22 Apr Best Solano County Plumber Tips: How to Remove Hard Water Stains
Hard Water Stains | Best Solano County Plumber
Get That Scum and Scale Build Up Off Your Fixtures with This Easy Fix!
Hard water in Solano County is fairly common. You will recognize hard water by the stains it leaves on your glassware and fixtures. This can look like white, crusty build up. Sometimes it can be green, or even red in color. No matter, the bottom line is that it is unsightly.
What is Causing Scale Build Up?
“Hard water” is a term for water that has a high concentration of dissolved minerals in it. Common minerals include calcium and sodium. As water sits in faucets, or in tubs and sinks, or dries on dishware in a dishwasher, the minerals are left behind.
Is Scale Build Up Bad?
While the amounts of dissolved minerals in Solano County water are not generally considered high enough to be bad for your health, then can cause problems over time. Primarily, this results in fixtures that have a white, scaly build up around them. The mineral deposits left behind by hard water look bad. It leaves spots on glassware. It leaves white crust around faucets. However, the good news is that it is easily wiped off if you get to it right away. The bad news is, over time as mineral deposits build up, it gets harder to remove. This can look like green discoloration around your faucet heads. Red coloring around your drain or in your toilet. Additionally, this results in glass that has a “fogged up” discolored look. The real problem with scale build up happens over time. Those mineral deposits can build up to a significant amount, causing blockages in your pipes and clogging up shower heads and faucets. I am sure you have noticed this!
Easy Tip on How to Remove Scale
There are expensive cleaners out there for removing scale build up. Some of those cleaners actually work pretty well. However, you don’t need to spend a lot of money for most mineral deposit clean up. In fact, one of the most effective and easiest cleaners to use will only cost you a couple dollars! That’s right, plain white vinegar. You probably already have some in your pantry. 
Vinegar works on glass stains, as well as for showers, tubs and fixtures. It works because it contains a strong acid that dissolves minerals. Vinegar is a great option for cleaning and descaling for many reasons:
- INEXPENSIVE
- SAFE TO USE
- NON-TOXIC
- VERSATILE
- ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
- PET AND CHILD SAFE
- EFFECTIVE
There are many different ways to use vinegar for scale removal. You can put equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use it to spray down shower doors and windows, tubs, toilets, and sinks. Simply spray on and let sit for 10 minutes, then wipe down with a sponge, cloth, or Magic Eraser. If you want to descale your faucet head or shower head you will need to soak them. If you can easily remove your shower head, then you can place it in a basin with a warm vinegar and soak for 30-60 minutes. Then use an old tooth brush to scrub the shower head nozzles. For a faucet or shower head that you can’t remove there are still some tricks you can use.
De-Scaling a Faucet
For a faucet head that is clogging up with scale, and has mineral deposits around it, you will want to soak it in vinegar. The 
easiest way to do this is to pour warm vinegar into a large plastic baggie. Wrap the baggie around the faucet and use rubber bands to secure it to the faucet. Make sure the faucet head is sitting in the vinegar. Let it soak for about an hour, then remove the baggie and scrub the faucet head with an old tooth brush. This should restore the shine back to your faucet, and also unclog the filter and nozzle of mineral deposits.
Removing Scale Build Up in My Pipes
As you can see, mineral deposits happen anywhere there is standing water. Cleaning it off of your fixtures and glassware is very simple. However, you have to also consider what the insides of your pipes look like. After years of hard water running through them, it is likely that there is significant scale build up and mineral deposits in your pipes. This build up can significantly reduce the space in your pipes, resulting in frequent clogs and slow drains. To fix this type of problem you will want to call Always Affordable Plumbing Solano and Sacramento. We can perform a pipe inspection to confirm if mineral deposits have caused a problem for you. Once we identify the issue, we can fix it. This usually includes something like hydro jetting or a mechanical auger.
Get Rid of That Scale Build Up Today
As you can see, it is really quite easy and affordable to clean the hard water stains and scale off of your fixtures. Using a vinegar soak for fixtures is also a great way to keep them flowing their best! You can also use vinegar to clean out your appliance, like dishwashers, coffee makers, and washing machines. Anything that has water running through it will suffer from mineral deposits from hard water. However, if you are tired of scrubbing scale, then maybe it is time to consider a way to PREVENT scale build up in the first place! Solano County is known to have pretty hard water, and the only way to prevent those unsightly deposits is to filter your water. Call AAP today to have one of our water experts go over your home filtration options that will keep minerals from ruining your fixtures and plumbing equipment!
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Find out more about Always Affordable Plumbing (Lic. #1003782) by calling:
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Hard Water Stains | Best Solano County Plumber