The most common descalers are acid-based bottled liquids, but there are also powder sachets (often used for dishwashers, kettles or the inside of other appliances) and sprays made for easier application. Don’t fret if your kettle contains any chalky matter as limescale won’t cause you any health scares. For stronger, more stubborn limescale build-ups, you'll need more acidic products, such as pickling vinegar or lime juice. These express tablets contain an express ball with a high concentration of anti-limescale actives which effectively dissolve build-up from the first seconds of the wash. We like that the bottle is made from 100% recycled plastic and that Viakal is safe to use (as long as you don’t mix it with bleach) as it’s free from ammonia, bleach and chlorine.

For dishwashers, you need to pour a large cup of either vinegar or lemon juice into the base of the machine and run the dishwashing cycle. This powerful limescale remover is also designed to tackle soap scum and rust stains, so it’s a great all-around cleaner to have in your kitchen or bathroom. It can also do unseen damage to your washing machine and dishwasher - unless you get a limescale remover.

Lemon method: Cut a lemon in half and rub the flesh side onto the limescale-affected part of the taps. Any white or copper-coloured markings near home-based water sources are likely to be limescale, particularly if you live in a hard-water region. One thing we would suggest is that when using Oust in your kettle, boil and rinse away the water a couple more times than recommended to fully remove the smell of the descaler – no-one wants an off-kilter cup of tea. Without this handy gadget, you’d have to soak some kitchen roll in a limescale remover and then wedge it around your tap or use a gel, still not fully reaching the underside.

The powerful, fast-acting formula is ideal for tackling tough limescale on kettles, coffee machines and dishwashers. LimeLite Active Gel is ideal for a more targeted application and this ultra-strong gel is even tougher on stubborn areas of heavy limescale build up. This high concentrate bathroom descaler is suitable for removing limescale from your taps, shower, plastic bath, sink, shower door, tiles and shower head.Pour vinegar (straight from the bottle) into the toilet bowl and leave it to sit for three hours or longer. Lakeland sells an accompanying Limey Tap Descaler that you can use with the Limey, but you can also choose a different limescale remover or even opt for a natural one such as white vinegar or citric acid. To get rid of thick limescale, you need something to break down the deposits, such as a limescale remover (which comes in a spray, gel and powder form) or natural remedies, such as lemon juice, citric acid or vinegar. Combine two parts bicarbonate of soda with one part white vinegar - this should create a paste, which you then can apply to the surfaces and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Best suited to kettles, steam irons, coffee makers and showerheads, the sachets get to work instantly.

These chemicals are perfectly safe for you – in fact, bottled mineral water is often packed with the stuff – but it is only heavily concentrated in water from certain regions of the UK since it needs to pass through ground rock like chalk and limestone. The good news is that it only takes five minutes to work, and you can use it on a multitude of surfaces, including toilets, sinks, bathtubs, showers, tiles, glass, and stainless steel taps. Whether you’re a fan of the spray or gel, you can be sure LimeLite will leave you with sparkling clean results every time.Build-up is likely anywhere in your house where water is present, such as boilers and radiators, but particularly in areas where water often lingers before evaporating later on, like tap ends or showerheads. As well as being unsightly, limescale can lead to an accumulation of harmful bacteria, cause blockages in your pipes (which can reduce your water flow) and reduce the efficiency of heat transfer in your boiler. It works by bombarding your water supply with low-frequency radio waves emitted from coils that you wrap around your piping.