How To Choose The Best Limescale Remover?

You may have noticed brownish stains in your toilet bowl or an off-white deposit on your taps. This is limescale.

Limescale forms when hard water evaporates from a surface, leaving behind a deposit consisting mostly of calcium carbonate. If the deposit has some iron minerals in it, it’ll appear as a reddish brown stain.

Limescale is unsightly. It makes surfaces look old and dirty. And no matter how much you clean using ordinary cleaning products, it doesn’t go away.

Limescale can also cause serious problems beyond damaging your home’s aesthetics. It can form inside your home’s plumbing, causing clogging. It can also develop inside appliances such as coffee makers and dishwashers, causing damage and reducing longevity.

The best way to deal with limescale around the home is using a limescale remover, also called a descaler.

Descaling product contain acid that reacts with the calcium carbonate in the limescale. Household acidic products like vinegar and lemon juice will work, but store-bought limescale removers work faster and more effectively. They are also safer for certain delicate surfaces.

In this buying guide, we recommend the five best limescale removers you can buy online.

Key considerations for buying a descaler

Here’s what to consider when picking the right limescale remover.

A. Performance

Limescale removers are more powerful compared to ordinary household and homemade cleaners. But not all limescale removers are made the same. Like with any other cleaning product (e.g. black mould removers, etc.), some are more effective than others.

With some products, just leaving the descaler on the surface for a few minutes to an hour is enough to remove the scale. With others, you need to leave the descaler overnight to see any results.

Obviously, it’s impossible to truly tell how well a descaler performs until you use it. So you’ll have to rely on customer reviews to get an idea of how good a particular product is.

The price can also tell you a lot. Generally, pricier limescale removers are more concentrated and are better at tackling serious limescale. If you only have mild limescale deposit, you can get a cheaper and milder formulation.

B. Safe for Different Types of Materials

This one is super important. Check that the limescale remover you are about to buy is safe for all the affected surfaces in your home.

Certain materials like chrome are delicate and are damaged easily. A highly concentrated limescale remover can damage your chrome taps.

The good news is that most limescale removers are formulated to be safe for use on all household surfaces including ceramic, stainless steel, chrome, plastic and even glass.

C. Type of Descaler (Liquid vs. Powder vs. Spray)

Finally, check the formulation the descaler comes in. Most limescale removers are in liquid form. They are easy to apply on different surfaces.

If you want to remove scale from a showerhead, a tap or other surfaces with small nooks and crannies, a liquid spray limescale remover is easier to work with.

Powder limescale removers are mostly ideal for descaling the inside of appliances and containers. You pour the powder to your kettle, washing machine or tank then add water.

Note: Most limescale removers contain concentrated acid. Handle them with care. Wear gloves when using the product and protect your eyes.

Best Limescale Removers: Reviews

1. Kilrock MEGA-K Descale, 1L

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Kilrock MEGA-K is a multi-purpose descaler that works on just about any type of surface that has limescale deposits.

You can use it to descale the toilet bowl, taps, shower and other surfaces. You can also use it to protect appliances such as kettles and coffee makers from limescale.

Kilrock MEGA-K is safe for most types of materials including plastics, metal, ceramic and glass. The only materials you should not use it on is enamel and marble.

To use Kilrock MEGA-K, you mix one part of the descaler with eight parts warm water. You can then use this solution to clean a kettle, unclog a showerhead or remove the stains in your toilet pan.

Kilrock MEGA-K is phosphate free (better for the environment) and has a biodegradable formulation.

Note that the stuff in the Kilrock MEGA-K bottle is pretty strong. Wear a pair of gloves when using it and do not attempt to use it undiluted.

What we like about it:

• Environmentally-friendly.
• Safe for most surfaces and materials.
• Works great on even the worst of limescale deposits.

2. HG Professional Limescale Remover, 1L

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The HG professional limescale remover is not just effective against limescale; it also removes rust stains (common in homes with well water) and the greenish or black residues of copper oxide. You can also use it to remove urine stains in the toilet bowl and the watermarks that usually form on the shower screen.

The HG professional limescale remover is safe for most types of surfaces and materials. You can use it to clean stained toilets, faucets, bathtubs and showerheads.

Because of its concentrated formulation, there’s no need to soak surfaces in the HG cleaner for hours. It takes just a few minutes for the descaler to get rid of the stains.

You can use the HG descaler diluted or undiluted. Note that is highly acidic, so be careful when using it undiluted. Wear gloves and avoid contact with your eyes.

For certain delicate surfaces like chrome that wear easily when exposed to strong acid, we recommend diluting the HG limescale remover. The manufacturer-recommended dilution ratio is 1:10 (1 part descaler, 10 parts water).

What we like about it:

• Works fast and effectively.
• Safe for most surfaces and materials.
• Removes copper oxide and rust stains in addition to limescale.

3. Viakal Classic Limescale Remover Spray, 500 ml

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The Viakal is without doubt the best value limescale remover among our picks. For almost the same price as other limescale removers, you get a 10-bottle pack, each holding 500ml of descaler. That’s 5 litres of limescale remover.

Viakal is not as concentrated as other limescale removers, hence the low price. It’s a good choice for maintaining your kitchen and bathroom surfaces. It’s a good everyday cleaner.

Unless you install a whole house water softener, limescale does not go away completely after you get rid of it. After some time, it’ll form again.

The Viakal classic limescale remover spray is the best way to keep it at bay. Spray the liquid regularly on vulnerable surfaces such as the faucets, toilet and tiles.

The Viakal classic descaler does two things. One, it removes mild limescale already present on surfaces. Two, it forms a barrier to keep more limescale from forming.

If you have a particularly bad limescale problem, you may want to start with a highly concentrated descaler like HG or Kilrock MEGA-K. Then you can use Viakal to keep those surfaces shiny and limescale-free.

The Viakal Classic limescale remover comes in form of a spray. This makes it easy to apply the descaling liquid on surfaces, especially those with nooks and crannies like a showerhead.

Thanks to its relatively mild concentration, Viakal is safe for most materials including stainless steel, glass, plastic, ceramics and chrome.

What we like about it:

• Great value for money.
• Easy to apply on surfaces.
• Cleans away limescale and prevents more from forming.

4. Oust Powerful All Purpose Descaler, 6 x 3 Sachets

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The Oust descaler is formulated for use with small household appliances such as a kettle, coffee maker, steam iron and water dispenser.

Each pack contains three sachets. Since these are six packs, you get 18 sachets in total. A single sachet is enough to descale one small appliance. Add hot water to the appliance then pour in a full sachet and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes before rinsing.

For severe limescale deposits use two sachets.

To keep your appliances in good condition, descale them using Oust every 6 months if you live in a soft water area or every 3 months if you live in a hard water area.

What we like about it:

• Prolongs the life of small appliances.
• Easy to use.
• Works fast.

5. HG Toilet Renovation Kit, 500 ml

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If your toilet looks so bad that you are tempted to replace it altogether, try the HG toilet renovation kit first.

It restores old and stained toilets to look like new.

Here’s what the kit includes:

• Limescale remover, 500ml
• A scrubber handle
• A non-scratch scrubbing pad
• A pair of gloves

Pour the descaler in the bowl, making sure to pour it down the sides and under the rim. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. For very stained toilets, leave the cleaner to work overnight.

After soaking the stains, time for some good old scrubbing. Take the non-scratch pad and attach it to the scrubber handle. Wear the gloves and get scrubbing.

Most people found it easier to ditch the handle and scrub directly using the included pad. As long as you have a pair of gloves on, you should be safe.

While the HG toilet renovation kit is meant mostly for toilets pans, there’s no reason you cannot use it to descale a stained sink or bathtub. For a bathtub, you’ll need to buy several packs to get enough of the limescale remover.

What we like about it:

• Complete toilet cleaning kit.
• Highly effective at removing stubborn limescale buildup.
• Works fast.