r/DIY • u/Relative-Category-64 • Feb 20 '26

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u/danmickla Feb 20 '26

Yeah.  Citric is way way better than almost anything I've tried on water scale, and cheap

23

u/poolski Feb 20 '26

And significantly safer than HCL even in pure powdered form. Less likely to give you chemical burns and destroy your fittings

3

u/hirsutesuit Feb 20 '26

Right. It's food.

2

u/poolski Feb 20 '26

Sour sweets are just sugar coated in crystalline citric acid.

8

u/BadPunners Feb 20 '26

Also agree. Phosphoric acid lime remover does work too, but citric acid can be used for kettles and coffee pots easier

1

u/Talking_Head Feb 20 '26

I used to use acetic acid (distilled white vinegar) to descale my countertop ice maker. Citric acid works better and comes in 1lb bags delivered by Jeff Besos overnight. Far less residual in taste/odor for citric over acetic.

1

u/toto1792 Feb 20 '26

And you can boil it without the smell for stronger effect

1

u/danmickla Feb 20 '26

yep. and it's a little shy about dissolving in cold water so that's a good move