Magic Solution for Hard Water Stains

Do you have tough hard water stains that no cleaner will remove? Our powder room vanity had big stains, despite the fact that I cleaned often. Nothing seemed to remove the buildup until a friend suggested I try vinegar, a natural disinfectant. It worked like a charm — and at the fraction of the cost of a cleaning product.

Gather your supplies:
• Spray bottle
• White vinegar
• Soft cloth

Fill a clean spray bottle with vinegar. (Make sure to label the bottle with a permanent marker so you'll know what you put in it for later use.) I used mine at full strength, but you can mix two parts water and one part vinegar for other cleaning tasks.

Spray the hard water stains generously with vinegar and let it sit for five to 10 minutes, depending on how stubborn your stain is. Before you spray the stain, be sure to test a small area of your counter or tile to make sure the vinegar won't leave marks. It's friendly for most surfaces, with the exception of marble. I tried this on my granite kitchen counter too, and it worked beautifully.

I left the vinegar on this stain for about 10 minutes total, after doing a test for five minutes

Wipe off the vinegar with your cloth and rinse with water — your stain should be gone!

If you don't have white vinegar in the pantry, buy a bottle immediately. This handy liquid is all natural and works as a stain remover, fabric softener and window cleaner.