Wherever water goes, so does the hard, white buildup called limescale. But one Instagrammer has a straightforward solution that calls for only one affordable product.
The scoop
In a hilarious faux-infomercial shared on her cleaning and home decor Instagram, Wendy (@thekwendyhome) sings the praises of powdered citric acid. It's naturally found in citrus fruits like lemons — a traditional favorite for all-natural cleaning.
"Do your mugs look like this? Do your appliances look like that?" asks Wendy, displaying a coffee mug with a stained, brown interior, followed by an electric egg cooker with caked-on residue. She then shows herself forcefully — and unsuccessfully — scrubbing the cooker. "Is this what you look like cleaning them? You need citric acid!"
Wendy demonstrates how a small scoop of citric acid dissolves the limescale on many of these surfaces. "All you need is one tablespoon of citric acid, some water, and watch the magic happen," she says, turning on the heat in the egg cooker to let the mixture simmer. When she dumps it out, the metal surface is completely silver and clean again.
The same process works in her electric kettle and her coffee machine. "Just boil, swish, and rinse!" she says.
She also demonstrates how you can use it to make a cleaning spray. "Dilute it in water and spray your soap scum, hard water stains, and calcium deposits away," she says, adding the mixture to a spray bottle that she uses on her shower tiles.
There was one note of caution in Wendy's video description. "Citric acid should not be used on finished wood, natural stone, or marble. It could etch stone surfaces or strip away the wax sealant of your wood," she said.
How it's helping
Hard water stains are notoriously difficult to remove, so a simple, natural, and food-safe product that removes them is a tool everyone needs in the kitchen and bathroom. Plus, it's inexpensive and easy to find. As long as it's diluted properly, this natural product isn't damaging to the environment, unlike many other cleaning chemicals available.
What everyone's saying
One European user cosigned this hack. "I live in Denmark where citric acid is a perfectly normal cleaning agent," they said. "We buy it in small boxes at the supermarket and add 2 tablespoons to washing machines or dishwashers to remove calcium deposits and that funky smell."
"You just saved me the price of a new set of pots," said another grateful user.
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