Are These Brown Rust Stains Caused By Hard Water?
Rust stains on concrete, brown stains in your toilet. Unfortunately these unsightly stains happen. Even though they look like rust, they maybe be caused by iron-rich water. That’s right; hard water is not the only water-related issue homeowners face.
Iron in your water can leave brown stains on your clothes, fixtures, cement sidewalks and driveways, and the outside walls of your home (if irrigation water hits it). It might be tempting to clean these brown stains with bleach. But, wait! Bleach is a diluted chlorine / water solution, which oxidizes iron and makes those stubborn stains worse.
Iron and rust stains are different from typical hard water stains. But it is possible to have both mineral rich hard water and iron rich water, causing a combination of hard water calcium and magnesium buildup and unsightly brown iron stains. Both can be tough to clean.
Do Not Throw Away Those Iron Stained Clothes!
Your rust stained clothes, fixtures, sidewalks, driveways, and walls are not a lost cause. Here are a few ways to clean your hard water and iron stains.
Vinegar and elbow grease can clean hard water stains.
Many people have had success using vinegar to clean hard water stains. Cleaning vinegar is more acidic that regular vinegar; therefore, it is more effective when trying to clean hard water stains. Try soaking the stained area in vinegar before wiping clean. More stubborn hard water stains may require several applications.
Iron cleaner works well on brown iron and rust stains.
You can also clean brown iron stains with iron cleaner, available in many stores, including big-box home stores. Iron cleaner is a white powder that is made of sodium hydrosulphite and/or metabisulfite. There are directions on the container about how to clean hard water stains from all kinds of materials in and outside of your home. Make sure that you use this product in a well-ventilated area. This stuff stinks!
The results are amazing. A brown, stained dishwasher can look like new in a cleaning or two! Tan-stained white clothes look like new again.
While this iron cleaner is great, the best way to fix iron stains is to remove the iron from your water before stains set in. American Clear Water LLC. has reliable, cost effective solutions for all of your water staining hard water problems! Contact us today for your free water analysis!
