Nickel in your home, especially in the kitchen or bathroom, can make the room look really nice. You can find them in a few different finished including brushed and polished and others that are done to make it look like aged metal. Because nickel is durable, many homes have it in there. But it is also susceptible to staining from different products.
You could choose to use a scouring pad or an abrasive cleaner, but these will often cause damage to the surface of the fixture so you need to use some caution when you pick out a cleaning product. While the commercial products are not going to work well without causing damage, there are likely to be some products around your home that you can use to help clean the nickel and make them look nice.
Related: How To Clean Water Stains From a Bathroom Mirror
Removing Hard Water Stains from Polished Nickel
If you have hard water stains on your polished nickel, there are a few steps that you can use to make sure that you can remove those stains and make the fixtures look as good as new. Some of the safe options include:
Step 1:
To start this process, take about a quarter cup of dishwashing liquid of your choice. Put it into a spray bottle that can hold at least a quart. Then fill the bottle with some cool water. You do not want this to be warm.
Step 2:
With the dish soap and the water inside the spray bottle, it is time to mix the contents until they are combined. Open the nozzle on the spray bottle at this time and then spray it all over the polished nickel item that you would like to get clean. If you plan to do a lot of cleaning with this solution, keep the same ratio in place and then just put it all in a bigger spray bottle.
Step3:
Get the faucet covered in the solution as much as possible. It is time to bring out a sponge at this point and scrub the faucet as much as possible. If you need, use a bit of cool water to help get all of the solution off. Stay away from the hot water during this time. The cool water is the best to get all of the little parts that come with the faucets or other nickel pieces that you are trying to clean off.
Step 4:
Now it is time to bring out a few other items to help you get this done. You will need some rubbing and a cotton ball. You can add a little bit of the rubbing alcohol into the cotton ball. Do not get it soaked but add enough to help you work on this process. Then take the cotton ball and rub on the stained area. Depending on how hard the water stains are, you may need to scrub a bit and add some more rubbing alcohol to the area. You can continue this until the stain lifts up. The alcohol is going to do a great job at picking up some of the calcium deposits while ensuring that it will help the nickel piece to shine and look amazing.
Step 5:
Once you have the water stains lifted up and done, it is time to rinse the rubbing alcohol off. If you did a good job and cleaned all the little parts, then you will need to take some extra time to remove the alcohol so it does not stick or cause issues to the nickel. You need to make sure all of the rubbing alcohol is removed from the faucet so take your time on this. It will help to keep the nickel pieces clean and looking good rather than getting ruined by the alcohol.
Step 6:
To finish this off, you will need to use a soft and clean cloth to help buff the faucets. This makes sure that all of the water is removed when you are done and can make all of it shine and look amazing as you get done. You can spend a little extra time on this part to make sure that all of the different nooks and areas of the faucet or other nickel pieces are all cleaned out and ready to go. This extra scrubbing is also a good way to make the nickel shine and look good.
How to Avoid Hard Water Stains on Faucets
Now that we know a little bit more about how to remove the hard water stains on the faucets that you are using, it is time for us to dive in a bit and see some of the steps that we can use to make sure these hard water stains do not appear on the faucet (or show up again later), to keep the room looking nice.
Wipe the Faucets When Done
The key to making the faucet look good all the time, or to keep any other type of nickel clean and clear, is to clean it off when you are done. If any kind of water gets onto the nickel, then you need to remove it with a good wiping. A chamois cloth or a soft rag are the best one for this so you can easily wipe it dry when you are done cleaning up. If you live in an area with hard water, it is easy for the calcium deposits to form on the area and you may end up with a mess on your hands. Clean up each time to avoid this.
Clean the Nickel Often
The recommendation is to clean it at least twice a week. If you wipe it down on a daily basis or when you are done using it, then it is likely that you will not need to clean the nickel pieces as often. But to make sure that they will last for a long time and not get the hard water spots, cleaning the faucet more often is going to be necessary. Make sure to spend extra time looking at the little crevices and any openings to make sure the calcium deposits can’t make their home there.
There are a few different options that you can use to help take care of this part of the nickel and to make it as clean as possible. You can use a hard-surface cleaning spray to get it done. Then use a cloth to wipe it dry completely to avoid more issues with more deposits later on.
Add a Wax Coating
Another thing that you can consider doing to make sure the water stains are kept off your polished nickel is to add a wax coating. You should consider doing this at least once a month. This will add on a little more shine and protection to keep the hard water stains away. If you live in an area that has hard water, this is a good treatment that will keep the faucet and other types of nickel looking great.
It is pretty easy to find this kind of paste to get the work done. It is affordable and you just need to add a little bit to a dry and soft cloth before spreading the wax all over the nickel that you would like to clean off. When you have the whole piece covered, you can then use a clean soft cloth and rub it to make the whole piece look shiny and new.
Get a Water Softener System
If you live in an area that has a lot of hard water, it may be time to consider a new water softener system. This type of system is a good way to remove minerals that would create hard water, which is something that causes all the trouble with the nickel In your home. Over time, this hard water is able to destroy the appliances you have, allowing calcium to build up on any surface that it would like. It can even dry out your skin and hair with prolonged use too.
Most homes in the United States rely on hard water from the tap so it is likely that your home does to. There are many water softener systems that you can purchase including those from Amazon and other local stores. It can cost a little bit to get this started, but it is worth it to protect the appliances and the different parts of your home.
Keeping the Polished Nickel Clean
It is important to take good care of the polished nickel in your home. But if you have hard water in your home, this is not always as easy as you may like. You may need to spend some time wiping down the item and keeping up on the maintenance to make sure that it lasts a long time. If you follow the steps listed above, you will find that it is easy to keep your polished nickel clean and to remove all of the hard water stains that are on it.
