To ask how to get rid of limescale?

[Blueskyfordays]

I Vikal the crap out of the showers/ baths etc every week but I think we must live in a hard water area as it doesn’t seem to do that much and limescale still builds.

Is there anything better than Vikal that people can recommend?

When you say it still builds up, do you mean week on week?

I live in a really hard water area and once there's a build up you have to soak things to get rid of it (which isn't very good for chromed things) but once it's all gone you can usually keep on top of it with viakal.

I think viakal/equivalents (blue liquid rather than a spray or foam) is as good as it gets. Lidl do a pretend version which is identical and cheaper if that helps.

My parents ended up fitting a water softener.

Put in a water softener is the only other option, I think.

I haven't. I live in a hard water area, and Viakal taps and shower screens every week. Windows are washed with a vinegar solution. But I just accept that we have limescale . 🤗

Agree with @Augend23. We're in West Northants where the water is pretty hard and deposits tend to take the colour of the local ironstone.

To be effective a cleaner requires prolonged, though not necessarily lengthy, contact. Remember school chemistry with calcium carbonate and acid? Descalers use the same process. We've found Viakal gel good but it's back pdq if you're not on top of it week by week.

Much longer ago we moved into a flat where the entire lav pan below the water level was black or very dark grey. Bleach would turn it nearer cream but the surface was rough - accumulated limescale.

Mrs B was, at the time, employed as an Research Technician and liberated a small quantity of Hydrochloric Acid from work.

That shifted it!!

In France you can but HCl by the litre in Carrefour. Herself says that's more 'conc' than the stuff in the lab!!

Citric acid will shift limescale and without toxic chemicals.

Make a paste with the citric acid and water and leave it on your tap for 10 to 15 minutes. Works on kettles too.

Cleaning white vinegar. Depending on area you can soak a paper towel with it to make sure it stays in contact with the surface. Once you have gotten rid of the deposits, there are also specific products that you can spray on, for example after you shower that will keep things limescale free for longer.
Using a squeegee on the shower or a cloth to dry around the taps after use will mean a lot less “deep cleaning” will be needed.

Method daily shower spray seems to help a lot if you use it after every shower