So you’ve bought a shiny new dishwasher, upgraded your washing machine, installed a new steam oven, and your Nespresso machine has just been delivered. As you enjoy these modern contraptions and the conveniences they bring, remember they need to be similarly cared for: they all need descaling.
You may ask – what is descaling and why is it important? Maybe you’ve heard that it’s only necessary in places with hard water. So do we really need to descale in Singapore?
Let’s face it, not many of us will query or place weight on the maintenance aspect of an appliance when making a purchase decision. But everyone buys an appliance expecting it to last at least a couple of years, so it makes sense to know or learn how to maintain your appliance, so that in turn, it will serve you well.
Where does descaling factor in for these white goods? Let’s start at the beginning.
Scaling takes place when the minerals present in water react with the metal parts of the boiler or heating elements in your appliances. Any appliance that uses a combination of heat and water will see the buildup of scaling; over time, heat causes calcification of the mineral deposits, which harden on the metal parts.
As scaling most often takes place on the unseen parts of your appliance, it is easy to turn a blind eye and not bother with it. But if these scaling deposits are not dealt with, your appliance will not function optimally.
When limescale builds up in appliances like your coffee maker, you may experience an acridly bitter taste in your coffee; in your steam iron, you may notice sandy deposits spewing from its steam vents.
If your steam iron is the Phillips Azur Elite, though, calcifications are easily emptied with a built-in Quick Calc Release collector. Watch this video to see how the iron is cleverly designed to circumvent calcification build-ups.
In larger appliances like dishwashers and washing machines, the scale that develops from calcium or magnesium deposits in our water can become an insulator between the water and the boiler’s metal surfaces, causing the metal surfaces to overheat. If left unchecked, they could clog up the pipes, leading to poorer water flow.
Over a longer period, the build-up of scaling could cause the heating element of your appliance to be less effective as the scales act as a buffer between the heating element and the water it’s supposed to heat. In extreme cases, the metal could blister and rupture, rendering your appliance non-functional or worse, irreversibly damaging them.
There is no straight answer to this, as the frequency of descaling depends on a few factors including type of appliance, frequency of its use, and the hardness of our tap water. But a general rule of thumb would be every four to six months.
Some larger appliances such as dishwashers or washing machines which are used almost daily have sensors that alert you to descale; if you don’t, they may even stop functioning. But some smaller appliances such as the coffee machine or steam iron may not have such indicators, so you’ll have to look out for telltale signs yourself.
If unsure, simply follow the instructions in the appliance manual. There is no such thing as “over-descaling”, but for food appliances, do ensure the rinsing cycle is done properly for food safety reasons. Also, if your appliance comes with its own descaling solutions or tablets, it makes sense to use it.
The Nespresso Vertuo Premium Plus is a modern coffee machine that tells you when descaling is needed. The brand has its own descaling liquid. Watch the instructional video on descaling the machine, here.
Singapore’s water is considered moderately soft, with an average of 64ppm (parts per million, or milligrams/litre). You can tell the softness of water by how easily our dishwashing soaps and shampoos create suds; the harder the water, the more difficult it is to form suds.
Water is considered “hard” if it contains over 5 grains per gallon (gpg) of calcium or magnesium minerals. The more minerals (and “harder”) our water is, the more frequently you’ll need to descale to remove the deposits.
When the descale indicator beeps, you may not have to attend to it immediately, but you shouldn’t ignore it for too long, either.
This is for two reasons: first, the sensors could be set for countries where water is hard – meaning you’ll be prompted to descale more frequently; second, your machine may “shut down” if you ignore the descaling alerts one time too many.
For the larger and more frequently used appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, it pays to do a bit of research to find out where your appliance was manufactured, especially if these appliances have built-in sensors that prompt you to descale.
For instance, German appliances are generally set to deal with “hard” water. The more sophisticated appliances will have options for you to select water hardness, so your machine can more accurately alert you when it’s time to descale.
German-made Bosch recommends descaling their dishwashers just once a year using their Quick Descaler powder. The descaling cycle takes only 30 minutes and you can view the instructional video here.
A quick search online would yield suggestions of homemade descaling solutions, which generally propose acidic solutions involving vinegar and citric acid. While this may be effective for some appliances, this type of solution could be difficult to rinse out of appliances like your coffee machine (and cause your coffee to taste sour for some time).
Small appliances like the Tefal Convenient Food Steamer VC 1451 recommend it though – as this is a non-food contact appliance, you can descale it with a homemade solution of ⅓ tank vinegar and ⅔ tank water solution every seven to 10 times of use.
For larger appliances, these homemade solutions may not be as effective, which means you could end up merely wasting water for that round of descaling.
Most large appliances come with descaling tablets or solutions tailored for either the appliance or the brand. As they are generally inexpensive, easily available and fuss-free to use, you’d do well to stick to them.