Citric acid 10 February 2022 at 11:36AM in Green & ethical MoneySaving 12 replies 263 views

2nd_time_buyer

I bought some Grohe shower cleaner as that was the only one recommend by Grohe when we had a new shower fitted. It sells for the remarkable price of £15.

I downloaded the COSH sheet for it and noted that the only active ingredient is citric acid.

Citric acid sells for around £5-10 per kg in crystal form (even food grade).

Diluted 3 table spoons to 0.5 litre in a spray bottle it seems to achieve the same results as the Grohe. I.e. spray the shower screen and chrome after each shower and it stays totally free of limscale and shiny with practically no effort.

Not sure this is the right board: I imagine it is greener than most chemical cleaners, and it seems very unethical for it to be sold at such an obscene markup.

QrizB

Thanks for the info

I tend to descale my shower screen (& coffee maker) with white vinegar. No problems yet.

The search shows "descaling" threads spread across various boards.

Reed_Richards

My shower screen got scale on it before I noticed the problem.  I have tried various products to get it off again but so far without success.  White vinegar did not work; I soaked some paper towels with warm white vinegar and plastered them on for a while but the scale is still there.  

2nd_time_buyer

I would say citric acid works well using it on a day to day preventative basis. Not sure how well it works well for ingrained limescale.

matelodave

Citric Acid is what does it for us, descaling the kettle, coffee maker, shower head and shower screen etc. Cheap as chips from Wilko.

coffeehound

Reed_Richards said:

My shower screen got scale on it before I noticed the problem.  I have tried various products to get it off again but so far without success.  White vinegar did not work; I soaked some paper towels with warm white vinegar and plastered them on for a while but the scale is still there.  

Not sure if it's what you're seeing but there's a risk of permanently etching the glass with acids used either in high concentration or for long periods.  My last flat was blessed with very soft water but this place just 10 mi away is pretty hard water so I need to tackle this very task

EricMears

coffeehound said:

Not sure if it's what you're seeing but there's a risk of permanently etching the glass with acids used either in high concentration or for long periods. 

Apart from hydrofluoric acid - used for glass etching - most glass is pretty resistant to acid attack.  Hence the fact that most acids are supplied in glass bottles.

matelodave

A wipe over with a diluted citric acid solutions isn't any more corrosive than using lemon juice or even vinegar. You then rinse it off so it's not actually sitting there long enough to cause any damage. Its used for cooking and in many soft drinks, so it's not likely to cause your shower screen to drop to bits.

As Eric says, it's not like some other acids which burn and etch stuff, 

coffeehound

Ah apologies, I've exaggerated that risk then.  Think I'm going to try a razor blade scraper on mine to get the worst off first

2nd_time_buyer

FWIW Viakal seems to be regarded for severe cases. I have had success with spraying it on then putting a layer of cling film over to keep it there whilst it reacts.

getmore4less

For some products  lactic acid  is the recommended option.