The WPJ blog

Nothing is harder to get rid of in a shower or a bath than limescale. It forms from hard water, and while it’s not harmful to our health, it can cause a lot of problems. Often, when not treated for long periods of time it creates deposits. These deposits can clog plumbing and create issues down the road. Hard water is the culprit and will always create limescale if not treated straight away.

Here are 5 simple tips that can help anyone remove limescale in their shower, sink, kettle, loo and washing machine.

• A water/vinegar mix helps remove a lot of lime buildup. Soaking a shower head in this mixture overnight is the best solution. Just use a wrench to unscrew the shower head and then submerge it in the mixture. It is pretty simple.
• For areas with difficult to remove limescale buildup, there are a few common items that most people will have lying around the home that work well. Lemon juice works very well. When mixed with vinegar, it works even better. If placed in a spray bottle, you can spray all of the areas in the bathroom that have lime buildup.
• For water kettles that have ugly limescale buildup, a few tablespoons of water softener can be added and then boiled for 2 minutes. This will remove limescale stains easily. For tougher stains, a few drops of lemon juice can be added to the mixture.
• For loos that have hard water stains, the water in the bowl will need to be drained. Place in an equal mixture of white vinegar and borax. Cover as much of the bowl as possible. This mixture should be left in the bowl for a few hours in order for it to work.
• Washing machines can also be cleaned by adding one litre of vinegar into the water during a normal cycle. Once the complete cycle is finished, your washing machine should looks great. The hard water deposits should be washed away.

Hard water is not always that easy to remove. When the above suggestions just do not work, you need to call in the experts. There are products that work well to prevent hard water issues before they start. When this is the case, have a look at a water softeners or electronic water conditioners. Installing an electronic water conditioner will help you remove limescale.

¹ Got scale? 5 simple tips to remove limescale Accessed online 29 April 2016 http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/plumbing/got-scale-5-simple-tips-to-remove-limescale.html