UK households can use this 30p item to help remove toilet limescale, experts have revealed.
Lemons and lemon juice can be used to help clean those stubborn spots.
Here is how it works and how best to use it to assist with getting your toilet sparkling.
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What is limescale and is it harmful to humans?
As explained by Halcyan Water, limescale is a deposit left on surfaces and in pipework that forms due to hard water.
The website adds: “Hard water, in short, contains moderate to high levels of dissolved minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium.
“Limescale, put simply, is these minerals after bonding to a surface and building up layers on top of one another.
“The most plentiful component of limescale is calcium carbonate in its calcite structure.”
But don’t worry, limescale isn’t harmful, even if ingesting it may cause some upset.
Halcyan Water says: “The minerals which form limescale, magnesium and calcium, are actually very important to the human body. In some areas hard water is actually a supplemental source for these important minerals.
“So, there’s no need to panic if you accidentally swallow a small flake of limescale in your kettle.
“Hard water can potentially affect skin and hair but research suggests the effects are not to a degree which could be considered harmful.”
UK households can use lemons to help remove toilet limescale
Despite it not being harmful, many like to get rid of it to keep bathrooms, toilets and other areas looking pristine.
Here is how lemons can help with this process, and can cost just 30p from places like Tesco.
Chris Houghton, home expert at home emergency and cover specialists, HomeServe, said: “Limescale is one of those annoying household issues that can make your bathroom look tired if left untreated, but you don’t always need harsh chemicals to deal with it.
“Lemon juice is a great natural alternative, as its citric acid breaks down the calcium carbonate that causes limescale, helping to lift chalky deposits with minimal effort.
“Simply pour fresh lemon juice around the bowl, leave it for an hour or two, then scrub and flush. It’s an easy, cost-effective way to keep your toilet clean and fresh-smelling, without relying on chemical cleaners.”
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Plumbing expert Jamie Heath, from Build and Plumb, explained further: “Lemon juice is a natural and affordable cleaning product that can be effective in removing built-up limescale in toilets.
“Hardened limescale deposits are made from calcium carbonate so they cannot be removed with water alone, they therefore require acidic cleaning solutions that break down the mineral deposits.
“Lemon juice contains citric acid which reacts with and breaks down calcium carbonate, removing hardened limescale from surfaces.
“Furthermore, lemon is a natural antibacterial so it will also clean your toilet bowl at the same time.”
Jess Thomas, managing director of Drainage Central, adds that lemon juice should be left to soak on the limescale for at least an hour, ideally with the affected area submerged and if you are using lemon juice alone, you may need to leave the limescale to soak for longer.
She also warns against combining lemon juice or any other acidic product with bleach, due to bleach being a strong alkali, so when combined with an acid, it will cause a chemical reaction that can produce chlorine gas.
How to remove tougher limescale from your toilet
While lemon juice on its own can help, you may have some stubborn limescale that sticks around, so another ingredient may help.
Laura Harnett, founder of eco cleaning brand, Seep, said: “Lemon juice on its own works well for stains above the water line but it does need some extra oomph from white vinegar to lift limescale below the water line.
“Mix an equal amount of white vinegar with the juice of four – five lemons, depending on how much limescale you need to clean off.
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“Pour the mixture into the toilet basin and leave it for at least three hours to work through the limescale.
“You can also pour the white vinegar and lemon juice mixture down and leave over night if you know that nobody will need to use it in the middle of the night.
“Finally, give it a really good scrub using a stiff-bristle toilet brush and the marks should come away easily.”
