'The slightly abrasive nature of toothpaste – containing bicarbonate of soda – does a great job in removing stubborn limescale.
Two of the most effective substances are lemon juice and ordinary vinegar. Lemon juice is usually the best (and will also leave a lovely smell behind). Stronger pickling vinegar and lime juice are both even more acidic and can be used for really stubborn deposits.
You brush with fluoride toothpaste to clean and protect your teeth, but did you know this bathroom staple is effective at removing hard water stains as well? Toothpaste works best on small metal fixtures and glass surfaces. It even works on dishware!
Lemon juice is best for tackling thicker, more stubborn limescale. For the upper parts of your tap, soak cotton wool or a cloth in either white vinegar or lemon juice and wrap it around the taps. If you want to be sure, secure it in place with an elastic band.
Lemon juice and vinegar can help you tackle most of your limescale problems — a win for your pocket and for the environment. Lemon juice and vinegar are both acidic, meaning that they can break down the calcium carbonate that limescale is made from.
While it can be put to a number of helpful uses around the home, WD 40 is particularly good at softening rust and limescale deposits in the toilet (and bathroom). All you have to do is spray it on the desired section of the toilet, wait a few minutes, then scrub it away with a toilet brush.
Apply vinegar or lemon juice directly onto a cloth and scrub the limescale until it comes away. Alternatively, mix one part lemon juice or vinegar to four parts water. Put the solution in a spray bottle and spritz it onto tiles and plugholes. Leave this to soak for up to an hour for stubborn scale deposits.
“Pour a half cup of bicarbonate of soda into and around the bowl and let it sit for at least 15 minutes.” “Then, apply white vinegar over the baking soda. This produces a fizzing reaction that activates the acid and can break down the most stubborn build-ups of limescale.
Bernie Jones agreed: “Drop a dishwasher tablet in the toilet and leave as long as you can before flushing it removes even thick and stubborn limescale.” Ellie Doran added: "Dishwasher tablets. Put it wet in the toilet and leave it for some time. It gets everything clean.”
It is helpful to clean thoroughly. The main component of scale is calcium carbonate, and the detergent component in toothpaste can clean up stains. Acetic acid in vinegar can remove hardened calcium carbonate. Mix the toothpaste with the white vinegar in the proportion of 1:2.
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Limelite is one that is good for kitchens and bathrooms and will normally remove that ugly white residue from taps, sinks, and showers. For really hard and stubborn limescale you will need a acid based limescale remover such as Harpic, which will blast away limescale from places like toilet bowls.
So does coke remove limescale? Yes. The acid in coke will help to dissolve limescale and there are several examples of it being used to clean toilets, descale kettles and in other circumstances.
Baking soda is also an insider tip for removing limescale in the bathroom. Mix two or three teaspoons of baking soda with water to make a soft paste, rub it onto the spots and let it take effect. A few hours later you can easily and carefully scrub off the limescale.
You can use straight or a diluted vinegar cleaning solution for the bathroom to clean bacteria, especially around the toilet. Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight.
Hydrochloric acid is much stronger than acetic acid, for example, and therefore tends to remove scale faster. Weak acids such as acetic or citric acids may be preferred, however, where damage to the substrate is to be minimised.
Moreover, a limescale build-up can cause permanent damage to your bathroom. It eventually eats into the chrome of your taps to the point where it can't be removed without stripping away the chrome as well. In toilets you can get an unsightly brown crust forming below the water line.
First, scrub as much scum off as possible and then wipe it dry with a towel. After this is done, combine two parts baking soda with one part vinegar to make a paste. Using this, rub it onto all of the surfaces affected by the calcium buildup. Leave this on for about five minutes, letting it soften the mineral deposits.
Limescale is caused by a build-up of calcium and magnesium minerals in hard water. This hard water is formed when rainwater filters through rocks like chalk and limescale, picking up hard minerals along the way.
CLR or Lime Away? An acid-based cleaner is the best way to remove water deposits. Vinegar and lemon juice are two natural alternatives, but they just don't work as quickly and effectively.
Tip: Using dishwasher salt tablets will help soften the water and prevent limescale from building up.