inside of a marble shower that is freshly cleaned

Easy DIY Limescale Removal & Limescale Prevention

June 7 2018

Limescale Removal and Limescale Prevention

You may have noticed that white crust or unpleasant light white coating on your windows. That’s called limescale, and now that we covered some of the nicer things like travertine countertops, today we can talk about both limescale removal and limescale prevention.

The Best Way To Remove Limescale

There’s more than one way to do limescale removal. However, scraping off the limescale isn’t advised, as you might damage the finish underneath. Luckily, there are easier ways to do limescale removal, such as using mild acids to dissolve the limescale.

So which acids should you use and how do you use them?

Homemade Limescale Remover

Vinegar is the best homemade limescale removal option. It’s easier to use than chemicals and involves less scrubbing.

The specific items you’ll require are:

  • Strong pickling vinegar and lime juice for tough limescale deposits, or
  • Either white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or distilled white vinegar will work for most limescale deposits.
  • Be sure not to use brown vinegar, because it will cause stains.

How you’ll do the limescale removal depends on the area that needs cleaning. First we’ll talk about how to do general limescale removal.

General Limescale Removal Procedure

It must be said that the real challenge with limescale removal isn’t in finding the right cleaning solution to do the job; the real challenge is making sure that the juices cover the limescale long enough to do the job. Some limescale deposit areas are harder to clean than others, and likewise make future limescale prevention more difficult.

Now, how to clean:

  1. First, be sure to use a paper towel, because it will more fully absorb the vinegar without letting it drip out.
  2. Now gently wipe the limescale and it should disappear. If it doesn’t, leave the paper towel on the limescale for about 10 minutes and go back to it later.

Dealing With Limescale Problem Areas

As we mentioned earlier, some areas make limescale prevention more difficult and are harder to clean than others. We’ll tackle a few of them here:

  • Kettles: leave the vinegar inside for 30 minutes, and then use a metal scrubbing pad to clean off the limescale.
  • Glass/plastic door: these usually contain a lot of limescale. The key for dealing with them is basic limescale prevention – wipe the excess water off the doors after you shower. This method is effective but impractical to do after every shower. However, if the limescale bothers you, try to do it at least every few days.
  • The worst areas for limescale removal are toilets and underneath taps. There are a lot of specially formulated products on the market for dealing with these more problematic areas.

You might be wondering if you can prevent limescale from forming at all. To answer that question, you need to understand why limescale forms in the first place.

Limescale Prevention

Limescale can always be found in areas of the home where water is being used, including in bathrooms and kitchens. It forms after water is left on the surface. When the water evaporates, minerals are left behind, resulting in limescale.

The only way to achieve limescale prevention is to remove any excess water wherever you find it. Of course this is usually impractical, which is why doing regular limescale removal is necessary if you don’t want to see the ugly white coating.

To conclude, here’s a bonus kettle limescale prevention tip: leave a little liquid inside after each use, thus preventing the water from evaporating. The next time you use it, wash it with a new liquid. Kettles are expensive to replace, so this is a worthwhile tip to keep in mind.

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