Are matt black taps and matt black shower a nightmare to keep clean in bathroom?

[Britishsummertime22]

Honest experiences please!

Nearly 2 years with ours and no issues. I think brand can make a difference but we have had no chips, flaking etc and I find they look way cleaner then chrome alot as there's no smudging!

Matt anything is a PITA in my opinion. We have kitchen cupboards and they’re an arse to clean so can imagine bathroom is the same

If you are in a hard scale area they are a horror.

Careful of any descaling fluids you use.

Soap shampoo shower gel usually dries white . Toothpaste gets everywhere you don't notice this with a white suite .

Yes awful. But I live in a hard water area. The matt black has flaked off where trying to clean them and get the hard water limescale marks off them. I'll only be going for enamel white in future.

We live in a hard water area and they’re a bloody nightmare!!!

Yes. They are absolutely awful, I hate ours.

I would expect so. Matt anything is not going to be great with water and day to day use I’d have thought.

Limescale issues in hard water areas!

Our kitchen tap is black and we have no issues. But we live in a soft water area. So a trend for the northerns (except Hartlepool) and Scots only.

With everything in a bathroom that can splash being white/drying white, it would look like a CSI: crime scene investigation everyday.

Hard water area. Black shower enclosure/taps. Daily bloody nightmare. Everything marks. Impossible to get looking nice. Looked amazing for the first two weeks then downhill from there.

I live in 2 different areas

In one, I don't need to clean the sink or taps for weeks - just wipe and they look fine - soft water. I never use anything other than microfibre cloth and water on the granite and they are nice and shiny.

In the other - hard water - my god it looks riffy the day after being cleaned with viakal or cilit bang. The worktops need proper cleaning due to limescale very gradually dulling them.

I wouldn't touch black in a hard water area.

I have a black kitchen sink and live in a hard water area. It was installed by idiots fools either a previous owner or our freeholder and it hasn't been a redecoration priority so far. Honestly it gets limescaley very quickly. I would avoid. When we do up the room I'm choosing a white sink. It gets pretty blanched atm obviously.

White vinegar from Amazon

The same for us but we live in Scotland.

Following as we are thinking about this for our bathroom. How do you know if you're in a hard water area? I've never thought about it. I'm in West Yorkshire if anyone knows about water there?

That's a soft water area.

Ours has gone to look awful. It looked so nice for a few weeks after fitting it but now the rim around the part of the tap that you lift looks almost damaged and the matte black has chipped

I would think seriously about a water softener if you are in a hard water area.

My friend had them put in 2.5 years ago, I warned her at the time it would be a nightmare as we live in a very hard water area...... she had them changed after 2 years to chrome as it was a constant battle with limescale. If you live in a very soft water area, or have a water softener installed then go for it. If you don't, get chrome.

Black bathroom fittings are very much in right now. If you look at new build houses or flats they've all got these black taps etc. I personally think it looks awful and will scream 2024 down the line a la coloured bathroom sanitaryware. Just like gold taps say 2023 trend.

We live in a hard water area, plumber advised against black fittings, we went with chrome, classic, easy to care for. I do agree with previous poster, black is going to date.

Matt units are far more forgiving than glossy ones.
I don't have a problem keeping mine looking good.

No issues with ours. I feel probably the brand makes a difference

I'm in a soft water area. Argh so difficult. I get the points about it dating ad well. Maybe I should just get chrome. Just think black fittings look so smart.