How to remove lime scale from a clogged faucet

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My faucet, covered in mineral deposits.

You know the feeling: you turn on the faucet and the water sprays in weird directions because the holes that the water is supposed to come out of are all clogged with mineral deposits. And maybe the faucet itself isn’t too pretty, either, coated with a white film that won’t come off no matter how hard you scrub.

Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: vinegar!

If you have a retractable faucet, here’s how to do it. (I’ve included some tips for traditional, non-retractable faucets at the end.)

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Pull the faucet out as far as it will go, then put a clip or similar object to keep the faucet from retracting back into the housing.
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Put a quarter cup of vinegar in a mug. Place the faucet in the mug, then top the mug off with water until full.
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Let it sit for a few hours. The deposits will loosen and fall to the bottom of the mug. Yummy.
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Remove the faucet from the mug and wipe with a clean rag or sponge. Any remaining mineral deposits should come right off. (If they don’t, you can soak a little longer.) Now your faucet looks sparkly, and even better, the water should flow out of it just as smoothly as it did on the day it was installed.

If you don’t have a retractable faucet, the simplest way to soak it is to soak a clean rag in hot white vinegar (you can heat it for a minute or two in the microwave), then wrap the rag around the faucet and tie in place with a rubberband. Let that sit for a few hours and proceed as above.

If you’re able to unscrew the aerator (the round knob at the end of traditional faucets where the water comes out), you can just soak that part in a little vinegar for a few hours, instead, then screw it back in and turn the water on to flush any remaining deposits out.

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