Considering all the tasks you expect your faucet to do, you should probably check its cleanliness every once in a while. It's one of those areas that goes unnoticed because it's not on your usual cleaning list. But the underside and the head of a faucet can get pretty gross if you don't take care of them.
Whether you need to clean the faucet or completely replace it, we've got you covered. Check out these tips for quick ways to make an old faucet look brand new and an extra hack for a fast and easy way to install a new faucet.
1. Vinegar As with most cleaning-related jobs, vinegar is one of the best options, and using it to clean a faucet is extremely easy. Just fill a small baggie with vinegar and use a hair tie to hold the bag in place over the faucet. Remove the bag after about 30 minutes and use a dish brush to remove any remaining particles. Rinse with warm water and the faucet should be as good as new.
2. CLR If the faucet has a lot of calcium buildup, you'll need something a little more heavy duty than vinegar. You'll still need a baggie, but this time fill it with equal amounts of water and CLR. Hook the bag onto the faucet and leave it for a few hours. After removing the bag, scrub the faucet with a clean rag until all the buildup is gone.
3. Baking soda, vinegar and dish soap If you don't want to use a chemical-filled cleaner but know that vinegar alone isn't enough to cut through the grime on the faucet, you might need to call in some reinforcements. You'll still need a baggie, but this time pour in two tablespoons of baking soda and five drops of dish soap. Hold the bag around the faucet and pour in enough vinegar to cover everything. When it's finished foaming, use a rubber band to fasten the bag around the faucet. Leave it for an hour before removing the bag and scrubbing the faucet with an old toothbrush. Finish by rinsing off the faucet with warm water.
4. Lemon No matter how clean you think you're keeping the faucet, there's still a chance you're going to end up with hard water stains. It's not your fault; it depends on the kind of water your city has. Fortunately, there's an easy, all-natural way to get rid of hard water stains. Cut a lemon in half and rub the cut side on the faucet. Let the lemon juice soak in for a few minutes and finish by rinsing with warm water.
5. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda (h/t First Home Love Life)Have you ever looked at the base of the faucet where it meets the back edge of the sink? If you tend to forget that part, then you probably have no idea how much gunk and grime accumulates there. But there's an easy way to clean it. Start by sprinkling a thin layer of baking soda over the part you want to clean and spraying it with hydrogen peroxide. Let it set for a few minutes before you scrub the area with an old toothbrush. When you're finished, wipe everything away with a damp cloth.
6. Install a new faucet At some point you might decide that a faucet is beyond saving, no matter how much you clean it. When this happens, it's time to install a brand-new one. This isn't as difficult as you might think. Start by detaching the water lines under the sink and removing the mounting nuts. Next, loosen the bolt on the lift rod, which should allow you to lift the old faucet out of the mounting holes. Put the new faucet into the mounting holes, adjust the handles and reverse the previous steps to hook up everything.
