How to remove limescale from taps, shower heads, toilets and glass

Safety first

Never mix bleach with vinegar or an acidic limescale remover: Which? warns the combination can create toxic gas. Bleach also does not remove limescale; it only lightens the stain. Ventilate the room, wear gloves for shop-bought descalers and follow the label. Acids dissolve calcium carbonate, which is also what marble and limestone are made of, so keep them off natural stone surfaces.

Shower heads

Which? recommends citric acid because it is stronger than vinegar and does not smell:

1. Dissolve about two tablespoons of citric acid in roughly one litre of hot, not boiling, water.
2. Submerge a removable shower head in the solution. For a fixed head, fill a sealable bag with the solution, place it over the head and secure it with an elastic band.
3. Soak for about an hour.
4. Wipe the face and nozzles with a cloth, then run the shower to rinse it through.

Taps and plugholes

For stubborn scale around taps and plugholes, the same mild acids work: citric acid solution, white vinegar or a shop-bought limescale remover. Soak a cloth in the solution, wrap it around the spout or base, leave it for a while and rinse with clean water. Unscrew and soak a tap aerator if the flow has become uneven. Plated, brushed or coloured finishes can be damaged by acids or abrasive pads, so check the manufacturer’s cleaning guidance first.

Glass shower screens

Which? suggests using a squeegee on glass shower screens after each shower and wiping the shower head after use. Removing water before it evaporates stops most of the scale forming. For existing build-up, use a product suitable for glass and follow the instructions.

Toilets

A cleaning expert quoted by Which? suggests using a toilet descaler periodically, perhaps once every three months, with the frequency depending on how hard your water is. Do not use it at the same time as bleach.

Kettles, dishwashers and washing machines

Appliances have their own descaling and hardness settings. See the kettle guide for step-by-step methods. For a dishwasher, set the water hardness and use dishwasher salt as the manual describes. For a washing machine or coffee machine, follow the manufacturer’s descaling programme and approved products.

How to descale a kettle · Dishwasher water hardness settings

How much limescale should you expect?

The harder your water, the faster scale builds up. DWI classes water above 200 mg/l as calcium carbonate as hard and above 300 mg/l as very hard. Look up the published hardness for your area and read its reporting period; values can vary within a region and a supply-area report is not a test of your own tap.

Check your area’s published hardness · Hard water areas in the UK · Convert hardness units (mg/l, °Clark, °dH) · Water hardness in London · Water hardness in Sheffield · Water hardness in Leeds · Water hardness in Manchester

Stopping it coming back

Regular wiping and drying does most of the work. Filters marketed for limescale differ: some cartridges reduce carbonate hardness and others mainly improve taste, so check the specific claim. A whole-house ion-exchange softener is the main way to reduce hardness throughout a home; DWI advises keeping an unsoftened drinking-water tap and not using artificially softened water for baby feeds.

Do water filters remove limescale? · Shower filters for hard water · How to soften hard water · Water softener cost

Related questions

• How to descale a kettle: citric acid, vinegar and how often
• Shower filters for hard water: what they can and can’t do
• Do water filters remove limescale? Check what the filter does