I need to soften some cream cheese to room temperature. I forgot to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator and don't want to offset my bake start time letting it sit. Is there a way to quickly soften the cream cheese that doesn't require just leaving it on the counter? 
Those are mineral deposits. You can remove them with either vinegar or citric acid. Personally, I use citric acid:   Fill the kettle with some water. Heat the water (doesn't need to boil). Sprinkle a little citric acid in (use food-grade, also sometimes called "sour salt"). Let it sit for a few minutes. The spots should vanish. Dump the water out, rinse it a few times.   Works about the same with distilled vinegar, except you'll want some ventilation when you heat the vinegar (again, not to a boil), as the acetic acid vaporizes.  The heating isn't actually required for either approach, it just speeds the process up. 