In the battle against limescale, especially in hard water areas, many Brits find themselves struggling with tedious descaling routines and harsh chemicals.
One of the best-known solutions to this problem is white vinegar, but many dislike the lingering smell and taste it leaves after.
A Reddit discussion unveiled a surprising alternative that not only simplifies the descaling process but is also said to enhance the flavour of tea.
Taking to the subreddit r/tea, Redditor Magikitti shared in a post their content with a new solution they had found as a replacement for harsh cleaners.
They explained: “Brit here, in an area where we have very hard water and my kettle is in a constant state of scale so much so I should be calling it a dragon (you know because it emits hot steam and has scales?).
“Anyway I hate descaling it as the products I use are harsh, dangerous and take a while to work.
“I recently swapped to citric acid as a way to descale other water related things in the house and found I could descale the kettle much faster and more often. It’s food grade citric acid I don’t need to worry about poisoning myself.
“If you have hard water, I’d recommend giving it a try. My tea has tasted better because of it.”
It turns out that cleaning experts often get behind citric acid as a descaling product.
Nancy Emery, a cleaning whizz at Tap Warehouse, explained that the citric acid naturally found in lemon juice banishes stubborn limescale deposits from taps.
Lemons are a cleaning powerhouse and can be used to clean shower glass, kettles and microwaves.
Nancy advised: “To get rid of limescale on your taps, you’ll need to make a 75 to 25 solution of lemon juice and water.
“All you need to do is use a soft sponge and gently wipe the solution, leaving it on the tap to dissolve the limescale deposits for two minutes. Once the time is up, rinse thoroughly with water.”
She added: “For special finishes such as brushed brass, matte black or chrome, it’s especially important to avoid using harsh chemicals such as vinegar when cleaning. Lemons are quite acidic, so make sure you don’t let the lemon juice solution sit for longer than two minutes.”
