Limescale can take many shapes and forms, recognisably its seen as a white deposit on surfaces commonly seen in your bathroom such as chrome taps, ceramic toilet bowls, showerheads, and doors. Limescale builds up over time and can leave your bathroom looking slightly unhygienic and uncared for. Although limescale isn’t the most attractive and can cause problems in your home, it is generally confirmed and understood that limescale is not bad for your health in anyway. Limescale build up can cause issues as it can build up on any surface that hard water encounters. Limescale build up can restrict the flow of water you receive and reduce the efficiency of your taps and showers – and on a more extreme level it can block boilers and radiators, causing pipes to crack.

So how can you prevent this from happening and keep the limescale at bay? In short, by paying attention to the types of chemicals you use to clean and ensuring that you scrub the likely areas that will have a build up of limescale. However, it is true that different surfaces will require different methods that we will walk you through below.

How to remove limescale from taps.

The simplest solution to remove limescale may seem to be shop bought products, however we believe home remedies will not only be kinder on your skin and surfaces, but also more cost effective in the current cost of living crisis.

- White vinegar and warm water – pour equal parts of white vinegar and warm water into a container or spray bottle. Depending on how stubborn the limescale is you may only need to wipe the tap over with the solution or you may need to lay a cloth to soak on it for a few hours. Either way make sure you wipe the tap after with a clean, damp cloth and dry it fully. Please note that this method will not be suitable for a treated surface such as chrome or gold-plated taps as the acidity can damage their finish.

- Bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice – Mix together bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice together until a paste forms. Rub this onto the areas where limescale has presented and leave for a short amount of time. When you return, wipe the paste off and clean the tap with a damp cloth and ensure it is dried properly after.

- Lemon juice – For very stubborn or thick limescale deposits use pure lemon juice to soak the affected areas of the tap overnight – or for a prolonged passage of time. As with all of these cleaning remedies, ensure that you clean away the excess properly.

How to remove limescale from a shower

The easiest way to clear a shower head from limescale is to completely remove the shower head and lead from the rest of the shower unit and place into a bowl or bucket filled with equal parts lemon juice and water.

Ensure there is enough solution to submerge the limescale infected parts of your shower and leave for a minimum of 30 minutes.

You will then need to remove the shower head a rinse with warm water, use a sponge or cloth to remove any excess limescale still on the shower head. Our experts also advise that you use a needle to poke any remaining limescale out of the jets in your shower head.

Toilets Most toilets are made from ceramic and due to the nature of the shape of a toilet bowl, it makes it difficult for effective uses of soaking to remove the limescale. Therefore, for a toilet our experts recommend you soak a toothbrush in white vinegar and scrub the limescale away.

How can you prevent limescale build up in my bathroom?

The amount of limescale you have to battle in your bathroom will depend on how soft or hard your water quality is, so ultimately it comes down to where you live geographically. If you live in a soft water area you shouldn’t have a big issue with limescale, perhaps you will notice slight erosion over a long period of time due to the acidity in soft water.

However, if you know you live in a hard water area, you will be aware of the issues that limescale presents. Your bathroom even over short periods of time will become ridden with limescale on taps, shower heads and toilets, not to mention hidden build up in your boiler and pipes.

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You can look to install a water softener to help reduce the amount of minerals in your water, making it softer. Although, we are aware that this is a costly solution and therefore the best thing we advise to keep on top of limescale is regular and thorough cleaning, using the methods we have stated and outlined in this blog.

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