Hard water is water that’s rich in mineral content, especially calcium and magnesium. The molecules of these minerals have a tendency to stick together and adhere to surfaces once the water withdraws or evaporates.
Thus, they buildup in pipes and form white, cloudy stains on surfaces like car windows. The windows of your car might come in contact with hard water when you wash it yourself with your garden hose, when your professional car wash uses untreated water, or simply because of the rain.
Thankfully, there are ample solutions for removing hard water stains from car windows, both DIY solutions you can easily make at home using household staples and special formulas provided by brands in the car industry.
Let’s see what those products are and how you can apply homemade solutions with white vinegar and lemon juice to your car windows.
How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Car Windows
There are water stain removers specifically designed for use on car windows and paint. But, conventional methods like white vinegar and lemon juice that have been used for hard water spot removal for ages are still effective for handling the mineral buildup on your windshield, side glass, or sunroof.
1. Use Water Stain Removers
Minerals like calcium and magnesium are alkaline, and the best way to dislodge their buildup is to use an acidic paste, gel, or liquid. That’s how the two products we recommend for removing hard water stains from the surfaces of your car work:
- Chemical Guys Heavy Duty Water Spot Remover: Chemical Guys is the trusted brand of many truckers, bikers, and car owners when it comes to removing hard water spots and polishing the surfaces of their vehicles. This water spot remover is a mildly acidic gel that can easily dislodge mineral stains. You just need to squirt a small amount of it on a soft sponge or a microfibre car-cleaning cloth and rub it on the stain. If the water stains prove stubborn after your first go, you can apply it again. You can also use The Chemical Guys Heavy Duty Water Spot Remover on the painted or metal surfaces of your vehicle.
- Griot’s Garage Fine Glass Polish: Unlike the Chemical Guys remover, Griot’s Garage Fine Glass Polish is only applicable to glass surfaces like sunroofs, windshields, side glasses, and even mirrors. But its effectiveness is just as high, especially when you apply it frequently, like once every week. This solution will ensure that no mineral deposit stains the glass surfaces of your car.
Note that you need to cover your hands, eyes, mouth, and nose while applying either product, as their chemical content can cause irritation.
2. Use White Vinegar
White vinegar, an acidic yet absolutely non-toxic liquid, is the safest, most common method for removing hard water stains. Its efficiency is so impressive that people also use it to sanitize their water-softening devices.
So, if it’s good for removing mineral buildup from a water softener, a device specifically designed to remove hard water minerals, why wouldn’t it be a safe way to deal with the stains on your car windows?
White vinegar is not only effective, but it’s also the most affordable and convenient way to remove these stains. Here’s a rundown of the process:
- Grab an empty spray bottle
- Half-fill the bottle with distilled white vinegar. If the hard water stains you want to remove have been there too long (say, a couple of months), you can fill 3/4 of the bottle with vinegar.
- Fill the rest of the bottle with water
- Grab a microfiber cleaning towel or a soft sponge and spray the mixture on it
- Rub the stains on your car windows with the cleaning utensil meticulously
- Once the stain is gone, wipe off the surface with a dry and clean towel/cloth. If the stains are persistent, repeat the first steps.
3. Lemon Juice
Lemon is even more acidic than white vinegar, so it can dislodge mineral stains quite easily. You just need to squeeze a few drops of lemon on the stain and rub it until it’s gone.
However, you need to quickly wipe it off because, as you probably already know, lemon juice can become sticky once it dries. What’s worse, it might leave its own white and cloudy spots on the surfaces of your car.
How to Protect Your Car from Hard Water Stains
How to protect your car from hard water stains depends on how the stains get onto your car and the level of total dissolved solids (TDS) in your water.
If the stains are due to rain, then parking it in closed spaces might help. If, on the other hand, the reason behind the stains is untreated and unsoftened water, you should consider washing your car with soft water instead. You can get soft water by using a water softener. Water softeners are water treatment systems made specially to remove hard water minerals and contaminants.
There are 3 types of water softeners:
- Salt-based water softener: Uses sodium or potassium chloride salt to separate the calcium and magnesium molecules in water through a process known as Ion-exchange. We recommend you to buy the Springwell SS1 Salt-Based Water Softener.
- Salt-free water softener: Uses Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC) to crystallize hard water minerals. We recommend you to buy the Kind Water Systems E-2000 Water Softener.
- Water Descaler: Uses electromagnetic pulses to prevent calcium and magnesium molecules from binding with water molecules.
Conclusion
Hard water can result in white and cloudy stains on the glass surfaces of your car. Products specifically designed for removing hard water stains from your car’s surfaces, such as white vinegar, or lemon juice may help you temporarily get rid of them.
