A window with some pretty bad hard water stains. This window is right above their raised flower bed. Get a good look at this: that’s some good, hard water stains there. It’s not coming off. Already cleaned the glass, so everything left here is just the hard water stains. A quick acid wash. Use the toilet bowl cleaner.

Equipment Needed for the Acid Wash

Use a small applicator that you don’t use every day, and as soon as you use it, you want to wash this out completely and make sure you wash all the toilet bowl cleaner out of it. Lastly, you’re going to want a spray bottle and some fresh steel wool.

For protective equipment, you want to have some safety glasses and a pair of gloves to protect your hands.

Window Cleaning in NJ

This is really, really powerful stuff. It’s really powerful, and putting it on the window is completely straight, not diluting it at all.

Why It Is So Powerful on Glass

The difference between using it for its intended purpose, to clean out a toilet bowl, and to wash a window is that it’s 100 times more powerful, because when you use it in a toilet bowl, you’re automatically diluting it. After all, it goes into the water that’s already there.

Its intended purpose was to be diluted maybe one to fifty or one to one hundred. Using it straight, that means you have to protect yourself: protect your eyes, protect your hands. Very, very strong stuff.

The Acid Wash Process

Put it on the window. Stick the applicator here and pour a little bit on the applicator. You can see, if you get really close to that, really up close, you’ll watch the hard water stains come right off there, just like that. It kind of has that chemical reaction: turned white and then kind of falls off.
Continue to apply it evenly. It’s blue, so you want to try to avoid letting it sit on the windowsill if the window is white, because it could turn that blue color.
Now take your steel wool. Take your water bottle, try to dilute it right away once you’ve scrubbed it with the steel wool.
Then you can take your squeegee, straight pull across, and then you’re done with the acid wash. But you will want to wash the window again.
Get that one spot, didn’t scrub well enough. Then, using your regular applicator, wash the window.

Cleanup After the Acid Wash

The last thing you want to do, when you’re done with the acid wash, is immediately rinse off your squeegee and your applicator, throw away the steel wool, and wash off your glove. Reusing these gloves just to try to save them as much as possible. You can also hire a professional home cleaning service provider.

Removing Hard Water Stains with CLR

Stains off a window just using the basic tools every day, and adding CLR to it. Use CLR: it’s a harsh chemical, but it’s not that harsh, and it’s good to use it. Apply some CLR directly to a six-inch white scrub pad sleeve. Cover the entire window with the CLR.

Give it time to sit. A row of like six windows: let that sit for just like 30 seconds maybe. I don’t want it to completely dry. Wet another one, try to work on two at the same time, just so it can sit in this state for a little while. It’s helpful. Go over it one more time just to make sure it’s not drying up.

The second scrub is more thorough, applying a lot more pressure directly to the window to scrub it more. Scrub it in two different directions. Over-scrubbing this, so not as likely to have to go back and re-scrub any area.

To remove the chemical, do not touch the applicator directly to the chemical. Do a basic, just two strokes, on the majority of the chemicals. Inspect it. If it looks good, take a regular soap and water solution, and do a final wash on it.

Clean up all sills, frames, underneath, anything that might have been touched, just so it doesn’t leave any staining. That’s removing some hard water stains using CLR.

Other Methods: White Vinegar, Lemon, and Baking Soda

You can remove hard water stains from glass using white vinegar. Just fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and spray the hard water stains. Let the vinegar sit for two to three minutes, then wipe it away with a dry cloth. The acidity in the vinegar will help break down the hard water deposits.

Alternatively, cut a lemon in half and rub one of the halves over the hard water stains. Like vinegar, lemon juice is acidic. You can also buff away the stains using baking soda mixed with a little water. If nothing else works, try using a stronger commercial cleaner designed for hard water stains from a hardware store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can toilet bowl cleaner be used straight on windows?

Putting it on the window completely straight, not diluting it at all. You have to protect yourself: protect your eyes, protect your hands.

Why is it more powerful on a window than in a toilet bowl?

When you use it in a toilet bowl, you’re automatically diluting it because it goes into the water that’s already there. Its intended purpose was to be diluted maybe one to fifty or one to one hundred.

Will it stain the windowsill?

It’s blue, so you want to try to avoid letting it sit on the windowsill if the window is white, because it could turn that blue color.

What protective equipment is needed?

Some safety glasses and a glove to protect your hand. This is really powerful stuff.

What happens after the acid wash?

You’re done with the acid wash, but you will want to wash the window again. Immediately rinse off your squeegee and your applicator and throw away the steel wool and wash off your glove.

Conclusion

Use the toilet bowl cleaner, putting it on the window completely straight, not diluting it at all. It’s 100 times more powerful. Protect your eyes, protect your hands.

Continue to apply it evenly, take your steel wool, take your water bottle, try to dilute it right away, take your squeegee, straight pull across, and then wash the window again. Immediately rinse off your squeegee and your applicator, throw away the steel wool, and wash off your glove.