How to make homemade descaler
Kettles, pipes and boilers, limescale really does get everywhere. Anywhere that water passes through is at risk of limescale build-up, and that goes double for anything that is touched by hot or hard water. While it’s not something that has health risks, a big build-up can actually wreak havoc on your plumbing. It also just looks really, really bad.
That’s why you should be descaling. At least on a regular basis if you’re someone who uses the kettle often, as if you’re making hot drinks on the daily, some of the scale will find itself in your drink. It’s also good to spend a little time caring for the pipes in your house, as descaling can clear out many layers of built up limescale. This can improve water flow and can even help the efficiency of your heating by cleaning up hot water pipes.
Getting your hand on a good descaler can be more complicated than you think though. Many descalers contain all sorts of unnecessary chemicals that you might not want to be pouring in your home’s pipes, so we’ve come up with a homemade solution and an all-natural solution.
The quickest and easiest way to get rid of that pesky limescale without using store-bought descalers is by sticking to the basics and using some citric acid.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of citric acid
- Hot water
You can get your hands on citric acid in most shops and online, and just rinsing a kettle or pipe through with citric acid and hot water can clear out a good chunk of any build-up. As citric acid’s pH is slightly lower than the chemical-heavy descalers, it’s best to give it a few rinses to really clear out all the limescale.
The natural descaler is a more natural high pH liquid. Vinegar is one of the highest pH natural liquids that is safe to run through appliances that you will be drinking from. Just to be safe though it’s best to dilute it with some water anyway.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup of vinegar
- ⅔ cup of water
The one downside is that you may have to give it quite a few rinses, or your first few cups of coffee will taste slightly of vinegar. It will also smell quite strongly of vinegar for a little while, so be aware. If that’s not something you’re looking for then the citric acid might be what you’re looking for, but if a natural solution is what you desire, then it’s the vinegar for you.