Limescale stains and build-up on dish drainers will disappear in an instant with these simple tips
In the kitchen, the use of water is constant: not only is water useful as an ingredient or for cooking food, but it also allows us to clean edibles before cooking them. And, once our meals are finished, we use water to wash the dishes. However, this continuous use of water inevitably leads to an annoying inconvenience: the build-up of limescale on all the surfaces it touches.
The water in most domestic pipes is rich in mineral salts which are deposited after evaporation, forming limescale deposits which are difficult to eliminate. This frequently happens when wet plates and glasses are placed on the dish drainer to dry. If "prevention is better than cure", then it's important to know how to remove limescale effectively.
Fortunately, there are several natural remedies that are very effective in this task - read on to find out more:
Remove limescale from a plastic or steel dish drainer
Creativo
The most common dish drainers found in modern kitchens today are those made from plastic and stainless steel.
For plastic dish drainers, in addition to the accumulation of limescale, there is also the risk of progressive yellowing over time. But both this problems can be solved by using baking soda, which not only effectively removes any encrustations, but with its slightly abrasive action it is also able to whiten surfaces. Prepare a thick paste by adding a little water to baking soda and scrub the surfaces using an abrasive sponge on plastic dish drainers (and a more delicate nylon sponge on stainless steel dish drainers, which are easily scratched).
In case of particularly stubborn limescale deposits, you can also add white vinegar to this mixture or a solution of water and citric acid (150 grams in 1 litre), which will make the action of the bicarbonate even more effective by creating an effervescence reaction. In this case, spread the paste over the entire surface, add the vinegar or citric acid and let the effervescence reaction take place before rubbing off with a sponge.
Remove limescale from a wooden dish drainer
Wooden dish drainers are much more delicate than the previous two types, but are still very popular.
The most suitable remedy here needs a gentle, antibacterial and antifungal action, in order to prevent the proliferation of mold and germs in/on the wood. We therefore recommend a mixture of water and white vinegar in equal parts, to be sprayed on the surface, leaving it to act for approximately 30 minutes. Leave out to air dry thorougly to prevent the any residual humidity from causing the growth of mold.
Thanks to these tips, limescale stains and build-up will disappear near-instantly from your dish drainers!
