Nothing can be as tough on your windows as hard water, which is a term that is often associated with a very industrialized area such as a large city.
The truth about hard water is that it can ruin your windows at any time because hard water is simply just water with high mineral content. Here are a few additional hard water facts to better equip you when it comes to managing hard water stains:
Dissecting Hard Water Stains
Hard water forms when water percolates through deposits of chalk and limestone. The main minerals that make up hard water are magnesium carbonates and calcium.
Nearly any water that has yet to go through a softening process will have trace amounts of these minerals, and, as such, most homes in areas where hard water is prevalent are equipped with water softeners that use sodium in order to filter the water.
This method may be enough to make your water taste OK, but it typically isn’t enough to prevent deposits on your windows.
The main problem homeowners face when it comes to hard water is the lack of an effective and safe method for removing stains on their windows.
Because glass is porous, it can actually be manipulated by chemicals, and water stains are deposits of minerals within the primary structure of the glass itself. As such, there are only a small number of options to get rid of these spots.
Unless you are familiar with the process of cleaning hard water stains, you could easily scratch or damage the glass. Thus, the smartest way to attack these stains is to simply hire a glass cleaning professionals in San Antonio.
Expert window cleaners like Glass Geeks are experienced and trained to handle these stains. In order to maintain your windows while preventing hard water stains, consistent cleaning is a must.
Whether you clean them yourself or schedule cleanings with Glass Geeks, regular maintenance will always be required. Here a few tips and trick to help keep the hard water from staining your windows:
Rubbing Alcohol
You can mix rubbing alcohol with water and wipe your window with it, as this mixture may remove mild water spots, and is ideal for window maintenance.
Toothpaste
Another method is to squeeze some toothpaste onto some kind of non-abrasive pad and then adding water before lightly applying the mixture to the hard water stain.
You should then rinse the glass and use a squeegee in order to fully remove any excess water.
Ammonia
Our final hard stain cleaning tip is to soak a towel into a mixture of water and ammonia, before using it to remove the spots on your glass.
Keep in mind, though, that an ammonia solution can be irritating to the mucous membranes and eyes, especially for the respiratory and digestive tracts. Some people are also known to get experience skin irritation when exposed to this chemical.
This means you should be extremely careful when handling any ammonia-based solution and wear protective clothing, such as goggles and rubber gloves in order to prevent injuries.
Sadly, not every hard water stain can be removed. If this is the case, your window will need to be replaced. Replacing a mirror, window, or any piece of glass can be highly expensive, so if you notice a potential problem with hard water, act quickly and hire a local San Antonio window cleaning company to eradicate the problem!