June 27th, 2023 by Shauna Hammond

Limescale is a common household problem that can have a greater effect on your home than you may realise. It can affect the performance and longevity of our appliances, faucets, showers and even the internal pipes, leading to incredibly expensive and time-consuming repairs. So, as you can imagine it is incredibly important to take the time to treat your home for limescale before it builds up and becomes an even larger problem. In this blog, we will discuss what exactly limescale is, how to spot it, how it can affect your home and more importantly how to treat it. 

What Is Limescale?

So, what exactly is limescale? You may have heard of it or even in some cases have seen it on your appliances or faucets but you may not necessarily know what it is. It often appears like a scaly off-white crust and forms in areas where water is frequently used such as taps, shower heads and appliances like kettles and washers that use water as part of their function. It is a mineral deposit that is formed from the presence of water that is high in calcium and magnesium – these minerals are all present in what is known as hard water – which is why homes with a hard water supply will often have to deal with limescale build-up and seeing that over 60% of homes in the UK main water supply consist of hard water it is an incredibly common issue. These minerals then react with the metal found in appliances and faucets, and the crust will begin to form.

These mineral deposits are incredibly difficult to remove without using the proper products since they are so firmly stuck to the surfaces. Scarping will cause damage while using products such as bleach while incredibly useful to have around the home will not remove limescale, in fact all it will do is remove the discolouration, this means that the limescale is still present and cause damage it simply just is not as visible. That’s why it is essential to use the correct product – a descaler – to fully remove limescale and prevent any damage from occurring.

Why Should I get rid of it?

So now that we know what limescale is and what causes it to form, let’s take a look at why you should be preventing limescale build-up from occurring beyond the most obvious reason if it looks incredibly unsightly! Well, the build-up of limescale can affect your appliance’s performance, efficiency, longevity and not to mention it can also affect your pipes and faucets too. While fortunately there are no health problems linked with hard water or the presence of limescale in your water – it can have some physical effects.

Effects on Appliances

Appliances are costly and they become an integral part of our day-to-day lives, so it stands to reason that we would want to take care of them to keep them running at their best for longer - after all you don’t want to be paying out hundred of pounds for replacements after only one year of use. This is why it’s important to keep up with treating limescale, as it will help to preserve them.

The build-up of limescale on appliances such as kettles and coffee makers can directly affect the heating element, reducing the overall temperature which means it will take much longer than usual to heat up water and use more energy in the process. It can also lead to heating elements corroding and breaking over time.

Similarly, with appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, they will struggle to reach the correct temperature as quickly as they normally would this can result in laundry or dishes not being as clean. The presence of the chalky deposits can also cause debris to form so glasses may come out of the dishwasher looking cloudy while laundry may have white stains due to the limescale deposits meaning you will have to go through the process of washing them again.

Effects on Faucets and Pipes

Just as limescale can have adverse effects on the performance and longevity of your appliance it can also affect faucets and pipes around your home too, which can lead to even more expensive and time-consuming repairs.

You will likely notice limescale build-up on your faucets first due to how frequently they are used and the fact that they are much more in plain view, as mentioned above this will usually appear as an off-white crust this can cause the spout to become clogged which can also lead to a drop in pressure, resulting in sinks and bathtub taking longer to fill this will mean water heater may need to keep working for longer once again leading to a drop in efficiency. Likewise, you may also notice a build-up of limescale on shower heads, this will again have a similar issue of resulting in a drop-in pressure and depending on the shower type this can lead to a decrease in temperature too.

While it may not seem as obvious limescale can also build up in the internal pipes around your home too, this can once again lead to blockages and reduced pressure. However, if left unattended it can also lead to rust and corrosion developing, which can, unfortunately, lead to springing leaks and lead to costly emergency repairs.

Effects on Water

These mineral deposits in your pipes and appliances can also have a direct impact on your water too, and while as previously mentioned you do not need to worry about ingesting this as it will not impact your health, in fact, calcium and magnesium are actually very good for promoting good bone health – however the deposits left to build up in appliance can cause a bitter taste to your drinks or give it a more salty taste which is why it is important to not let these deposits build up too much.

Similarly, left on faucets and shower heads these deposits can cause your skin and hair to feel dry, tight or irritated – it has also been known to exacerbate skin conditions such as eczema – so while the trace amounts found in your water shouldn’t cause much of an issue, leaving the deposits to build-up will start to take its toll.

Treating Limescale

Removing limescale is easy and doesn’t need to be a time-consuming chore, in fact just adding one extra step into your cleaning routine every couple of weeks will help to keep limescale at bay. Limescale is only a nuisance to remove when incorrect products are being used.

Using cleaning products such as bleach, or surface cleaners will only disguise the discolouration caused by the mineral deposits and won’t actually remove them. In order to effectively remove limescale you need to use detergents that contain active ingredients such as acetic acid, citric acid, glycolic acid, formic acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid or hydrochloric acid. These chemicals will break down the deposit making them soluble and therefore easier to remove – these products are known as descaler and they can be easily found at most stores or online.

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How Often Should I Use A Descaler?

While you do not need to use a descaler on all your appliances every week it is important that you start to include it in your regular cleaning routine at least every few weeks – the actual frequency however does largely depend on the appliance and frequency of use.

For faucets and shower heads that are used daily it is recommended to use a descaler on them at least once a month – so if you like to a deep clean of your home every month then just add descaling into your routine and will keep the limescale build-up under control. The same applies to larger appliances that are frequently used and use large amounts of water such as dishwashers and washing machines – descale these once a month and it will protect from limescale while also keeping your appliance clean and keep any bad odours at bay too.

For smaller appliances such as kettles and coffee makers then it is recommended to use a descaling product at least twice a year – however, if these are used a lot either due to commercial use or you are just quite partial to a nice cup of tea! Then try using a descaler every other month just to be sure.

As you can see limescale can have quite an impact on your home beyond its unpleasant appearance, however, it can be easily overlooked especially if you use bleach to try and remove it – out of sight out of mind, right? Hopefully, we now know that is not the case and it is important to use the right products to prevent limescale from becoming a bigger problem. If you are moving or recently just moved and are not sure what your water type is and whether limescale may become an issue you can purchase testing kits online or alternately you can do your own easy at-home test which consists of adding some water into a clear bottle with some drops of soap then shaky, if there is a lack of suds and water become cloudy or milky then it is likely that you have a hard water supply.