It’s no secret that foot traffic to bathrooms and kitchens increases in summer. The kids are home from school, and out-of-town relatives come for extended vacations. You’ll spend more time washing dishes and clothes, waiting in line for the shower, and – most importantly – cleaning the house. No matter how often you wipe down counters and appliances, though, you might wonder why much of your time is spent removing spots and discolored gunk from your faucets.

Unsightly spots or streaks on your sink faucets and shower heads are often caused by limescale. Also known as calcium deposits, limescale appears when hard water splashes on your metal and/or glass surfaces and isn’t promptly removed. If you have kids at home for the summer, chances are they go through their bathroom routines allowing water to spray – leaving the mess for you. If not attended to immediately, limescale could turn a chalky white and become more difficult to remove.

This leaves you with a few options. For one, you can condition everybody at home to clean as they go and wipe away excess water from mirrors and shower doors and fixtures after use. If that is too much of a challenge, you may need to step up your cleaning schedule for the kitchen and bathrooms.

For stubborn limescale stains, it’s important to use a solution that remains in contact with the fixture. Store-bought solutions designed to remove limescale can help, and if you prefer to use natural cleaning supplies you can try lemon and vinegar to remove the buildup. You want something acidic that will break away the deposits.

To remove limescale from a tap, you can soak a washcloth in your chosen solution and wrap around the faucet. Leave it on for about an hour before attempting to rub away the stains. If you are unable to remove your shower head, try filling a sturdy plastic bag with solution and securing it to the neck with a clip or rubber band, so that the shower head is immersed. After cleaning your shower head this way, you might find water flows better.

Though limescale buildup comes about through hard water, it is important to know that hard water is safe to use at home. The hardness refers to the amount of calcium deposits in the water. If you have considered using water softeners to reduce buildup, it’s good to consult with a Virginia Beach plumbing company. At Atomic Plumbing, we are happy to help you with concerns about your water and your plumbing appliances. Contact us today.