HARD WATER AND ITS STAINS

8 glasses of water to drink. Water in the washing machine for our clothes. Water to cook. Water to clean the surfaces. Water to shower everyday, twice sometimes.

We consume great amounts of water on a daily basis, to sustain our busy lifestyles. 

Except, do we know where it comes from? 

While there is 71% water on the planet's surface, only 2.5% of it is actually freshwater that can be consumed by people. 

And if we were to break that number down further, only 0.01% is surface freshwater… with everything else being groundwater.

Yes! There is a major scarcity of freshwater, with many people still struggling to gain access to it. Wells are overused, so to compensate for the same, in India, we draw water from the borewells.  

We know this water as bore water or hard water. This water typically has alarmingly high presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium. 

The same water, if used for clothes, makes them rough, scrappy and fades the colours out and if combined with soap, it becomes soap suds, sticking to the various surfaces in your bathroom instead of doing its job of cleaning. 

Finally, as the biggest evidence of its disadvantages, it presents to you a chalky, white stain as the water evaporates.

Also, represented as grimy white spots, marks, lines deposited around your kitchen platforms, showerheads, tiles, taps, table tops etc. 

These are the stubbornly famous hard water stains. 

 

They are ugly but unavoidable. Difficult to wash off with just plain soap, they require special attention. 

They don't only look dirty and unpleasant, but over time can also diminish the effectiveness of machines in the house, making their insides rough.

If you already have mineral build ups in various corners of your house, read on to know some easy ways around the gunk -

1. Baking Soda

Popular as a kitchen favourite, Baking Soda has acidic ingredients that help fight off stains.

• Make a paste with baking soda and vinegar. 
• Spread it over the surfaces that need to be stain free! 
• Leave it on for 3-4 hours (more if you think it won't be an easy fight)
• Once dry, scrub it out with warm water & a toothbrush

Don't use it on glass & ceramic surfaces so as to avoid scratches!

2. Vinegar 

The very acidic, very useful Vinegar helps with the worst kinds of hard stains!

• Warm up a half and half mixture of water & vinegar
• Spray it on the sinks, taps, platforms etc.
• Wipe it off and remove the limescale deposits
• Avoid using it on glass, ceramic tiles, as it might alter the appearance

Suggestions:

You could do a small test on the tiles first, to see if it helps.

 3. Saline Solution

Salt, high in minerals, helps scrub out mean stains. 

• Spread out salt on all the stains (not a pinch, an entire handful if the stains are wide) 
• Leave it on for a few hours - remember the longer it stays, the more effective it will be
• Rinse it off thoroughly

Suggestions: 

Use a combination of salt and water for sensitive surfaces, and rub it off gently.

4. Lemon Juice 

If life gives you hard stains, use lemon juice to get rid of them, quite literally! 

• Spray fresh lemon juice on the stains
• Let it sit for 10 hours (so do it at night preferably) 
• Wipe the area clean with a dry cloth 

5) Cream of Tartar 

It's going to help clean off the white deposits from all surfaces, yes, even glass & ceramics.

• Make a paste with Cream of Tartar and Water 
• Spread it on the hard water stains
• Leave it on for a good hour
• Scrub it all off, and there you have it, spot free surfaces! 

Find time to care for all the spots in your house frequently, don’t leave it till it’s calcified and difficult to remove.  

Koparo's range of natural, eco-friendly, plant- based cleaners are made to tackle stains whenever they come up.

So, you can reclaim your tiles, doorknobs, taps, shower heads, glass surface with these solutions and keep your home far from the reach of chemicals & toxins.