How do I remove hard water marks from a porcelin sink and tub?

Question

Any ideas, I have tried many things. Also, what could I use for prevention so that this doesn't happen as badly?

Answer 1

Simply soak a cloth with vinegar and let it sit on the calcium deposit for a couple of hours - rub before it dries and voila!

Answer 2

I use a product called Gel Gloss on my porcelain sinks and even on my acrylic and enamel over cast iron tub. After you remove the hard water stains with something like LimeAway, CLR, vinegar, TileX designed to remove the deposits, if you use Gel Gloss about every 3-4 months you will never have to clean hard water deposits again. It leaves a protective coating that keeps the minerals from sticking to the surface. I prefer the spray on application simply because I'm lazy and it is a faster process. Spray it on, let it haze and buff it off. Leaves a nice shine too.

Answer 3

Try a product called CLR - it removes calcium, lime, and rust stains, hence the name. Wear gloves and old clothes, because the stuff is basically some form of acid. It will remove most stains like these.

To use it on a vertical surface, I poured some on a paper towel, and plastered the towel to the side of the tub or shower, and left it there for 5-10 minutes, then scrubbed the surface. It got a lot of the rust stains off.

To prevent these from recurring, get a water softener.

Answer 4

i doubt you can prevent it coming back but what i do is i fill up the tub with hot water and add amonia inthe tub with water (i just pourd some i have no idea how much i poured) let it sit there for about 2 hours and then let the water go and youll have a very clean tub.
you can also use bleach instead of amonia but i did find the amonia to work better for that job

Answer 5

White vinegar works for me for a lot of things.

I usually run it thru the coffee maker for hard water deposits, and then run plain cold water thru a few times, and it does a great job. I'm sure it would work for the tub, too.

Yea, it stinks, but the smell goes away in a few minutes.

Answer 6

I bought a pumice stone at the local grocery store, and it worked great on my toilets. It's on a plastic stick and about 6" to 8" inches long, and it did not scratch the porcelain. I tried CLR and Lime-A-Way, and they didn't work for me.

Answer 7

Immediately wipe it dry with a towel after your bath/shower. Don't let water dry on them.

Answer 8

c l r is wonderfull spray it on let it soak 10-15 minutes scrub and it should do it it might take a few times to remove it all but should work

Answer 9

With a damp cloth and bio-carbonate of soda, and wipe. Then rinse with clear water

Answer 10

Use a pumice stone, it works and wont hurt the porcelain.