My faucets, no matter where I live, always look white and scruffy. Why is that? I want them to shine like the rest of the bathroom! I've tried scrubbing bubbles and such with no luck. I am probably using the wrong stuff for this issue--what do you suggest? I think maybe at one time I tried Lime Away but was not impressed by the result.I was thinking of trying it again. What product do you use?
I use plain old Comet with a scrub brush or an old toothbrush to get the smaller areas. I find that it cleans well and rinses off leaving a great shine. If you have a build up, make a paste with the Comet scrub it on and leave it a while. It really keeps the scale and mildew down as well. Good luck.
This one seems to be a problem for me as well especially our kitchen faucets. I mix vinegar and water to clean ours since the area seems to get build up by the splash from dish detergent or body soap/hand wash in the bathroom one.For the drain portion I use non abrasive cleaner like Softscrub or Barkeeper's Friend to clean. Once they all get clean up,I always try to wipe dry my faucets using paper towel and even my sinks as soon as I brush my teeth. I try to keep my sink and faucets dry most of the time now since they are a lot easier to clean when I don't wait till they have water sit there till they get dry up and leave some stain.
If I have build up (which actually happens more in the shower than on the faucets) I have had pretty good luck with almost any product that foams and you let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing. (But not scrubbing bubbles, I hate that stuff and find that it is impossible to get all the soap scum off.) Tilex or Oxi Clean foam have both been fine. Otherwise, like the PP, I most often clean my bathroom with diluted vinegar. If your fixtures lack shine, probably you have hard water. A water softener would help, but so will completely drying them after cleaning. Another tip I have is once you've cleaned and dried them, clean the mirror with a paper towel and Windex, then use that paper towel to quick shine the metal on your sink. Always works around here.
I agree with Gracie in suggesting vinegar. If your faucets stain white, it's most likely due to hard water. Vinegar works very well because it is basically salts in the water that make the water hard and leave the stains. Vinegar is an acid, which will work brilliantly to dissolve the salts. I usually mix vinegar and water half and half. For the best results, leave the vinegar to soak the effected areas and let it do its thing for a while. Then simply scrub. In many places stores sell specific cleaning vinegar. Because it's not food grade, it's very cheap. But any clear vinegar will do.
If you do not like the homemade vinegar solution, there are products on the market to clean the hard water deposits off your sink. The white crusty stuff on your faucets might be a buildup of lime. There is a product called CLR. It is made to specifically remove calcium, lime, and rust off any surface. You put a small amount into a bucket and dip any item into it for a few seconds. You can also spray or wipe it on any surface as well.
Totally agree with the post above: Comet works wonders on faucets. I use it with a toothbrush sometimes to get in the cracks where it's attached to the base. It's also one of the cheaper cleaning agents at just over $1 a can. It can be pretty abrasive and I use gloves so my hands don't smell like it for the rest of the day. I use vinegar cleaning solutions sometimes but find they aren't tough enough on the water stains. Give Comet a shot.
I use those blue scubs and comet and it works magic I have always used that or baking soda and it usually did the job.
I agree with both Gracie and DrPiggledly. A 50/50 solution of water and apple cider vinegar (or any type of clear vinegar) which cleans hard water stains on faucets quite well. Oxi Clean is another product that I like to use as well.
