How to clean the faucet from limescale at home? We remove lime deposits from taps and faucets.

Faucets, bathrooms and kitchens often get limescale deposits. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have special cleaning products on hand. Clean faucet or faucet limescale ordinary lemon and baby oil will help.

Ways to remove limescale from the surface of a faucet or faucet

Take a knife, cut lemon peel. We rub her faucet, faucet, sink. Gradually lemon juice dissolves limescale. Now it remains to rinse the surface with water and wipe the tap with a dry cloth. The faucet shines, and the kitchen is in perfect order!

Lime stains on faucets, soap deposits on faucets - eternal problems. We continue to remove them without using household chemicals! We take baby oil, apply on a soft cloth (a few drops are enough) and wipe the mixer. Then polish the surface with a dry cloth. Baby oil easily removes all faucet limescale, soap streaks and greasy stains.

Descalers

For adherents of household chemicals, the market presents huge selection cleaning products for cleaning the tap or mixer from limescale.Tip: when buying a special powder, carefully read the label. Otherwise, there is a risk of saying goodbye not only to plaque, but also to your own plumbing.

Anti-corrosion inhibitors

Cheap detergents do not contain valuable anti-corrosion inhibitors. Inhibitors prevent aggressive additives from damaging the metal. With them, the entire attack is directed exclusively at lime deposits. Therefore, look for in the composition of the product: anti-corrosion inhibitors.

Sulfuric, hydrochloric or nitric acid

Acids are heavy artillery for cleaning a faucet. They decompose not only plaque and rust, but also enamel and metal coating. Means with such acids can be used only in advanced cases and only with gloves on the hands.

For daily processing, it is better to choose softer products - based on surfactants. When they get into the water, they are almost completely biodegradable, and also do not damage the skin of the hands.

What to choose: liquid or cleaning agent?

The powder has an abrasive structure and is best used for cleaning bathtubs and sinks. Caring for metal surfaces is best left to trust liquid products. Apply the product on the surface, leave for 5-10 minutes, rinse with water. And enjoy the glitter!

Untimely removal of limescale from the tap threatens to clog it soon, and then break it. There are several ways to get rid of contaminants: by professional means and with the help of folk remedies.

Major cleaning should remove plaque from the tap, not only from the outside, but also from the inside. One such procedure per season is enough to keep the plumbing working.

Necessary materials:

Tight wire;
9% vinegar;
Water;
Domestic basin.

Depending on the material of the mixer, the detergent varies.

The spout, valves, mixer are removed with an adjustable wrench. If possible, disassemble all loose parts.
In 2 liters of warm water, 3 tablespoons of food vinegar are diluted - the solution is poured into a basin.
Removable elements are soaked in the substance for up to 60 minutes. Non-removable wipe with a sponge.
Softened growths on the outside are removed with a toothbrush or the hard side of a dish sponge.
To clean the blockages inside the spout, they put a wire in there and probe the places of possible accumulations of dirt in the bends, knees.
The cleaned parts are thoroughly washed in cold water, fixed in place, wiped dry, then polished with a soft cloth.

Cleaning products

Despite the variety of cleaning products, folk methods Faucet cleanings are still popular, but professional ones are speeding up the process.

Professional

Specialized household chemicals can both quickly wash any faucet in the bathroom and ruin it. Black spots, streaks, darkening are the result of using the wrong product.

Manufacturers of cleaners are advised to pay attention to:

Faucet material, its coating - soap compositions suitable for one surface easily damage others;
purpose detergent. Rust cleaners in the bathroom react with active chromium, which coats the surface of the faucet parts, destroying it;
Ingredients on the label. The most harmful substances for taps: chlorine, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid;
detergent consistency. Soft cleansing guarantee sprays, gels, creams - powders can scratch the polished surface.

Working with household chemicals involves protecting your hands with rubber gloves. The active substances in detergents easily corrode the skin of the hands.

Cif Cream- copes well with plaque, removes stubborn stains. Creamy consistency;
Ravak- a gel that prevents the appearance of a water stone;
Cilit Bang- suspension, which gently removes rust, limescale;
Domax- a cleaner that is suitable for metal, glass and ceramic surfaces;
Sanita- creamy product that gently removes plaque, does not leave streaks behind.

Folk

The active components of detergents - acids and alkalis - are always at hand for experienced housewives. Improvised substances help clean plumbing, no matter what materials it is made of.

Enamelled faucet lends itself to baking soda. Dip a damp sponge or rag into the powder, cover the surface liberally, leave for half an hour, and then Toothbrush easily removes dirt residues;
Chrome faucet wipe with half a juicy lemon;
Plastic does not react to harsh agents, so you can remove plaque from it with a solution of 9% vinegar, citric acid and water;
Ceramic faucets Coca-Cola will save - it not only softens salt deposits, but also removes an unpleasant odor;
soap solution suitable for cleaning any surface, if the dirt has not had time to eat. Liquid soap or household (pre-grind on a grater) is dissolved in warm water- Wipe the surface with the resulting solution, then rinse clean.

Despite the lower activity of the chemical components in the composition of improvised means, the taps after them must also be thoroughly rinsed with clean water.

Causes of plaque

The problem of lime deposits lies in the quality of tap water. From the faucet flows a liquid full of calcium and magnesium, which are the main components of lime. Splashes on the mixer dry out over time, leaving a “dusty” coating, ready to gradually turn into lime deposits. And broken faucets that are constantly leaking speed up the process of plaque.

Cleaning the faucet from dirt from the outside is not enough - plaque accumulates inside. If salt growths are not detected in time, the faucet will become clogged.

Prevent plaque buildup

Metal faucets, especially chrome ones, must be wiped daily with a dry soft cloth. If after each use the spout and valves are cleaned of splashes, the shine will last much longer.

To prolong the effect of washing, the taps are rubbed with a special polishing wax. It can be replaced with improvised means:

Cosmetic oil for the face;
Facial care sponge.

After a thorough cleaning, the plumbing is rubbed with oil to a glossy shine. The oil creates an invisible film on the metal surface, which repels liquids, preventing the accumulation of dirt. The main thing is not to overdo it with cosmetic, otherwise, instead of polishing, you will get repeated soaping of parts.

Cleaning will be even more effective if carried out regularly and correctly:

Hard metal sponges scratch the mirror chrome surface - only soft foam bars with a hard fabric side or toothbrushes are suitable for it.
The optimal soaking time in cleaning products is no more than an hour.
The finished look of a clean product will be given by wiping the remaining moisture and polishing with a soft cloth - you can use special polishes or rub the metal “dry”.

Wash parts in distilled water, free of impurities or sediment. If it is not possible to get distilled water, pure running water will do. cold water- hot will accelerate the formation of scale.

Cleaning faucets from limescale is not so difficult if you know how to choose the right detergent depending on the material from which they are made. Timely competent cleaning will help to preserve the beauty of plumbing from the outside and performance from the inside for a long time.

During operation, mixers are in contact with tap water, which contains minerals. It is they who leave white stains on the chrome-plated surface of plumbing. Limescale, which appears not only outside, but also inside the tap, can cause the device to malfunction.

Therefore, taps must be regularly inspected and cleaned in a timely manner. Cleaning the faucet in the bathroom is not difficult if you know what products can be used for this.

Preparing for cleaning

Cleaning is very convenient to do in disassembled form. For a two-valve mechanism, the procedure is as follows:

We turn off the water using a tap located in the toilet or bathroom. Remove the faucet from the wall with a plumbing wrench.

We unscrew the screws with a screwdriver (hidden under decorative overlays with the designation of cold and hot water) and disassemble the valves. We separate the crane boxes. We turn to the disassembly of the gander, for which we unscrew the cap nut with a key.

For subsequent cleaning, we set aside all sealing elements (gaskets, cuffs) to the side. They won't be needed just yet. We remember the disassembly sequence and the general design so that there are no problems during subsequent assembly.

Cleaning with household chemicals

most popular and effective method overcome limescale - cleaning chemical compounds. Suitable universal products such as Comet, Domestos and specialized - Ravak Cleaner Chrome.

Before you clean the mixer with your own hands, make sure that the selected chemistry is suitable:

The composition should not contain acids (sulfuric, phosphoric or hydrochloric). Otherwise, the chrome deposited on the surface of the mixer will react with the acid and break down.

For the same reason, it is forbidden to use bleaches and rust removers.

Powdered products with abrasive particles can scratch the surface of the mixer, so they should be discarded. Should not be stirred various means into one composition. The effect can be unpredictable.

Work is carried out in rubber gloves. The selected substance is applied to the parts, left for 0.5-1 hour and washed off.

Cleaning folk remedies

If there was no suitable chemistry at hand, then you can remove mineral deposits from the tap folk remedies. In the stock of every housewife there is everything you need: laundry soap, vinegar, soda.

Laundry soap

Instructions on how to clean the faucet with soap include the following steps:

Dissolve soap in hot water. To save time, you can grate the soap. So it will dissolve much faster. Consistency working environment about the same as sour cream. To enhance the effectiveness of the mixture, add a little soda to the solution and mix.

Apply the solution with a rag on the surface of the faucet, leave for an hour and rinse the plumbing under running water. The method allows you to remove plaque that has formed recently. But how to put in order taps with an old plaque?

Vinegar

more aggressive and fast remedy getting rid of plaque is 9% vinegar. It can be used plain or heated:

In its usual form, vinegar is diluted in equal proportions with water and applied to the mixer by wiping. After a few minutes, the product is washed off.

In a heated form, vinegar is applied to plumbing like a “compress”: a napkin soaked in hot liquid is wrapped around the product. They wait a couple of hours and remove the fabric, and wipe the treatment sites with a damp cloth.

Lemon acid

How else to clean the mixer? The answer to this question can be citric acid. It is important to use it correctly, because rubbing dry citric acid is fraught with micro-scratches. They do it like this:

Sprinkle a little citric acid on a soft, damp cloth. Wipe places with limescale and leave the mixer for a few minutes alone. After exposure, the composition is washed off with running water, and the surfaces of the parts are thoroughly wiped.

A fresh lemon can be an excellent substitute for citric acid. For use, the fruit is cut in half and wiped with the cut point of the plumbing. After a short exposure, the surfaces are wiped.

Is it possible to avoid the formation of plaque?

Avoid the appearance of plaque inside the tap will not work. Although, in different regions Our country's water has different hardness, but it still contains a certain amount of magnesium and potassium salts, which form plaque.

But it is quite possible to restore external beauty and shine if you make it a rule to wipe the mixer after use. For this purpose, a napkin or the soft side of a sponge is suitable.

There is hardly a hostess who would not be affected by the problem of how to remove limescale from a tap. As soon as you cleanse it, it reappears with the same tenacity. Even if you wipe the surface of the chrome faucet after each use. Which, in general, is unrealistic. And yet you want the faucet in the bathroom or in the kitchen to always look beautiful and shining, like new.

Where does pollution come from

They say that a couple of decades ago, tap water could be drunk without the slightest fear (at least in Moscow). It was so soft that soapy hands had to be washed off for a long time.

Today the water has become much the worst quality. And most importantly - much tougher. This means that there is too much a large number of salts. It is they who are postponed for the most different surfaces sinks, toilet bowls, sinks, bathtubs. Salt deposits accumulate especially actively at the joints of faucet parts, at the joints of the faucet with a sink or sink, and on the underside of the faucet watering can. There the hostess notices them last. And when they are already striking with whitish stripes, it becomes not so easy to overcome them.

Most of the water that flows from our taps contains calcium and magnesium salts. Therefore, the plaque remaining from the water on different surfaces is called calcareous. After all, lime contains calcium. Plaque formation is intensified when hot water is poured from the faucet.

In addition to limescale deposits on chrome-plated surfaces, drying residues of soap suds and toothpaste also give faucets an unsightly appearance. But they are easy to deal with: you just need to wash them off after washing.

Deposit removers

When the hostess discovers that a brand new chrome faucet is covered with a whitish coating, the first thing she does is look for suitable chemicals. They will surely help. In the departments of household chemicals of supermarkets and hardware stores, there is a huge selection of such drugs.

All sorts of "Domestos", "Sunclins", "Mr. Muscles" really remove plaque quite easily. But then the hostess is horrified that the mixer, instead of becoming shiny, is covered with dark, cloudy spots that are almost impossible to remove.

The fact is that most cleaners chemicals contain acids with which chromium reacts. Especially if you leave the composition on the surface of the tap for 10-15 minutes, as stated in the instructions for use.

So it is better to turn to home remedies for cleaning chrome parts in the bathroom, toilet, kitchen. This will be both cheaper and better quality. And it will not be “excruciatingly painful” to look at a completely new, but such a ugly mixer.

If you still prefer to use household chemicals, then look for those that say: "For chrome surfaces." Thus, well-known global manufacturers of plumbing fixtures themselves develop products for their care. For example, the Czech company Ravak has developed products specifically for cleaning chrome parts. But, like the plumbing of this company, the means it offers are far from the cheapest.

Eco-liquids from the German company Grohe are on sale. They also remove well not only limescale, but also grease and other contaminants.

Home remedies for dealing with the problem

The easiest way to remove whitish salt streaks at the joints of the faucet parts is to use a soft metal dishwashing net. But you should save your manicure and wear gloves. After all, the mesh will have to wield in narrow spaces.

When using a plaque remover, you do not need to be too zealous so as not to leave scratches on the metal.

Quite reliable way remove lime deposits from the mixer - use fine abrasive as an abrasive table salt. Just pour it on a damp kitchen cloth and wipe the surfaces contaminated with plaque. Salt is not as harsh on shiny surfaces as a metal mesh.

Despite the fact that chromium does not get along well with acids, you can clean it of small salt deposits with a slice of lemon. For the best effect, you can sprinkle the lemon with fine salt. After the procedure, the mixer must be thoroughly rinsed with water and wiped dry.

If you prefer to eat lemon, then you can use citric acid diluted in water. Vinegar will work too. But after using them, you also need to thoroughly rinse the mixer and wipe it with a dry, clean cloth.

Another option for removing limescale is the usual baking soda. It is necessary to pour it on a damp cloth, carefully wipe all contaminated surfaces with it, rinse and wipe dry. If the plaque does not lend itself well, then you can leave the soda on the mixer for half an hour or an hour. To clean parts that are difficult to reach with a cloth or sponge, you can use a disused toothbrush.

It is often said: "No metal brushes, no abrasives in the care of chrome surfaces!" But salt and soda are also abrasive substances. The main thing is not to use force when using a metal mesh or salt, so as not to really scratch the faucet. And even better, so that you don’t have to fight plaque, take care of the mixer every day. Then it can be cleaned with an ordinary kitchen sponge with laundry or toilet soap.

Each person at least once in his life faced with the problem of how to remove limescale from a tap, but few people thought about the true reasons for its appearance. The fact is that in the water that is supplied to our houses and apartments through pipeline systems, there are always various mineral impurities. Their number may vary depending on the area of residence, but they still exist and have a direct impact not only on water hardness, but also on the formation of an unpleasant plaque on the internal and external surfaces of pipeline equipment. In this article, we will tell you how to clean a limescale faucet at home and how to avoid further contamination.

How to avoid the formation of plaque?

In the care of any sink, shower or bathtub, it is best to try to avoid the formation of limescale than to put in a lot of effort to get rid of pollution. To facilitate the care of household plumbing, it is recommended to observe following rules its operation:

after each use of the sink or bath, thoroughly rinse the bowl and faucet, and wipe them dry with a soft cloth;
carefully remove every drop of liquid on plumbing to avoid the formation of dry streaks;
every month, you should take the time to thoroughly disinfect the bathroom, which will prevent the formation and reproduction of mold and fungi, which can lead to health problems.

By following these simple rules, which take no more than a couple of minutes, you can long time not to think about the problems associated with clogging of faucets and the need for weekly cleaning of taps.

How to clean the faucet from limescale?

If there are still unpleasant contaminants on the tap, then you can get rid of them using several methods. The main difficulty here lies in the fact that these structures usually have a relief surface. To achieve the desired result, be patient and use one of the following cleaning methods.

Method #1 - Acetic Solution

A concentrated solution of vinegar and water, which is prepared in a ratio of 1: 1, will help to clean the faucet from limescale at home.

Clean the faucet surface as follows:

In a pre-prepared bowl, mix equal amounts of water and 9% table vinegar.
Soak a kitchen sponge in the prepared solution.
Treat the surface of your faucet carefully.
Rinse the structure with running water.
Wipe the faucet dry with a dry, clean, soft cloth.

Important! If the plaque is already old and large, it is better to unscrew the tap and place it in a container with such a solution overnight. This time will be sufficient for the effective splitting of salt deposits on the metal surface.

Method #2 - Hot Acetic Acid

To clean the faucet from limescale, you can use acetic acid in a different way:

Heat, but do not boil, the vinegar - the table solution should be warm, but not hot.
Soak a soft cloth in the resulting liquid.
Wrap cloth around your faucet.
Leave the plumbing in this state for half an hour or an hour.
Rinse the surface of the faucet thoroughly - warm water is best for this.
Wipe the faucet dry with a soft cloth.

Important! When working with vinegar, be sure to use personal protective equipment - rubber gloves and a respirator. These precautions are necessary to protect the skin of the hands from irritation when interacting with acid. It is also very important to protect the respiratory tract, because when evaporated, vinegar has a rather pungent odor, inhalation of which in large volumes can lead to irritation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.

Method #3 - Citric Acid

A solution of water and citric acid has a sufficiently high cleaning effect. Cleaning using this tool is carried out as follows:

Method #4 - Baking Soda and Soap

Such simple means cleaning products, like laundry soap and baking soda, are sure to be at hand for every housewife. However, not everyone knows that with their help it is enough to simply remove limescale from the tap. For best results, follow these cleaning tips:

Dissolve the bar laundry soap in hot water.
In the resulting thick solution, add a small amount of table soda.
Soak a kitchen sponge in the prepared cleaning agent and carefully treat the surface of the faucet.
After cleaning, wash off the remaining soap with running water;
The surface of the tap must be wiped dry with a soft cloth.

Important! In the hard-to-reach area of the faucet, you can clean with a soft-bristled toothbrush. A special microfiber cloth is perfect for cleaning embossed surfaces.

Use of household chemicals

You can also clean the faucet of limescale with the help of specially designed cleaning products that are sold in every household chemical store. However, when choosing and using chemical substances There are a few very important things to keep in mind:

In this article, we have shared with you the most effective methods how to remove limescale from a faucet, and we sincerely hope that following these recommendations will help keep your plumbing clean.