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How to reduce limescale in your Dualit appliances

Check out our information and tips on reducing limescale build up and how to descale you favourite kitchen appliances to keep them working and looking on top form for longer.

How to reduce limescale in your Dualit appliances

What is Limescale?

Limescale is a hard, chalky substance that builds up in appliances due to the presence of calcium carbonate deposits that are found in your water supply. When an appliance is left untreated over time, these deposits can crystalise and settle within your kettle or coffee machine. It is necessary to remove the limescale from your appliance to keep it in the best possible condition and to ensure you aren't picking out any nasty flakes from your morning cuppa.

You may notice that limescale builds up more frequently if you live within a "hard water" area. As household water supplies are pumped from underground, the rainwater extracted will have percolated through soil and rock. Hard water areas tend to have more limestone, chalk and dolomite materials underground that contain higher levels of calcium and magnesium.

Why Should I Regularly Descale?

It is important to regularly descale your kettle or coffee machine to keep it in excellent condition. Build up of limescale within your appliance may cause:

  • Reduced efficiency
  • Unwanted flakes and particles in your hot drink
  • An unpleasant taste
  • Product failure

Deposits that are left behind can be harmful to the interior of your coffee machine or kettle. They can block working parts and prevent optimal heating, potentially causing corrosion and damage to the pumps, boilers, elements and interior parts that carry water. In time, this can cause your drinks to taste unpleasant and eventually lead to the breakdown of your machine or kettle.

Determining your Water Hardness

Unfortunately for your much-loved kitchen appliances, about 60% of UK households sit within a hard water area. Limescale builds up completely naturally and is harmless to drink, but it's best to avoid any unwanted additions in your hot drinks! Keeping an eye on limescale build up also ensures you are keeping your favourite appliance clean and working at its best, for as long as possible. Have a look at our handy table and map to establish the water hardness in your area.

Water Hardness Map

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Water Softening Bag

If you find that you struggle with a significant build-up of limescale within your coffee machine, you may want to add a water softening bag to your Water Tank. These convenient little bags replace the calcium and magnesium ions present in your water with sodium ions, which eliminate the unpleasant deposits that build up in your machine; nifty! We recommend using OSCAR water softener bags in all areas. You can purchase these here.

How to Descale your Coffee Machine or Kettle

Luckily, limescale can be treated very easily. It dissolves quickly when treated with a mild acid, which is used in descaling solutions. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend you descale your kettle or coffee machine at least once per month, sometimes more or less depending on where you live in the UK. The descaling solution we recommend is Kilrock K Descaler for our Kettles and Kilrock ESP & Coffee Machine Descaler for our coffee machines. This solution is a biodegradable, phosphate-free formula suitable for metal and plastic kettles and coffee machines. If you are seeking your own descaling solution, always make sure it is suitable for your appliance.

For our step-by-step guide to descaling your Dualit Kettle, see our manual and video:

Our Manual on How to Descale your Dualit Classic Kettle

Our Video on How to Descale your Dualit Classic Kettle

To guide you through descaling your Dualit coffee machine, select your model below:

Espress-Auto Coffee and Tea Machine Descaling Manual

Café Plus Capsule Machine Descaling Manual and Video

3 in 1 Coffee Machine Descaling Manual

Bean to Go Instruction Manual

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