You know what mineral buildup looks like. The filthy looking, seemingly impossible to clean grime that cakes on your shower head from the hard water running through it. You’re not gonna get this cleaned up with Lysol, and once it gets bad enough it can obstruct your water flow either partially or fully.
So what gives? Do you need to buy a new shower head? Absolutely not. There are quick and relatively easy ways to clear the build-up and restore your faucets and showerheads.
Why do the Minerals BuildUp?
Before it reaches your faucet in your sink, shower, or tub, water spends a lot of time in the ground. It falls there as rainwater and spends several years percolating through the various layers of soils and rock before reaching the level of municipal wells. As it seeps its way down, it picks up plenty of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and in some areas (Virginia especially) a lot of limescale. These minerals dissolve into the water and stay there until it makes its way to your home. They aren’t harmful to your health. One of the nice parts of living in America is the quality of drinking water in homes is closely regulated. That means that, regardless of whether your home is on a well or city water, you can be reasonably sure that the tap water you have is at a minimum safe to drink and bathe with. The minerals that end up on your faucets and plumbing fixtures can just be a real pain.
Secret Mineral BuildUp Eraser
While most people think that mysterious ancient secrets of magic and sorcery are necessary to get rid of the bathroom build-up, it’s actually simpler than most people think. In fact, it’s likely you won’t even have to leave your home because the solution is probably in your kitchen already.
The key to getting hard water build-up off your fixtures is to change the level of acidity in the water. This sounds like advanced chemistry that would require a laboratory to accomplish, but it can actually be done with plain distilled white vinegar. (See: When your grandmother cleaned everything with vinegar, she wasn’t crazy.)
So what’s the magic trick? Here it is:
- Remove the showerhead from the spout.
- If you can’t get it off, you can still use this method of cleaning. You’ll just need to enclose it in a plastic bag with some twist-ties.
- Soak the showerhead or faucet in a 50/50 mixture of warm water and distilled white vinegar.
- Let it soak for about an hour, and rinse.
- If this doesn’t get it all, let it soak in a fresh mixture for a little while longer and rinse again.
- Your showerhead should be sparkling and looking like new in no time. Distilled vinegar is also substantially cheaper than buying a new shower or faucet fixture.
- Never try to scrape, cut, or hit the minerals off- regardless of how frustrating you get. If you damage the shower head you’ll be stuck buying a new one whether you needed it originally or not.
Home Service Doctors are the experts at helping you determine if your mineral buildup requires professional services.
Call Plumerologist today to get fast, reliable service to address mineral buildup or other plumbing needs!
