Cleaning Hard Water Deposits

By JOHNNY ORNELAS

 October 3, 2015

    
Most people have vinegar somewhere in their house, but many may not know that it can be used as a powerful cleaning agent.

YouTube user Jason Wagner, aka Crouton Crackerjacks, uploaded a video in 2012 in which he removes years of hard water deposits using only a T-shirt soaked in vinegar. After an hour of soaking, the hard water deposits come off easily after a quick scrub with a sponge.

Wagner's YouTube channel mostly focuses on food and recipes, but also occasionally features life hacks or how-to videos. Wagner told the SF Globe that he had been using vinegar to clean his bathroom for years by fully submerging his showerhead in the liquid. Wagner wanted to apply this cleaning method to his kitchen sink but needed to figure out a way to do it.

"I couldn't exactly take the faucet off the sink and soak it in a bucket," Wagner told the SF Globe. "I just needed the vinegar to stay in place long enough to dissolve the deposits."

That's when Wagner came up with the idea to soak an old T-shirt in vinegar and leave it draped over the faucet. He first tried the method in his bathroom, and after having success decided to record a video documenting him doing the same thing in his kitchen.

Vinegar has a wealth of uses in the home, from conditioning hair to unclogging a drain. Unfortunately, it's not a universal solution for all cleaning problems.

A study published in the Journal of Environmental Health found that vinegar was effective at removing microbial contamination, but it was least effective at removing soil (compared to other "alternative" cleaning solutions).

The study found that baking soda was relatively effective in removing soil, but it struggled with cleaning microbial contaminations.  The commercial cleaners were universally better at cleaning than the natural solutions, but according to the study they generally contained harsher chemicals such as bleach.

Wagner thinks his video resonates with viewers because vinegar is a plentiful, safe alternative to commercial cleaning products. "I've always been interested in more natural cleansers," said Wagner. After watching Wagner's video, it's hard to argue with the outcome. "Anyone can watch the video ... and have results in an hour."

Watch Wagner's video above.  In the comments section, he explained that he used 5% vinegar and warned that anything higher than that may cause damage to metal.