amount of buildup, or there could be a lot. When you factor in the soap scum and rust that are often combined with this problem, you can have a real mess on your hand that a simple cleaning detergent is just unable to tackle effectively.
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Cleaning Tools Needed to Remove Calcium Build Up
You’ll need:
- A small plastic bag
- Basic white vinegar
- A hair elastic, a strong clip, or some twine
- A soft microfibre cloth
That’s it! No fancy cleaning tools or harsh chemicals are needed at all for this very satisfying little project. You probably already have everything you need to take care of this unsightly problem hiding somewhere in your pantry.
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A Note on Other Natural Cleaning Solutions and Hacks You May Have Seen
You may have read about some people using a steel-wool method, a pumice-stone method, or even sodium bicarbonate to tackle hard water build up and scaling as another alternative to harsh chemical cleaning products. While these do often remove the residue, if your goals is a sparkling finish, these may not be the right choice for you. With these scouring methods, you often risk creating scratches on the finish of your faucet, whereas with the vinegar, the buildup is gently dissolved. Even baking soda is an abrasive, so it’s best to be avoided in this situation if it’s not totally necessary.
Easy Method to Remove Limescale Residue From Taps
This DIY lime scale remover works to gently loosen, soften, and dissolve stubborn mineral deposits that so commonly cling onto faucets and other plumbing fixtures. Unlike harsh chemical cleaners, this solution is all-natural and safe to use inside the home without having to worry about toxic fumes.
Before you begin, gently clean all around your faucet with a soft cloth to remove any excess limescale that can be flaked off. Make sure to clean around the edges of your faucet, but also the underside where the water comes out as well.
Once you’ve done that, take your plastic bag and fill it with about half a cup of the white vinegar. Place the bag over the spray nozzle part of your faucet, making sure that all areas affected by limescale buildup are fully submerged in the vinegar.
Once you have the bag positioned properly, you’ll need to secure it to the faucet to hold it in place. You can do this with a hair tie, several strong clips, or a piece of twine tied very tightly. Ideally, you want to be able to remove the bag periodically to check on the progress of your limescale removal and then replace it if you need to soak your faucet for longer.
Depending on the amount of buildup you’re dealing with, the process should take between 30 minutes and four hours. To remove the amount of limescale that you can see here on my faucet, I let it sit for about an hour. Once you’re satisfied with how clean your faucet looks, remove the bag and discard the vinegar by pouring it down the drain. Make sure your faucet looks freshly shined by rinsing it with a wet cloth or sponge. After a rinse and a wipe, inspect the faucet to be sure all the residue is removed. If you see a bit that’s still hanging on, you can usually just scratch it away with your fingernail at this point. Finish up by giving your faucet a polish with a microfiber cloth so your clean bathroom really shines.
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After this process, not only will your faucet look as good as new, it will function much better, too. You’ll find that the water flows more freely and the spray head should be completely cleared.
Pictured in this post: Faucet | Tiny cordless lamp | Similar marble tray
I hope this little trick will help you out if your faucets need a little attention like mine did!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.