spirit of salts for filthy lav

[Théière]

[quote user="Théière"]

Javel only bleaches white so for a short while you won't see any stains but the limescale (apart from what was dissolved by the first use of acid) is still there for the simple reason bleach doesn't dissolve limescale, it cannot as bleach (javel) is a high pH compound the same as calcium carbonate (limescale). The fizz you experienced may be due to the inclusion of washing soda (sodium carbonate) which gives off carbon dioxide as they were tablets rather than the liquid javel. The washing soda (sodium carbonate) will dissolve into the water and cause some limescale to dissolve by ion exchange with the sodium (the same action as in a water softener).

The use of hydrochloric acid will dissolve the limescale away faster than above but the limescale neutralises the acid so you need to repeat the process to keep the acid content high enough.

My tip, would be to ignore RH's tip as you will have a white loo but still full of limescale and rather than waste money replacing it clean it with hydrochloric acid, we do this on a regular basis as the limescale builds up over a 2-3 month period. Don't use harsh abrasives otherwise you will need to replace. Don't use acid's and bleach at the same application or you will produce chlorine gas which is highly dangerous.

 

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