How to remove lime scale residue - An unwanted deposit caused by hard water

Rather than rushing out any buying the latest ’must-have’ cleaning product from your local supermarket, why not see if any items in your grocery cupboard can help you combat those unwanted deposits? Two fantastic liquids for just this purpose are lemon juice and vinegar. Lemon juice is often the preferred option, as it leaves a much more pleasant fragrance after the cleaning has been done. Pickling vinegar is a better option however, for particularly stubborn outbreaks. To remove lime scale effectively it should be left to soak in acid for one or two hours.

Below are some tips on how to treat different items within your home in order to eradicate lime scale:

1. Washing Machines and Dishwashers
   Use a cup of lemon juice or vinegar, add this to your machine and run a normal cycle-minus the clothes! In a dishwasher pour the liquid into the bottom of the machine as opposed to using the detergent dispenser.
   
2. Kettle
   Quarter fill the kettle with lemon juice or vinegar and leave for one hour. After this time top it up with water and boil, make sure that the water is poured away before it cools down. Make sure that you rinse the kettle out a few times with cold water to ensure your coffee doesn’t taste funny!
   
3. Taps
   Take a small cup of vinegar and cover the tap in this solution. Immediately wrap the tap with an old tea towel and hold it in place. Leave this for an hour or so, occasionally squeezing the towel to ensure acid gets into all the grooves.
   
4. Tiles
   Lime scale build up on flat surfaces is far easier to eradicate. Most of the time simply scrubbing with lemon juice or vinegar will restore the surface to its sparkling former glory.

The best form of defense is attack. Rather than waiting for lime scale to take hold and then attempt to get rid of it – prevent the build up in the first place. This can be done by the use of a water softener. Water softeners, water conditioners and other products can be purchased from www.electrostoreonline.com, the leading supplier of water descaler units online.