Removing Hard Water Scale

This morning's project was removing all of the limescale that had built up around my bathroom faucet. Our town has terribly hard water and the scale builds up quickly.

Doesn't it look nice and shiny-new? That makes me happy. :)

For comparison, here's a bit of the tub faucet that still needs to be cleaned. Regular cleaner does NOT take this stuff off; it is really tough to clean.

Here are a few of my tips and tricks for getting hard water off of the faucets. Some of these I learned while cleaning dorm rooms over several summers in college; some I have just picked up along the way.

Remove the handles and clean them separately. They usually come off with a smal screw and aren't hard to remove.

Use a foaming bathroom cleaner that specifically says it works on limescale. Even this doesn't get much of it for me, but it is a start, and it softens the grime. Vinegar would also work, as it is an acid and would eat away at the lime, which is basic in ph.

The best tool for scraping away the buildup (are you ready for this?): a kitchen knife! Oddly enough, this works better than anything else. Use the tip, not the serrated blade. And don't press hard enough to score the ceramic or the metal. But if you're careful, it works great to chip away the scale.

I also use a green scrubbie, but that will scratch the metal, so some people may not go that route.

When you're all done and everything is rinsed, shine up the faucet with some window cleaner. It gives it that sparkling, shiny new touch.

It took me quite a while (about an hour) to get all of the lime deposits off, but it was so worth it to have my faucet so new and pretty! While I worked, the Bean got into the bathroom cupboards, and pulled all of the bubble bath out onto the floor. Very, very helpful...

If you have any additional tricks, please leave them in the comments section. :)