How to clean a limescale faucet

Housewives are well aware of the problem of calcification of chrome-plated plumbing fixtures. To restore their former appearance, one has to look for effective means that allow you to remove limescale from the tap quickly and without damaging its surface.

The reason for the occurrence of limescale is associated with a high content of calcium and magnesium salts in the water. When the faucet is open, especially hot water, it forms steam, which condenses and forms a coating. In the absence of timely care, it crystallizes over time, turning into a persistent white scale, which is difficult to remove with ordinary wiping.

Folk remedies

Despite the abundance of different types of household chemicals, folk remedies that are easy to prepare at home are still popular. These are solutions and pastes based on lemon, soda, vinegar or other products.

Lemon

This type of citrus fruit has long been used as a natural cleanser due to its high acid content. The fruit must be cut into two halves, with the side of the cut, treat the chrome surfaces and wait 10 minutes until the acid destroys the salt deposits. Then wipe the mixer with a dry and soft cloth dry. Citric acid can be an effective alternative. In a specially prepared container

pour out a small amount of crystalline substance;
add some water;
mix everything thoroughly until completely dissolved;
soak a soft sponge in the solution;
clean affected areas.

Soda

To use this product, soda slurry is prepared. The cooking process is simple and does not take much time:

put a few tablespoons of the powder into a cup;
dilute it with a little water;
mix until smooth;
hold for up to 5 minutes to dissolve large abrasive particles.

When the paste is ready, it should be applied to the chrome parts of the washbasin and left for an hour. After that, the product must be carefully removed with a soft cloth, without effort. If stains remain, they can be wiped off with light movements using a soft sponge.

Vinegar

Acetic solutions are another popular cleaner option. The composition may include table vinegar with a 9% concentration or its apple counterpart. An obligatory component is water, which is mixed with vinegar in equal parts. After cooking

the sponge is moistened with a solution;
handle plumbing;
wait a few minutes;
using a soft cloth, wipe everything dry.

The solution immediately reacts, allows you to quickly get rid of lime deposits, and the absence of abrasive properties protects the sensitive surface from scratches.

Coca Cola

Since the appearance of this overseas drink in the former USSR, housewives quickly discovered its amazing ability to clean pollution. In this case, no preparatory procedures are required, it is enough

soak a piece of cloth in soda;
put it on the sink faucet;
hold the compress for about 20 minutes;
wash the treated surface from the remnants of pollution and drink;
wipe with a dry cloth.

The acids that make up Cola destroy the water stone, restore the shine of the surface without damage.

Laundry soap

grind the soap into shavings;
dissolve with a little hot water;
add some baking soda;
mix the components until a slurry with a homogeneous consistency.

The mixture is applied in a continuous layer over the entire surface of the tap and kept for about an hour. To finally clean it from the remnants of scale, you will need to rinse everything with running water.

Chemicals

A more effective way to remove the stone is the use of household cleaners. It is advisable to use products specifically designed for stainless steel surfaces with a chrome finish. Popular drugs include

Russian Sanoks, for metal plumbing and products with a ceramic base for a similar purpose;
Ravak Cleaner Chrome from a Czech manufacturer for chrome-plated equipment;
well-known to domestic housewives Cif from Hungary, designed for metal cleaning;
another domestic drug Cillit Bang effectively removes salt deposits from metal parts;
German Top House is designed to care for the sink in the kitchen and other stainless steel equipment.

A necessary and general condition for the use of these compounds is the protection of the skin, in some cases the eyes and respiratory organs. For other details of use, please refer to the label or the accompanying instructions, if available. For a final shine, you can use polishes, which, among other things, are able to create a film that prevents calcification. These substances include Indesit and Dumax.

This information will be useful for novice housewives who do not always know how to clean the faucet from limescale of varying complexity at home.

How to avoid plaque

In full accordance with the saying “prevention is better than cure”, it is much easier to prevent the occurrence of calcium deposits than to suffer with its removal. There are three main preventive measures that can solve this problem:

wipe the faucet after each use, preferably dry;
carry out regular cleaning at least once a week;
to prevent the flow of plumbing, in a timely manner to eliminate malfunctions.

Liquid or solid products: which is better to use

For a knowledgeable person, such a dilemma does not exist. The choice should be unambiguously in favor of liquid preparations that spare the surface. Most powders are abrasive and can damage surfaces.

Should You Use a Water Filter?

According to user reviews, filters are really a useful thing. They remove excess salts and soften the water, reducing the chance of deposit formation. There are reagent and non-reagent varieties. When choosing the first option of filtering devices, you will have to regularly spend money on updating the reagent. The second one is more economical, despite the additional power consumption, and is not inferior to reagent counterparts in terms of efficiency. Another plus of the electromagnetic option is the ability to act equally on cold and hot water.