Hard water stain removal for windows and shower glass.
Sprinkler spots, white mineral rings and cloudy shower glass removed on site. When minerals have etched the glass, we polish it back to clear instead of replacing it.
Kansas City water is hard, even after it's softened.
Most Johnson County homes get their water from WaterOne. Its 2026 Water Quality Report lists an average hardness of 135 mg/L in 2025, ranging from 110 to 157. That counts as hard on both the Water Quality Association and U.S. Geological Survey scales.
WaterOne already softens the water with lime at the plant. In its own words, the river water it starts with often exceeds 250 mg/L, and the finished water “is still classified as hard water.”
When sprinkler spray or shower water dries on glass, the water evaporates and the calcium and magnesium stay behind. Wet it and dry it enough times and those deposits bond to the surface. Left long enough, they etch it.
- 135 mg/L
- WaterOne average hardness, 2025
- ≈ 7.9 grains
- per gallon: “hard” on the WQA scale (7.0–10.5)
- 250+ mg/L
- river water before WaterOne softens it
How hard is your water?
Figures from each utility's own published reports. Ratings use the USGS scale: 61–120 mg/L moderately hard, 121–180 hard.
| Utility | Serves | Hardness (mg/L) | Grains/gal | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WaterOne | Most of Johnson County: Overland Park, Leawood, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Lenexa, Shawnee | 135 avg (110–157) | ≈ 7.9 | Hard |
| Independence | Independence and its wholesale customers | 137 avg | ≈ 8.0 | Hard |
| Lee's Summit | Lee's Summit (supply bought from Independence) | 123 | ≈ 7.2 | Hard |
| Lawrence | Lawrence | 84–158 | ≈ 4.9–9.2 | Moderately hard to hard |
| KC Water | Kansas City, Missouri | about 100 avg | 5–6 | Moderately hard |
Grains per gallon converted at 1 gpg = 17.1 mg/L, except KC Water, which states 5–6 grains itself. Olathe runs its own utility; check the city's Water Quality Report for its figure.
Three stages, and what each one needs.
Run a clean, dry fingertip across the glass. If the spots feel rough or stay visible when the glass is wet, they've moved past stage one.
Fresh spots
Minerals sitting on top of the glass. A proper glass cleaner removes them. Deal with them now and they never become stage two.
Bonded deposits
White, rough and stubborn. Household cleaners don't touch them. We remove them with professional mineral removers and fine polishing.
Etched glass
The minerals have eaten into the surface. Only polishing restores it, and this is usually where someone quotes you new glass.
The glass that gets wet the most.
- Windows and glass doors beside lawn and garden sprinkler zones
- Frameless shower enclosures and glass shower doors
- Glass pool fences, deck and stair railings
- Storefronts and entries next to watered landscaping
Small changes, big difference.
- Aim sprinkler heads so they water the lawn, not the glass.
- Water less often. WaterOne's Smart Watering guide suggests Tuesday, Thursday and weekends, about a quarter inch at a time, avoiding midday.
- Squeegee shower glass after each use.
- Add a protective coating after restoration so new deposits rinse off.
Inspect, test, restore, protect.
Inspect
We look at every pane and sort spots, bonded deposits and etching, so you only pay for what each needs.
Test spot
We restore a small area first. You approve the result before we continue.
Restore
Deposits are dissolved and etching is polished out, with the glass left in its frame.
Protect
An optional clear coating makes new spots easier to rinse off.
Local hard water pages.
Leawood, KS
Newer luxury homes, HOA neighborhoods and hard WaterOne water.
About 5–10 minutes from our baseMission Hills, KS
J.C. Nichols estates and the Kansas side of the Country Club District.
About 20–25 minutes from our basePrairie Village, KS
Teardown rebuilds and remodels in established neighborhoods.
About 15–20 minutes from our baseOverland Park, KS
New custom homes in the south and office glass along College Blvd.
Our home baseOlathe, KS
The fastest-growing city in the core metro, with new subdivisions.
About 10–15 minutes from our baseKansas City, MO
Storefront districts, CIDs and Country Club District estates.
About 25–35 minutes from our baseLake Quivira, KS
A gated lake community on the Johnson and Wyandotte county line.
About 20–25 minutes from our baseLoch Lloyd, MO
A gated lake and golf community on the State Line, south of Leawood.
About 20–25 minutes from our baseLee's Summit, MO
Lake neighborhoods and steady new construction east of Kansas City.
About 30–35 minutes from our baseParkville, MO
Luxury custom homes and golf communities north of the river.
About 35–40 minutes from our baseQuestions we get
Can hard water stains on windows be removed for good?
The deposits and etching we remove are gone. New spots form if the glass keeps getting wet with hard water, so we also help you aim sprinklers away from the glass and can add a protective coating that makes new deposits easier to rinse off.
Will vinegar or a store-bought cleaner work?
On fresh spots that sit on top of the glass, often yes. Once minerals have bonded to the glass or etched it, household cleaners won't remove them, and abrasive pads or razor blades can scratch the glass and make it worse.
Does a water softener stop spots on my windows?
It helps indoors. WaterOne notes that softened water means less spotting on hard surfaces, which helps shower glass. Lawn sprinklers usually run on unsoftened water, so windows near sprinkler zones still spot.
Is it safe on tempered and shower glass?
Yes. We inspect the glass first and restore a small test spot for you to approve before we do the rest.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
Most homes are finished on site in about two days; a single shower enclosure can take a few hours. Price depends on how much glass there is and how deep the damage goes. Send a few photos and we'll reply with a price range.
See your glass clear again.
Serving Overland Park, Leawood, Olathe, Mission Hills, Prairie Village and the Kansas City metro within 60 miles.
Sources
- WaterOne, 2026 Water Quality Report (2025 data)
- KC Water, Water quality topics
- City of Independence, 2023 Water Quality Report
- City of Lee's Summit, 2026 Water Quality Report
- City of Lawrence, Consumer Confidence Report (2025 data)
- Water Quality Association, Glossary of terms
- U.S. Geological Survey, Hardness of water
- WaterOne, Water Quality Report (2005 data)
- WaterOne, Do I need a water softener?
- WaterOne, Smart Watering