While the actual process of removing calcium buildup from tile, toilet porcelain or other common build-up areas is pretty straightforward, you will probably end up putting in a lot of work before you are done. Make sure you have all of your materials on hand before you get started, since a lot of these techniques work best in combination. Once you are ready, pull on your rubber gloves and "dive in." Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Chip away excessive scaling and deposits. Use the putty knife to chip away at heavy, built-up calcium. Be careful, since if you dig your putty knife into the porcelain you can damage the finish. Once you get most of the excess calcium off and have only a thin layer close to the porcelain, set your putty knife aside.
2. Attack the calcium build-up with a batch of lemon juice and vinegar. There is no need to dilute the mixture with water since household vinegar is already diluted, which means it will take longer to impact the calcium. You can use two cups of vinegar and a cup of lemon juice. Apply the mixture to the calcium by laying a saturated cleaning cloth over the build-up, or if the build-up is in your toilet, just pour the whole thing in. You can leave the mixture on the calcium stains for up to 24 hours.
3. Scrub off the remainder of the calcium build-up, using the scrub brush. The vinegar and lemon juice should have eaten away at the crust and loosened up the calcium deposits. At this point, you should be able to scrub most, if not all, of the remaining calcium away.
4. Sand off any remaining calcium deposits. Use the wet and dry sandpaper. Do not get too aggressive or you will sand through your porcelain's finish. Be gentle and rinse the area often so that you can tell when you have completely removed the calcium from the area.
5. Refinish the porcelain. Once the area has dried, you may notice that your efforts have left some nicks and scratches. Use a spray porcelain finish to quickly clean up the area, and your bathtub will soon be looking just like new.
Tags: lemon juice, putty knife, calcium build-up, calcium deposits, mixture calcium
