Five Ways to Use Vinegar to Help with Hard Water in Winter

It seems like the mineral concentration in my water is much higher in winter. My skin and hair feel tight dry. My clothes aren't very soft. My humidifier and coffee maker have mineral build up and the hard water stains are so hard to clean! So, here are a few ways to help alleviate the mineral build up!

Lime scale is a chalky white mineral deposit (alkaline) which is a result of hard water. It often occurs on faucets and in tubs and appliances, such as kettles and coffeemakers and can leave silver and chrome with a gray dullness. White vinegar contains acetic acid and is a great place to start for cleaning these pesky stains. Over time, these mineral build-ups can damage sinks, toilets, and tubs and make soap scum harder to remove. - howtocleanstuff.net

Hair

Mix 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar with one cup water. Massage into hair after shampooing.

Clothes

Add one cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Keurig

Add 48 oz of undiluted vinegar to reservoir. Run coffee maker. Let stand 4 hours while ON. More directions here. 

Humidifier

Turn off humidifier and let cool. Disassemble and find heating element. Make sure it's cool and unit is unplugged. Submerge heating element in white vinegar. Wait 4 hours. Scrape additional scale off without damaging heating element.

Dishwasher

Add one cup vinegar to each normal cycle.