Take a shine to taps and bring an extra gleam to your kitchen and bathroom with these tips on how to clean taps.
Calcium carbonate, known as limescale, can quickly build up on faucets that run hard water. It tends to sneak up on showerheads and kitchen sink taps, leaving hard white deposits around the spray holes and a cloudy film over the rest of the faucet. You can find a variety of spray-on chemical cleaning products that are designed to eliminate limescale. However, with a few household items, you can easily get rid of unsightly limescale buildup naturally, even from hard-to-reach areas. Just be sure not to use acidic cleaners, like lemon juice or vinegar, on metal-plated taps.
Smart cleaning
For everyday polish, try a microfiber cloth and plain water or use a mild cleaning solution. If you're using anything stronger, check the pack instructions and your tap manufacturer's advice and test on an inconspicuous spot first.
Removing Limescale Lemon fresh
Lemon juice can do the work of a bottle of chemicals. Soak cotton wool in lemon juice and drape around the base where limescale collects. Leave to soak for an hour, then scrub with an old toothbrush and rinse. You might need a second application. Vinegar works well, too. Lemon and vinegar are acidic so keep them off stone or marble worktops.
Removing Limescale with Vinegar
The basic idea is to soak the limescale with vinegar to dissolve the buildup. There are various ways to do this, depending on where the buildup is.
Before you begin, note that undiluted vinegar (acetic acid) can also be irritating on the skin, so wear gloves. It is best to start with a 50:50 dilution of vinegar and water (equal parts of each liquid) and test on a small, less visible area first to make sure it does not damage the finish. White vinegar is the most common choice for cleaning.
To begin the cleaning process, soak a paper or cloth towel in diluted vinegar.
In the bathroom, limescale often gathers on taps and showerheads. Sometimes, there might be slight leaks from the mechanism of the tap that water is seeping through. This can easily lead to the buildup of nasty deposits. If this is happening, before applying vinegar, make sure the tap is fully repaired.
- Wrap them with the towel or fill a plastic bag with the solution and soak for 1-2 hours.
- After soaking, simply rinse the surfaces with soapy water. For heavier buildups, scrubbing may be necessary.
- Wipe down the surfaces with built-up limescale using the vinegar-soaked towel.
