I’m sorting out my aunt’s house, and some of the sinks have disgusting levels of limescale. Particularly the kitchen sink: the limescale is several mm thick in places. I’ve tried the usual limescale / sink cleaners without success. I’ve also tried leaving rags soaked in cleaner, but that had no success either. So, fellow dopers, any suggestions on how to proceed without damaging the sink?
Vinegar is effective, but for thick scale it may take immersion for a week or more. Ditto any cleaner you might buy. But that much immersion will probably damage or at least discolor the rest of the sink.
Depending on the sink’s material, the lime scale has probably brurrowed into it a bit, so even after you remove the scale you won’t be looking at a pristine procelain or whatever surface. Instead you’ll be looking at a pocked & discolored surface.
Bottom line: you may be better off to just replace the sink rather than spend time & elbow grease cleaning it up to a still-unpresentable condition.
(This is especially true for faucets. Most scale seems to corrode into the faucets about as much as it builds up outside. So a several mm buildup implies a several mm pit underneath. The finish beneath will certainly be ruined even if the metal structure is intact.)
You won’t have any success with over-the-counter cleaning products.
I operate an enclosed car wash and the tiles on the walls accumulate some kind of limescale that is resistant to all over-the-counter cleaners (I know because I have tried them all). I’ve also tried battery acid which in combination with vigorous scrubbing and high pressure steam was somewhat effective.
That was until I found a special tile cleaning product intended for that kind of limescale. I simply spray it on, rub lightly with a brush and rinse with cold water. Not only it removes limescale completely, but also makes the tiles shine. It comes in 8 and 20 liter containers and must be dilluted at 5-10% concentrations. I’ll read tomorrow the label to see if it is safe to use on metal surfaces and what the active ingredients are.
Yes - the kitchen sink is metal; the other sinks are porcelain.
We have very hard water where I live. And a septic system that would not like a water softener. I have installed two inline filters. A paper one and a charcoal.
Still we have some problems.
This stuff works. I would guess about twice as powerful as other Lime removing cleaners.
http://www.theworkscleans.com/toilet.htm
Replacing the sink is also a good idea. Especially if the intent is to sell the house.
I feel for you. My father will not take care of his house. My Wife and I do our best to keep it up, but it is very, very hard. I bought him a new vacuum (a Dyson[they are easy to use]) and 2 years ago got a 20 yard roll off dumpster just to clean the house out.
It’s very, very difficult.
I use The Works as well, as the other lime cleaners I tried don’t really make a dent on my build up. (They make all sort of cleaners, not just the toilet kind.) Be careful with it - a drop of it on exposed skin burns pretty badly after just a couple of seconds, though I’ve never actually gotten a blister or anything.
The product is made by an obscure french company called Abax. The product name is Pyrosan 3000. It says on the label that it is mainly intended for ceramic tiles and it is not “hostile” to steel. There’s no other info on the label. I tried googling for MSDS but couldn’t find anything.
I emailed them and they don’t sell to the U.K. 
Any buyer would gut the place, but replacement is definitely on the cards.
Thanks. It is.
Most studies done have shown softener discharge to actually be helpful to septic systems. No study has been able to prove discharging a softener into a septic system is damaging despite constant rumors saying it is.
The only issue would be if the septic was near failing and lacked the capacity to withstand the added volume of water.
The water treatment company I work for sells a product called Luster Bowl. It is extremely effective for removing mineral deposits. It’s manufactured by a company in Washington state. In 30 years we’ve yet to find a comparable product.
Good to know.
When my Wife and I where designing our addition (part of is a new mechanical room), we checked with a national dealer in water softeners. They recommended against allowing the flush to hit the septic field. And instead suggested a separate rock filled sump for it.
:shrug:
Frankly, as I am already dealing with an extra water heater for in floor heat (for the additon only), and a pressure tank, I really didn’t want to plumb in a softener as well.
Good luck Quartz. I suspect that when my Dad passes on, we will go through his stuff and then sell the house for the best we can get.
You cannot help someone that will not help themselves. That much is true.
What I need to do, is keep up better on the filters. I have already shocked the well.