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Hard water can — quite literally — be hard to deal with at home. The minerals it leaves behind can accumulate quickly in places that frequently come into contact with water, like bathrooms and kitchens. Fortunately, the best limescale removers help dissolve that lime, calcium, and rust build-up caused by hard water with a lot less elbow grease required than with other cleaning methods.
When shopping for a limescale remover, it's a good idea to take into account how much cleaning you plan to do. Are you prepping to tackle an entire bathroom or spot-clean a small area like a faucet? If the former, you might find a gallon-sized amount of cleaner the most cost-effective. Otherwise, pick a spray bottle that you can store under your bathroom sink.
Also, since limescale commonly lingers in toilets, you may want to consider a product that is more septic tank safe. A gel-like sticker will emulsify enough to clean the rings that form around toilet bowls as well as farther back in the U-bend, which means you don't have to reach for the toilet brush. Or if you'd prefer to use a non-toxic limescale remover that's safer for use around animals and kids, you can find toilet cleaners that require a little bit more elbow grease but give you an eco-friendly alternative.
Beyond the bathroom, hard water residue can also be left behind in dishwashers. A specific remover for that appliance will go above and beyond regular dishwashing soaps and detergents to safely fight odors and decalcify the inside of your most used machines. They often come in tablet form, making them easy to insert into your dispenser and get to work.
Scroll below to check out the best limescale removers you can buy on Amazon. I've included a cleaning solution for every household need.
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
1
The Overall Best For Bathrooms
If you're in need of a great all-around limescale and soap scum remover that can work on a a variety of different surfaces around your home, look no further than this Lime-A-Way spray. The manufacturer claims that it dissolves hard water build up in under one minute — with no scrubbing required. It works on non-porous surfaces: including glass shower doors, sinks, and bathroom tiles.
Plus, because of the spray bottle application, it is easy to use and perfect for spot-cleaning small areas. Simply apply the cleaner, wait, and wipe it off. Keep in mind that it's not recommended for use in the kitchen or in appliances like dishwashers, so I've also included a product specifically designed for that below.
Helpful review: "I had bath tub stains that resisted many different cleaners. This stuff worked like a charm and quickly with very little scrubbing. Very happy with this product."
2
The Overall Best For Toilets
For cleaning limescale and toilet ring build up inside the potty, this toilet bowl cleaner works amazingly well. And there's no need to reach for a toilet brush since this handy applicator does the work for you— take it and push it against the inside of your bowl, just under the rim, and a gel "stamp" will be left behind. For up to 12 days, every time you flush the gel will reactivate to refresh the toilet. Then just replace the cap and use the applicator again next time. This pick is septic safe and comes in multiple scents.
Helpful review: “I love these 'stamps' they keep your toilet clean and make the entire bathroom smell fantastic, clean, and deodorized at all times. They are very easy to use, don't over-complicate the instructions, I did, thinking there had to be more to it than that. You just stick it on the inside of the toilet and it will stay in place and clean the toilet each time it is flushed. I love these!"
3
A Chemical-Free Alternative For Cleaning The Toilet
For a non-toxic and odor-free cleaning option, consider this Pumie toilet bowl ring remover. This cleaner relies on the natural scouring powers of pumice stone to help remove hard water and mineral buildup. Although it does take some scrubbing with it for it to work, the effort required is far less than you would need using a brush or sponge. Plus, while this cleaner is advertised for toilet bowl cleaning, you can also designate it to remove limescale from showers, sinks, and other parts of your home.
Helpful review: "This was my last ditch effort to clean a toilet that was about to have to be replaced. We thought that the spots in our toilet were pitting in the porcelain, and have scrubbed with all our muscle on many occasions to try and remove them. This got it completely spotless."
4
The Best For Large Applications
This gallon-sized CLR pro cleaner is better priced per ounce than other options on this list, which makes it a great choice when you have a large clean-up job to take on. In addition to household uses, this cleaning solution can be used to remove, lime, calcium, and rust on boats, RVs, and cars. It's also septic-safe, so you can use it to clean toilets, as well.
Helpful review: “This is the best product for removing calcium deposits on most anything. We have extremely hard water in our area and of course, the lime deposits cling to the shower tile, the faucets, etc. I was buying smaller quantities locally at outrageous prices until I found this 1 gallon jug on Amazon at a much more reasonable price for the quantity.”
5
The Best For Dishwashers
This Affresh product is your best bet for getting the inside of your stainless steel or plastic tub dishwasher sparkling again. To use it, you simply place the tablet in the detergent dispenser and run a hot cycle (you can also use it with your dishwasher full of plates— just put the tablet on the bottom of the appliance instead of the dispenser). It's septic safe and easily descales and removes lime, grease, and bad odors, and it can be used monthly if needed.
Helpful review: "This dishwasher cleaner not only cleaned out the lime scale on the inside of our stainless steel dishwasher (which even Vinegar wasn't able to remove), but more impressively, since we used it, glassware comes out so much cleaner now. And that's after only using 1 of the tablets so far!Definitely worthwhile to use and keep on hand."
