Descaling Taps/showerheads etc

McNulty

Hi

Loking for a bit of advice on this. Am having a whole house water system installed tomorrow and once fitted I would like to work on getting the limescale off/out of the showerheads and taps around the house as it's curretly affecting the flow of these.
I was just wondering if anyone has done the same recently and if usual descaling solutions for kettles/irons work ok with this or if there is a better way of doing it?

Any ideas for taps - I can obviously unscrew showerheads etc and soak, but not sure how to do the taps?

Thanks
Jim

Dizzyblonde

I descaled a plastic shower head by immersing it in lemon juice overnight. It worked really well, but I don't know how it would work on a metal one - it might tarnish it.

Moanin

Vinegar is good also but the water softner should eventually breakdown the limescale

Joey the lips

Always use vinager on shower heads and around taps it works great. Make sure its not the malt(Brown) vin it stains the plastic

Lobsterlady

Any ideas for taps - I can obviously unscrew showerheads etc and soak, but not sure how to do the taps?

Thanks
Jim[/quote]

I saw this on that 'How clean is your house' program, you soak a piece of cloth in vinegar, and wrap it around the tap nozzle, then cover with a plastic bag secured with elastic and leave for ages. I don't know how effective this truly is, as the tv camera can lie.:eek:

cnocbui

Lobsterlady wrote: »

I saw this on that 'How clean is your house' program, you soak a piece of cloth in vinegar, and wrap it around the tap nozzle, then cover with a plastic bag secured with elastic and leave for ages. I don't know how effective this truly is, as the tv camera can lie.:eek:

That sounds like it would work a treat. Limescale is calcium carbonate. Any acid will dissolve it. I use white vinegar I buy in 4L containers. If It is a really heavy deposit I use limescale remover sold for toilets.

I use the vinegar in the dishwasher as rinse-aid.

IrishHomer

A chap from Triton Showers told me one time to leave out a container or 2 litre plastic bottle with top section cut off with a knife.

Fill it with white vinegar.

Once a week leave shower head steeping overnight in the container of white vinegar.

I did it ever since works perfect no problems since.

Another trick he told me was to always run the cold water before you switch off the shower. For some reason he said the warm water left lying in the hose and shower head is quickening the limescale process.

Lobsterlady

I use the vinegar in the dishwasher as rinse-aid.[/quote]

Diluted or as you buy it? Does it make your dishes smell? Sounds like a good tip if it doesn't.

cnocbui

Lobsterlady wrote: »

I use the vinegar in the dishwasher as rinse-aid.

Diluted or as you buy it? Does it make your dishes smell? Sounds like a good tip if it doesn't.[/quote]

I use it straight but I think it could probably be diluted 50:50 and would still do the job. It doesn't make the dishes smell. There is sometimes a slight whiff when you first open the door but there isn't any on the contents.

You can google the practice. I got the tip from 'The Formula Book' by Norman Stark which detailed cheap alternatives to all the proprietary chemical based products use in homes.