How to Remove Limescale
Limescale removal can be one of the hardest cleaning chores around the house and tricky to get rid of.
This is even worse in areas where hard water is more common.
Here is when we come in and reassure you that although it is tough to remove limescale, it is not impossible and here is where you will find a few useful tips from our cleaning experts.
The first thing to know is that prevention is the best solution, but if the limescale is already set, we will show you how to remove limescale efficiently to make your weekly clean easier.
® Is limescale bad for you?
We get asked this question more frequently than you think, but here is the good news: limescale can actually be beneficial for our health as the minerals it contains are naturally stored and used by our body for different things. But there is a downside as well, it causes very dry skin.
Limescale is a more serious problem in some of your appliances such as your kettle, dishwasher and washing machine for example. The hard water going in your appliances will build up limescale overtime leaving some damage behind if left untreated and the appliance will start to fail.
® How to prevent limescale
The water that flows through pipes have to be softened as this is where limescale begins to build up followed by your appliances that use water. There are a few ways you can do this, depending on which appliance we are referring to:
1. Washing machine – you can add a water softener in the form of powder or liquid to prevent limescale build-up, which you can find in your local supermarket.
2. Appliances – some people use only bottled water in their kettles and irons (distilled water) to prevent limescale forming.
3. Taps and showerheads – if you want a more permanent solution not only for your taps and showerheads but for the whole house protection, you can have a carbon water filter fitted which will remove water hardness as water comes through.
However, if limescale has built up and you are struggling to remove it, we are going to help you remove limescale.
You might be surprised to hear that the best products you can use to remove limescale are things you might have at home, but if you don’t, you can buy them from your local supermarket: lemon, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and Coca-Cola.
® How to treat limescale
Ø How to remove limescale from taps
Vinegar – fill in a spray bottle and spritz onto all affected areas. Leave for 30 minutes then clean.
Lemon – cut a lemon in half and rub the fleshy side all over the taps where limescale has built up. Leave for 30 minutes the clean as usual and dry with a dry cloth.
Ø How to remove limescale from the toilet bowl
Vinegar- pour undiluted vinegar into the toilet bowl and leave for a few hours before scrubbing it with a toilet brush and flushing it. Remember to open the window for some ventilation.
Coca-Cola – pour a litre of Coca-Cola around the toilet bowl, leave it for an hour, then scrub the bowl and flush. You can then wash your toilet bowl as usual.
Ø How to remove limescale from your showerhead
Bulit up limescale on your showerhead will make it less powerful, but, luckily, cleaning them is quite simple.
Lemon – cut a lemon in half and rub the fleshy side on the showerhead. Leave for an hour then scrub it using a toothbrush to unclog the little holes.
Vinegar – fill a small food bag with vinegar and fasten it around the showerhead using an elastic or string. Leave overnight and wipe clean the following morning.
Ø How to remove limescale from the bath, shower and sink
Limescale easily forms around plugholes in the bath, shower and sinks.
Here are some tips you can use to remove limescale in these areas:
Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar – combine 2-parts of bicarbonate of soda with 1-part white vinegar and mix to form a paste. Apply this paste to all areas with hard water stains and limescale, leave for 10 minutes, then scrub with the abrasive side of a sponge to remove all the paste and limescale.
Ø How to remove limescale from your kettle
Vinegar – fill the kettle with same part water and vinegar and leave for an hour. Then boil with that content and empty it once it has boiled. Now you have a sparkly almost new kettle! Enjoy your tea or coffee!
Ø How to remove limescale from your iron
We would advise you to always use distilled water for your iron. However, if you need to remove limescale that has already set, read this:
Vinegar – with your iron turned off, mix equal parts of distilled water and white vinegar and fill your iron’s water reservoir with this. Turn your iron on to a medium heat setting and let it stand for a while. Then steam your iron with all the mixture. You do not want your clothes to have any smells on them so fill the iron’s water reservoir only with distilled water and repeat. You can switch off the iron, let it cool a bit and wipe it with a clean dry cloth.
Ø How to remove limescale from your dishwasher
This is something we normally don’t think about but it is important to descale your dishwasher regularly. This is how:
Vinegar – your dishwasher should be empty then run your dishwasher on the highest temperature cycle possible. After half an hour, add 2 regular size cups of distilled white vinegar. When this cycle ends, run a hot cycle and you should have a shiny limescale free dishwasher again!
Ø How to remove limescale from your washing machine
Baking soda and white vinegar – start running a hot water cycle with an empty drum with the highest temperature possible. When the machine has filled its drum with water, add 1 cup of baking soda to the detergent drawer and let the cycle finish. Wipe the drum with a clean cloth then repeat this cycle but with white vinegar. When the cycle ends you can run a usual cycle to remove unwanted scents.
