The water that flows from our taps is high in calcium, which forms limescale by depositing in the pipes and on the chrome plating of the tap. In addition to being damaging to the home plumbing system, the typical white halo risks compromising the precious chrome plating if it is not frequently removed. But how to clean the chrome bathroom taps without the risk of damaging their brilliance? There are home remedies that, if put into practice with frequent periodicity, will allow you to keep the bathroom fittings in perfect shape.
Better a descaler or a home remedy?
On the supermarket shelves you can find descaling products that promise to easily remove all traces of limescale from your taps in a few minutes, forming a patina that prevents limescale from settling in again in the future. Their cost is very low, even if the price we pay in environmental terms is very high. These descalers are in fact produced with chemicals that can be highly polluting, not to mention the fact that they are irritating and corrosive for your skin. If you decide to use these products, it is advisable to wear gloves and avoid breathing the fumes (by ventilating the room well).
You must remember that they must not be used on copper, which could oxidize, nor on marble and natural stones, which would be damaged.
The alternative for those who want to help environmental conservation and protect their health is provided by home remedies. One of the most widespread and well-known solutions is certainly white vinegar. Heat a little vinegar in a small saucepan, remove it from the heat and soak all those tap components that can be taken apart. Let it work for an hour before taking them out and reassembling them again. To remove any limescale residues, a toothbrush could be just what you need.
While you wait for the best results, you can devote yourselves to the bathroom tap which will be cleaned with only a part of the white vinegar taken from the saucepan. Put the solution in a vaporizer and spray it on the surface to be treated. Let it act for a few minutes and remove the vinegar with a soft damp cloth: the chrome taps and fittings will appear shiny and bright again. Take the removable components out of the solution and dry them with the same cloth before putting them back together.
Those who cannot tolerate the strong smell of vinegar can find another valid natural aid to keep their bathroom taps shiny in a mixture of baking soda and lemon. Put a litre of water in a glass container and add the juice of a lemon plus two tablespoons of bicarbonate. Rub the encrusted surfaces of the taps with the mixture obtained using a soft sponge: the result will leave you speechless.
High-quality taps for minimal maintenance
Regardless of which solution you prefer to adopt for cleaning your chrome bathroom taps, it is always important to buy high-quality fittings for your sanitary ware. A tap made with the best steel and subjected to rigorous manufacturing processes aimed at preserving its chrome plating will always be an object that allows you to have the maximum brightness with minimal cleaning.
Do not forget that taps and fittings together with sanitary ware are the elements that immediately strike users as soon as they enter a bathroom for the first time: we could say that these two elements reveal many aspects of your personality at first sight. Therefore, it is essential to choose taps and accessories whose quality ensures maintaining their original beauty and all their brilliance unchanged over time without requiring excessive maintenance.