Descaling - Citric acid v White vinegar FAQ

Apple cider vinegar apparently cures *everything* nowadays (if the internet is to be believed). Why wouldn?t a coffee machine benefit from this wonderous substance? ;-).

Tim

I use citric acid crystals for descaling. Mainly because it's hard to rinse it all out completely, and a bit of lemony taste in my tea is more acceptable than a bit of vinegar. There's no arguing about taste, though, and you may prefer vinegar.

I've used citric acid. White vinegar is a bit lazier because you don't have to dissolve it.

AIUI, white vinegar is just 5% acetic acid, 95% water; the other kinds have additional chemicals that add flavour and colour so they might "gum up" some parts of appliances?

My Nespresso uses lactic acid! Also advises never to use vinegar as it can damage your machine.

The French use UK brown sauce for cleaning their brass, silverware etc.

So does De Longhi. At one time, sulphamic acid was popular as a descaler but it seems to have gone out of fashion.

Citric acid is excellent for descaling kettles. I use very hot water.

Also good for descaling washing machines.

Well citric acid is supplied in powder form, so has to be dissolved in water. Most supermarkets don't sell it, or at least not under that name. Commercial descalers may be citric acid. For that matter, "white vinegar" isn't listed on the ASDA website - it's described as "distilled malt vinegar"

For a really tough job there's Kilrock-K including a gel type with a built in brush: useful for painting on taps. That contains formic acid, which is what ants inject in you when they bite you, so don't use it if you have broken skin, or it will be like being bitten by a giant ant!

I suspect these fancy vinegars are more expensive. Malt vinegar is likely to colour the appliance, or any residual limescale brown.

Wilco's sell citric acid in crystalline form, or at least used to a few years ago. It is of a commercial rather than pharmaceutical grade and hence much cheaper. I can't remember how its cost compared to Kilrock-K etc.

When I was buying Citric acid from a chemist a few years ago I was told that it had applications in the ... unhealthy lifestyle... area, which might be why it is harder to buy these days.

You can buy food grade citric acid on Amazon for a few pounds per kilo. At least, it's claimed to be food quality.

Citric acid powder is well under a tenner for a kilo delivered from eBay. That lasts a long time. Four teaspoons in a well-scaled kettle seems to be enough - maybe less would do, but it's too cheap to bother trying.

Kilrock is formic, isn't it?

The local pharmacy were very suspicious and would only sell me a very limited quantity.

I use this citric acid at £6.50 for 1 kg including delivery.

It's pure enough to take a gram or two for medicinal purposes. (As an anaplerotic energy boost, if you really want to know.)

I'm delighted to report that my kettle is not a crack addict.

I haven't a clue? I could do with an energy boost, though. :)

Yet freely available from Wilko and I have a couple of boxes of it one of which will go (contents thereof to avoid any doubt) into the washing machine.

I'm still not clear why white vinegar is recommeded.

The instructions for two devices I have specify white vinegar:

Waterpik tooth flosser Hand held steam cleaner (Thane H2O)

Is it perhaps because I cannot really overconcentrate the white vinegar whereas I can have too high a concentration of citric acid from powder/crystals?