I removed limescale and mould from my shower heads in 20 minutes using £3 item

I live in a hard water area, which means my coffee machine, kettle, taps and shower heads are prone to limescale buildup. Limescale forms when hard water that’s full of minerals evaporates and leaves behind calcium and magnesium. Most of the time, limescale is a white and crusty substance, but toilet limescale can sometimes be black, brown, orange or pink in appearance.

Looking up at my shower head earlier this week, I was horrified to spot not just limescale but a small amount of mould on it too. According to Mr Rooter Plumbing, shower heads can be a breeding ground for mould due to moisture, humidity, and poor bathroom ventilation.

Other signs of limescale buildup in my shower head included an uneven spray pattern and reduced pressure coming from my waterfall shower.

Determined to remove the pesky stains, I enlisted the help of a chemical cleaner. Usually, I champion natural methods to clean limescale and other areas around my home.

However, I knew white vinegar and baking soda weren’t going to cut it this time. Instead, I decided to use Viakal, a limescale remover spray that can be bought for around £3 from most supermarkets.

The spray claims to “not only remove limescale, soap scum, and water marks but also prevent limescale return thanks to its anti-droplet Technology.”

I decided to clean the shower heads in my kitchen sink, as my bathroom one is quite small. I have both a small and a waterfall shower head, which usually require slightly different cleaning techniques, but this time, I decided to use the same method on both.

I placed both shower heads in separate compartments of my sink and thoroughly sprayed them with the Viakal spray.

I then left them for around 20 minutes, making Mary Berry’s banana bread while I let the solution work.

It’s usually recommended that Viakal be left on for three to five minutes, depending on the severity of the limescale.

However, I’ve used Viakal in other areas of my home and was confident that 20 minutes would not damage the stainless steel.

I would highly recommend testing Viakal in an inconspicuous area before leaving it on for 20 minutes. It can permanently damage some materials.

After 20 minutes, I rinsed the shower heads under warm water and scrubbed them with a toothbrush.

The limescale melted off the shower heads easily, leaving behind a lovely shine, especially noticeable on the waterfall shower head. I then left the shower heads to dry before reattaching them to my shower.

Both shower heads work perfectly and no longer have an uneven spray pattern or reduced pressure.

Viakal can be bought from most supermarkets for around £3. Tesco sells it for £2.85 while Sainsbury’s sells it for £3 and Ocado for £3.30.

The spray has received an impressive 4.8 stars out of five on the Tesco website, with people claiming it is the “best product to remove all the limescale”.

Another review read: “Used since my first job as a cleaner in 2019. Have my own flat and use this all the time. Stress-free and super easy to wipe away buildup of limescale.”

However, one customer, who gave the product just 3 stars, claimed it doesn’t remove limescale “all in one go”. They said: “The spray does make a difference and removes some scale, but doesn’t remove all of it in one go on heavily scaled areas, e.g. on parts of shower stand.”

Other ways to remove limescale include using white vinegar, Cillit Bang Limescale Remover or HG Limescale Remover.

Prices are correct at the time of writing.