Household items can deteriorate with use or lose their initial shine. Taps, for example, suffer greatly from wear and tear due to water. Limescale and mineral deposits can build up and dull their shine, while also causing blockages. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain these items. Today we're sharing some ideas with you. Little tips that can be very useful for cleaning the taps throughout your home.
The lemon
If you've noticed limescale build-up on your taps, it's best to opt for a lemon-based clean. Lemons are citrus fruits with numerous applications for household cleaning. Thanks to their citric acid content, they help us clean and disinfect in a matter of minutes. Furthermore, it's the natural ingredient that can best tackle limescale, making it easy to remove.
Using it to clean household taps is very simple. You just need to take a lemon, cut it in half, and rub it all over the surface of the tap in question. Rinse with plenty of water and dry with a soft, clean cloth. At this point, be careful with the cloths you use to clean the taps. They should be soft so as not to end up damaging them.
If you want a slightly more potent solution, you can mix lemon juice with a little vinegar, apply it and leave it on for an hour. Then rinse and dry.
White vinegar
You've surely heard more than once that white vinegar is great for cleaning limescale. It's true. Vinegar is a cleaning product with many uses, one of which is to remove dirt and the dull appearance of taps and fittings. Vinegar has antibacterial properties, disinfects, and removes stains from taps and fittings in both bathrooms and kitchens. To use it, we need to dilute vinegar in water and dampen a cloth. Wrap that cloth around the tap. Cover the tap with a plastic bag and let the mixture work its magic. After an hour, you can gently rub the tap with a cloth, rinse it, and dry it to see its shine revived.
Flour
Perhaps not everyone knows this, but a good option for polishing bronze or brass taps is flour. Flour removes salt stains and also leaves the taps looking spotless for longer.
To use the flour, we'll first need to clean the tap with a product we normally use. Once we dry it, we'll make a solution of 1 tablespoon of flour with one tablespoon of vinegar. Rub the solution with a microfibre cloth and leave it to work for 5 minutes. Rinse and you're done.
Easily remove stains
To easily remove small stains, you'll only need a toothbrush and bicarbonate of soda. Bicarbonate of soda is ideal for cleaning almost any surface. You should apply a small amount to a toothbrush you no longer use and add a little water. Scrub around the taps and you'll remove the stains that form in the joints.
The best solution: good maintenance
The best solution for keeping your taps in perfect condition is, however, good maintenance. It's true that the shine will start to fade and that some tricks to restore it are useful, but to combat limescale, the best approach is to use a specific product weekly. Specific cleaning products will leave our taps clean and prevent excessive limescale build-up.
If, after these tips, you notice that your taps are too damaged and don't regain their shine, the best solution might be to replace them: you'll save on consumption due to water wasted with limescale and you'll give your bathroom a refresh. But remember that a tap must be of good quality to withstand the years and the deterioration caused by water.
