Tips On How To Prevent Water Stains For Spotless Black Tile Shower Floors

Black shower tiles are one of the best ways to make your bathroom look moody, modern, and sleek, while offering a nice break from the monotony of all-white bathrooms that are quickly going out of style. Lots of folks have decided to install them in their shower floors to take advantage of the look, especially after many years of attempting to keep white tile and grout clean to no avail. Though there are lots of benefits to black shower floor tiles, the top mark against them is that hard water stains show up easily. Now, if you're in the minority of Americans living without hard water, that's likely no problem for you, but for approximately 85% of us, it's a continuous issue. 

Hard water stains are made up of minerals – mostly calcium and magnesium – which are soluble in water, but when the water evaporates you're left with, you guessed it, white buildup that stands out very sharply on black tile. Of course, you can bust out industrial grade limescale removers and break your back trying to remove hard water stains, or you can get serious about prevention. The two best ways to keep your black shower tiles free of hard water stains is cleaning them frequently with an acidic cleaning agent, and possibly installing a water softener for your home. 

Part of what makes hard water stains so difficult to keep off of black tile is that it builds up over time. Whenever you shower in hard water, a little film of limescale gets left behind, and that gets more and more visible after every use as the minerals harden; so, hard water buildup may mean you're not cleaning your shower as often as you should. To stop the stains from appearing on the tile, you'll need to clean your shower regularly – at least once a week. We don't mean a quick spritz with an all-purpose cleaner, either. You'll want an acidic cleaning agent such as vinegar to help eat away at the alkaline mineral deposits. For this, we love products like Bar Keeper's Friend, as it contains oxalic acid, as well as physical abrasives that not only clean, but shine surfaces like shower tiles. As well as thoroughly scrubbing the tiles with your cleaning solution, pay special attention to your shower head, as this is a hot spot for limescale buildup, and it can get sprayed over your shower tiles while in use. 

If this rigorous cleaning routine doesn't stop the hard water stains on your black tiles, it could be a sign it's time to get a water softener installed. These use salt to soften the minerals in the water, leaving you with softer water running through your pipes. These machines can do wonders for getting rid of hard water, but keep in mind that you'll need to refill them with salt regularly, so this isn't a one-time solution and will need maintenance.