Limescale on the shower and the taps

Introduction

The white crust on chrome, the handset or the shower head is scale on the surface. Vinegar or diluted citric acid, a wait, a rinse. It is not a water softener, and it does not fix a weak jet if the aerator holes are already shut.

How to tell it apart

A white film on the tap, rings on the screen, handset holes that spray crooked: local crust.

The jet is weak but the chrome is clean: the aerator first, not a bottle on the wall.

The worktop is marble, natural stone or a finish the maker bars acids from: it is not treated like chrome. Read the instructions for that material.

Crust on the cylinder and on every fitting at once: not a spray job. You need a technician, not a row of bottles.

Likely causes

• Hard water leaving calcium on chrome and plastic.
• A handset and head that are not rinsed after use.
• Drops left on the screen, which dry and stay.
• An acid used on marble, stone or aluminium.
• The whole system crusted, beyond the shower.

What to do now (€0)

1. See whether the surface is chrome, plastic, glass, marble or stone. If you are unsure, stop and read the maker’s instructions.
2. On chrome and compatible plastic: vinegar or diluted citric acid, left to sit, then a thorough rinse. Do not mix it with bleach.
3. Take the handset off, if it undoes by hand, and soak it in a bucket. The head, if it comes apart without force, the same. Then rinse the holes.
4. After the shower, pull the water off the glass with a squeegee. That is the move that skips the next ring, not a building job.
5. If the holes stay shut once the crust is gone, replace the part only after you measure the thread. A descaler will not open them.

A small DIY step

1. The spray, if the quiz shows it, is an example for materials the label allows. Read it first, rinse after.
2. It is not a water softener. It does not change the water in the home.
3. On marble, stone, aluminium or damaged enamel the cards do not belong: the quiz drops them. Do not buy one anyway.
4. A squeegee is not a spare shower head. It is how you dry the glass after a shower.

Mistakes to avoid

• Vinegar or acid on marble and natural stone.
• Descaler mixed with bleach.
• Leaving the product and not rinsing.
• Forcing a handset that will not undo.
• Thinking more bottles replace a technician when the whole home is crusted.

When to call a professional

A technician if the scale is on the cylinder and through the home, not only on the screen.

A plumber if, with a clean handset, the water still will not come and the job is the aerator or the system, not the crust.

Safety

Do not mix bleach with ammonia or with acids and descalers. Gloves, air, the label, stop if you smell fumes. Acids and vinegar do not go on marble or natural stone. On a special finish, what the maker wrote is what counts, not a general tip.

Questions people ask