A Quick Look at What Lime Scale Is and How to Get it Out of the Washing Machine
Lime scale can become a common issue in many appliances using water, such as a kettle and toilet. One in particular can be a prime culprit too, the washing machine. Here's a quick look at what lime scale is and how to get it out of your washing machine.
Why does lime scale occur?
Lime scale is a hard mineral that forms due to calcium carbonate dissolved into the water. Commonly lime scale occurs when there is a hot water system. For example, a boiler would be a prime target for lime scale.
Lime scale is common because the water used throughout the world is mostly what we call 'hard water.' Hard water basically means that the water is very high in mineral content, and not surprisingly, calcium carbonate is high up on the list of minerals.
Common signs of lime scale can include reduced water flow in your house, lime scale deposits on sinks and bath tubs, and decreased effectiveness when deposits build up in a kettle.
Preventing lime scale from building up in the washing machine
If your washing machine currently does not have any lime scale deposits, then you can take a number of steps to prevent deposits from forming.
More often than not, you should not have to use any more products than your chosen detergent. This is because most washing companies are well aware of lime scale, and put in preventative chemicals in the detergent to aid this problem by softening the water.
If you find that you still have lime scale deposits, perhaps consider if you are using enough detergent.
If more problems persist, you may be using hard water and not be aware. You can call up your local water company to find out whether or not that may be true. If so, you can install water softening systems to treat your water, however, hard water is not necessarily bad, and for human consumption, is actually rather beneficial.
Removing lime scale from a washing machine
A great home fix for lime scale is to use either lemon juice or vinegar, both highly acidic, so both highly effective. They work against the alkaloid effectively, and can be a great cheaper alternative to branded lime scale removers.
To use lemon or vinegar to remove lime scale, put a large cup worth of your chosen liquid into the washing machine drawer, and then wash normally but with no clothes.
The main thing to remember about removing lime scale is to soak the deposit thoroughly with your chosen remover. This is because lime scale does not just come off with a few wipes; you have to give the agent time to remove it. If you've given it some time but it's still not going away, contact companies like Everlast to help professionally clear away the lime scale.