Removing Hard Water Stains on Glass ~ What Really Works

On Wednesday I showed y’all a glass dish I was using to sit my succulents in.  I would fill it with water & let the plants soak it up.  This left the dish with quite a bit of mineral build up around the dish.  Since I have a new planter, I’d like to use the dish for other things, so I need to get that off!  Today I’ll share my favorite method for cleaning up hard water stains on glass vases & jars.  I’ll also tackle that mineral laden dish & see what really works to remove those layers!

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Flower Vases & Jars

I use just about any jar I find interesting for a vase.  Come to think of it, that’s the only kind of vase I have!  After sitting for a while with water and flowers, there’s usually a white line like this left behind….

A jar like this doesn’t exactly allow access for scrubbing!  For things like this, I use a trick I picked up when I was a cashier at a restaurant.  The waitresses used to put salt & ice cubes in the coffee pots to clean them & it worked wonders!

Just add 2-3 ice cubes {or more if it’s larger} in the vase & enough salt to coat the ice cubes.  Cover the top with your hand & shake & twirl it around.

Rinse it out really well & let it dry to see if any is left.  If you’re impatient like me, a metal skewer & some paper towels will help dry it up!  These skewers get used for everything but shish kabobs!

There’s a little stick goo on this one too, so I’ll take care of that with Goo Gone.   That’s the best think I’ve found to remove sticky gunk & labels from glass or ceramics.  Plain oil or peanut butter just doesn’t cut it!  {Why waste good peanut butter anyway?!?}

Now my jar is looking pretty spiffy!  There is a faint line still, but one more round with the ice & salt will take care of that.

The Crusty Dish

This dish is supposed to be a pie dish, but it needs a serious cleaning before it holds any pie!

Here’s a nice close up…..

Yeah, that’s pretty bad!  The ice & salt trick just doesn’t work for something flat like this.

It’s kind of weird to call this a hard water stain because it’s not a stain.  A stain is more something that soaks in & gets in the grain of things.  This is a build up of minerals that has occurred over a long period of time.  So, much like losing weight, it’s going to take some time & effort to get it off.   Of course it doesn’t require me to give up pie & may count as my daily exercise….I can only hope!

Anyway, I decided to try some things I found around the web.  First up was salt & half a lemon.

Scrub, scrub, scrub…..nope!  Then I let it sit in vinegar for over an hour.

Um….nope!  This is how it looked after all that…..

Not really making any progress!  I decided to try my favorite powder cleanser, Bon Ami, along with my walnut scrub pad.

Finally, some progress!

Here’s a side by side so you can see the difference.

Yeah, that’s definitely working – this stuff is great!  Know why it works so well?  Two of the main ingredients are limestone & feldspar – fighting fire with fire!  This did require some elbow grease as well, but no more than scrubbing with that lemon & salt did – which did not work.  Besides, I need to feel like I earned the pie that will eventually be baked in this dish!  Haha!

Cleaning Products

The only place I’ve been able to find Bon-Ami is online.  I get it from my favorite cleaning supply place, Grove Collaborative, for just $1.49.  I’ve been using this service for almost two years & have not been disappointed!  You can read more about them & my favorites in my Keeping it Clean post.

Just to update a few things from that post ~ >

I was using a cleaning concentrate from Seventh Generation that has been discontinued.  You may find it randomly for sale online, but they don’t show it in their product list anymore.  No worries because Grove Collaborative has come out with their own concentrates!  I just got them this week & I can’t wait to try them!  {Crazy that I can’t wait to try a cleaning product!}

I also mention a lip balm that I loved & was no longer available.  It’s back & better than before!  I also got this facial scrub for FREE with this months shipment – VIP perk!

And I just have to share my favorite new cleaning tool – it’s a duster!  Is that crazy?

Well, maybe just a little!  Y’all when the Swiffer duster came out it changed my views on dusting.  It picked up everything & was so easy to use I was looking for more stuff to dust!  Haha!  The only problem for me was buying all those dust pads.  : (  This duster works just as well + it’s larger + it’s washable!!  Cleaning ceiling fans is a breeze!

Okay, I’m going to stop talking about my cleaning products like I’m some sort of cleaning fanatic because I’m not.  When I find something that makes cleaning easier it gets me excited because easier means faster.  And that equals more time sewing & making!

Y’all have a great weekend!

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