Best Tip! How to Remove Limescale at Home

Removing Limescale at Home

Limescale is a white, chalky material that builds up in layers on the inside of your pipes and appliances, where they are exposed to water.

Calcium Carbonate

All water contains impurities. One impurity, calcium carbonate, is responsible for creating limescale. It does not dissolve in water but is carried along, and small amounts of it get left behind. While there is very little calcium carbonate in water, it adds up quickly, given the vast quantity of water that flows through your home every day.

Over time, the layer of deposited limescale can become so thick as to entirely clog your plumbing, slowing water to a trickle, or even stopping it completely. Let us show you an easy way to remove limescale at home.

Cleaning and De-Scaling

Fortunately, limescale is easy to clean up at home, even if the problem has built up. While there are plenty of commercial de-scalers, you probably already have what you need at home: white vinegar. This gentle, food-safe acid gradually dissolves the deposit, leaving everything clean and good as new. Not only that, but it’s also cheaper than most commercial products.

Once the vinegar covers the limescale, it takes up to a few hours to break it down. Exactly how long it will take to remove limescale will vary depending on the thickness of the deposit, but anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours is typical.

If your problem area cannot be easily submerged, you can wrap it in paper towels soaked in vinegar. For the trickiest areas, a spray-bottle can also be used.

• For example, if you have limescale built up on your glass stovetop, spray vinegar on the area than soak a piece of paper towel with vinegar, place it on the spot and let it sit.

Is your shower head squirting water in all directions? It’s clogged! You can try rubbing it with a toothbrush, which was dipped in vinegar and if that does not work, soak the showerhead in vinegar.

• Fill a plastic bag with vinegar, submerge the showerhead in the bag, and secure tightly with a rubber band, twist tie, or tape. Let the bag stay for a few hours.
• If you would rather submerge the showerhead in the vinegar, you must remove the showerhead from the pumping pipe to do so.

Limescale can be anything from a visual nuisance to a severe plumbing problem, but one thing it is not is tough to get rid of. Make that crusted-on white powder a thing of the past, with pure household vinegar.

If you have a severe buildup and need help to remove limescale in your plumbing pipes, contact All A’s Plumbing. We will be happy to help you and bring the water flow back to the maximum level.