Limescale is so common in many apartments worldwide. The main culprit is water hardness, which affects more than 80% of households in the USA alone.
It’s caused by excessive calcium and magnesium crystals which stick to appliances and fixtures. Limescale looks nasty and diminishes the appliances’ lifespan by a large margin. You’ll want to get rid of it ASAP to make sure everything functions properly.
Preventing Limescale
Before we get into removing existing limescale, we thought we should let you know that there are methods of preventing it altogether.
You may have heard about salt-based water softeners. They are fairly popular in the US despite the fact that they are heavily regulated. The reason that they are heavily regulated is that they replace mineral ions with sodium ones.
This can make the water far less drinkable than normally, so you might also want to consider an additional filter as well. The other way you can get softened water without using any salt or dealing with regulations is with a whole house electronic descaler.
How to Remove Limescale From Fixtures
To remove limescale from taps, showerheads, tiles, and other fixtures, all you need is a slice of lemon or some white vinegar.
Rub a slice of lemon over taps and bathroom fittings, let it sit for about an hour, then rinse with water and wipe away with a clean soft cloth.
Alternatively, you can prepare a spray bottle filled with half water and half white vinegar. Spray the solution on basins, taps, let the solution sit for about an hour, and then rinse thoroughly with water to get rid of the vinegar’s smell.
Alternatively, if you’re dealing with really visible limescale, you should soak a cloth or towel in the half-vinegar half-water solution, wrap it around fixtures, and let it sit overnight. Afterward, scrub the remaining scale residue with a clean soft cloth thoroughly.
One important thing to note is that you shouldn’t use vinegar on gold-plated taps because of the high acidity levels. Instead, use a slice of lemon as mentioned earlier.
Remove Limescale From Coffee Machines and Kettles
The same half-vinegar and half-water solution can be used on kettles and coffee machines alike. However, you should also note that some coffee machine brands have their own descaling solution.
But for consistency, let’s stick with the vinegar solution for this tutorial because their branded descaling agent comes with instructions on the package.
For kettles, put half water and half vinegar inside, leave it overnight, and the limescale should be fully dissolved in the morning. Rinse the kettle thoroughly to get the vinegar smell out. Alternatively, you could also put it in the dishwasher for an added effect.
For coffee machines, put the solution in the water compartment and run the machine as you would normally do but without adding any coffee. Afterward, repeat the process using regular water to rinse everything and get rid of the nasty vinegar smell.
Remove Limescale From Appliances
Both washing machines and dishwashers suffer from a greatly reduced lifespan thanks to limescale.
Fortunately, the solution is extremely simple in both cases. Place vinegar or lemon juice instead of detergent and run the appliances through a regular wash cycle without adding in any dishes or clothes. That’s it.
The Bottom Line
Follow these tips and you’ll never have to deal with limescale in your apartment ever again. These tricks work for absolutely anyone, so feel free to share our article with your friends and family to help them as well.
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