If you have unsightly marks on your shower and your kettle is furry rather than shiny, you have limescale. The curse of the hard water area, it can seriously mess up your pipes and cost you money. With these top tips and anti-limecale products you can make your appliances work properly and save you money at the same time.
Limescale, which is largely made up of Calcium Carbonate, is responsible for the build up of the milky-white deposit you see on showerheads, taps, glass shower doors, kettles, irons – in fact most water-using appliances throughout your home. And 60% of British homes suffer from it!
Build up of limescale within washing machines and dishwashers can make your machine run less efficiently. In a kettle, limescale stops the heating element working as well as it should and can even damage it over time. Plus limescale is unsightly to look at, especially when it affects once shiny chrome appliances.
Limescale occurs in areas where water is naturally hard, which unfortunately covers large parts of the UK, it contains dissolved calcium and other minerals which have dissolved into the water from chalk and rock in the ground. Research has shown that just 6mm of limescale can reduce energy efficiency by a staggering 40% and, in a moderately hard water area, 6 mm of limescale can form in pipework or on heat exchangers in just two years. The result is that appliances affected by limescale have to work harder, using more water and energy to get the job done.
If you're investing in a new bathroom or even just a new toilet it is worth considering your limescale strategy early on. If you are spending a few hundred or maybe a few thousand pounds a small extra investment to insure your pipes will remain unclogged and your chrome shiny, might not be a bad idea.
For more information on saving water in the bathroom click here.
Limescale can be dissolved by a range of mild acids. You can buy brand-name limescale removers, however two of the most effective substances for getting rid of limescale are lemon juice and ordinary vinegar. This can be a good solution (no pun intended!) for cleaning things you can easily wash afterwards such as showerheads and shower screens. However we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for pipework.
Both vinegar and lemon juice will do a great job of removing any limescale deposits and freshening up your machines’ innards at the same time. Simply use a large cup of either liquid in place of your usual detergent and run a normal washing cycle in an empty washing machine. For your dishwasher, pour the liquid into the base of the empty machine and run a cycle. The limescale should just dissolve away.
Quarter fill the kettle with vinegar or lemon juice and leave for an hour. Then top up the kettle with water and boil. Pour away the boiled water before it cools and then rinse with several changes of cold water. That should do the job to get rid of limescale deposits.
We have a range of limescale-busting products which can prevent the build up of limescale.
Whether handheld or fixed, these showerheads are designed to prevent the build-up of limescale by using a specially designed plate. This plate retracts when the water flow stops allowing small pins to be pushed through the spray plate. This action pushes any limescale to the surface which can then be easily wiped away.Click here for more details.
Including Magno balls for your washing machine, Magnoloo for your toilet, Washing Machine and Dishwasher Descalers and Kettle and Iron Descalers – all eco-friendly products to prevent and descale your appliances to help them work more efficiently.
Tackle the limescale problem at source. This clever box uses a powerful electromagnetic field applied through two coils of wire to your incoming water pipe. It’s easy to set up and you’ll never know it’s working, just switch it on and leave it to do its magic. It even comes with a 12-month money back guarantee.Click here for more details.