Limescale buildup can cause problems with household appliances, from coffee machines to shower heads, but one cleaner says it can “melt” it away in minutes
Waking up to mould is every homeowner and renter’s nightmare. Thankfully, a simple £3 product available at most supermarkets makes a painful job simple, as Millie Bull explained in the Express.
When living in a hard water area, there’s often a bigger threat of having to deal with mildew and limescale in our homes.
I’ve found that my coffee machine, kettle, taps and shower heads are all susceptible to limescale buildup. Limescale is the result of hard water, rich in minerals, evaporating and leaving behind calcium and magnesium deposits.
While it’s typically white and crusty, toilet limescale can sometimes appear black, brown, orange or pink. Earlier this week, I was appalled to discover not just limescale on my shower head, but also a small amount of mould.
According to Mr Rooter Plumbing, shower heads can become a hotbed for mould due to moisture, humidity, and inadequate bathroom ventilation. Other telltale signs of limescale buildup on my shower head included an inconsistent spray pattern and diminished pressure from my waterfall shower.
Determined to eradicate these unsightly stains, I turned to a chemical cleaner. Although I usually advocate for natural methods to clean limescale and other areas around my home, I knew that white vinegar and baking soda wouldn’t be up to the task this time.
Instead, I opted for Viakal, a limescale remover spray that can be purchased for roughly £3 from most supermarkets. The spray purports to “not only remove limescale, soap scum, and water marks but also prevent limescale return thanks to its anti-droplet Technology.”
I opted to clean my shower heads in the kitchen sink, as my bathroom basin is a bit on the small side. I have both a compact and a waterfall shower head, which typically need slightly different cleaning methods, but this time, I chose to use the same technique for both.
I positioned both shower heads in separate sections of my sink and gave them a good spray with Viakal. Then, I left them for about 20 minutes, whipping up Mary Berry’s banana bread while the solution did its magic.
Usually, it’s suggested that Viakal should be left on for three to five minutes, depending on how bad the limescale is. However, having used Viakal elsewhere in my house, I was confident that 20 minutes wouldn’t harm the stainless steel.
I would strongly advise testing Viakal in a hidden spot before leaving it on for 20 minutes. It can cause permanent damage to some materials.
After 20 minutes, I rinsed the shower heads under warm water and gave them a scrub with a toothbrush. The limescale came off the shower heads effortlessly, leaving a lovely shine behind, particularly noticeable on the waterfall shower head.
I then let the shower heads dry before fixing them back onto my shower. Both shower heads are working brilliantly and no longer have an uneven spray pattern or reduced pressure.
Viakal can be purchased from most supermarkets for around £3. Tesco offers it for £2.85, while Sainsbury’s sells it for £3 and Ocado for £3.30.
The spray has earned an outstanding 4.8 stars out of five on the Tesco website, with shoppers declaring it the “best product to remove all the limescale”. Another review stated: “Used since my first job as a cleaner in 2019.
“Have my own flat and use this all the time. Stress-free and super easy to wipe away buildup of limescale.”
Nevertheless, one shopper, who awarded the product just 3 stars, insisted it doesn’t eliminate limescale “all in one go”. They remarked: “The spray does make a difference and removes some scale, but doesn’t remove all of it in one go on heavily scaled areas, e.g. on parts of shower stand.”
Alternative methods to tackle limescale include utilising white vinegar, Cillit Bang Limescale Remover or HG Limescale Remover.
Prices are correct at the time of writing.