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A telltale sign of having hard water in your home is finding brown, yellow, and grey stains on surfaces that regularly come in contact with water such as your kitchen and bathroom. Hard water is called ‘hard’ due to its mineral content, which includes high levels of sulfur.
Most surfaces can be scrubbed to remove mineral buildup, but those pesky stains lingering on your laundry may not be so easy to remove. Here are a few tips you can follow to remove those unsightly stains and unsavory smells from your clothes:
Step One: Baking Soda Soak
First, you need to treat the stains. Run cold water over the clothes and ring them out until they’re damp. After the clothes are rung out, sprinkle them with baking soda, sprinkling enough on both the front and back of the clothes so they are saturated. Finish with soaking the clothes in a bucket or tub of cold water overnight.
Step Two: Vinegar Soak
Next, rinse off the baking soda in cold water. Soak the clothing in a fresh bucket or tub of 1 part vinegar and 4 parts cold water for at least an hour.
Step Three: Wash & Dry
Finally, throw your clothes in the washing machine as you would normally but—you guessed it—with cold water. You want to avoid using hot (water and in the dryer) when treating your clothes; heat seals in the stains and smells from the sulfur.
Avoid putting the clothes into the dryer until the sulfur stains and odors are completely removed.
If your home does have hard water, adding a water softening system can not only reduce the staining of your laundry but help in a multitude of other household chores. From removing soap scum to having softer hair and skin, contact Aquarius Water Conditioning today for all of your water filtration needs!
