Descale the faucet: It’s so easy to remove limescale and dirt

White edges
Descale the faucet: It’s so easy to remove the annoying deposits

Limescale occurs wherever water flows. It’s annoying, but can be removed.

© LisaValder/Getty Images

Limescale is not a sign of poor hygiene, but a component of groundwater: the more moisture evaporates from a surface, the more deposits become visible – especially on the tap. The white edges are not harmful to health, but provide a breeding ground for bacteria.

Lime, also called calcium carbonate in technical jargon, is found in most layers of rock and soil. Depending on how much lime is in the ground, through which our groundwater flows and ultimately comes out again at the tap, the calcium carbonate content varies. This is also the reason why the water in some regions of Germany is particularly calcareous or low in lime – and the fittings in the bathroom have more or less deposits. In the end, however, it doesn’t matter how much limescale is deposited on the tap, because the fact is: With the right hand movements, you can easily remove the white edges. Regardless of how much lime has been deposited on the fittings.

The quick method: Use tried and tested home remedies

Limescale not only offers the ideal breeding ground for germs, but also ensures that less water flows through the tap – because the filter inside is also clogged by the deposits over time. In the end, the water splashes in all directions, just not where it’s supposed to end up: in the sink. To ensure that the water jet can flow straight again, all you have to do is decalcify the sieve. To do this, proceed as follows:

  1. Screw the aerator, also known as mixing nozzle or aerator called, off the tap by hand. It consists of three parts: the strainer, a sealing ring and a union nut. Alternatively, you can also use a pipe wrench, but in this case you should first wrap a cotton cloth around the tap so that you do not scratch the sensitive fitting.
  2. Place the individual pieces in a glass and fill it halfway with warm water so that all three parts are covered. Then give 50 milliliters vinegar essence To do this, mix the two liquids and leave the strainer, ring and nut to soak in for at least 15 minutes. Then rinse everything well and screw it back onto the tap.

But other home remedies have also turned out to be true decalcification miracles, such as cola and aspirin – or also amidosulfonic acid: The powder is also dissolved in water (about five grams per 500 milliliters of liquid) and briefly boiled. Then place the aerator in the hot water for five minutes sulfamic acid solution.

An equally tried and tested home remedy is the citric acid: You can also use the powder dissolved in cold water to soak the individual parts of the aerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, you can dip a microfiber cloth in the water and clean the calcified fittings from the outside. the citric acid is also for Kettle suitable.

Last but not least, you can of course also use ordinary ones cleaning supplies use against lime to remove the white edges on the fittings. The external deposits do not impede the water jet, but they do not look very nice and also spread more and more if they are not removed regularly.

And one more tip at the end: To avoid annoying limescale deposits in the future, you simply have to keep the tap dry – then no white edges can form.

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