Calgon (Anti-limescale products) > Reviews > Cheaper than a repair? [Edited]

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good value
Do you need to use much for each clean?	The suggested amount produces best results
Irritable to skin?	Gentle
Longlasting effects?	Keeps things looking clean for longer than average

Advantages:	Very effective in removing limescale, requires less washing powder
Disadvantages:	Unnecessary in soft water areas, don't use with prewash

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Our washing machine is an elderly Zanussi that we got with our first house in 1995. Until recently I had never done anything to keep it from furring up. When we moved to Stevenage in 2000 we found the water was very hard and I occasionally wondered whether I should do something to protect the plumbing and particularly our elderly washing machine.

I can't remember what prompted me to make the effort to try Calgon, but I'm glad I did. After a few washes with Calgon, I found large chunks of scale accumulating in the fluff filter. It was obvious that the heating element had been thickly coated and the Calgon was removing the scale very effectively.

As well as being very effective it is also less expensive than it first appears. By removing the limescale from the water it effectively gives you soft water. The instructions state "Dose the quantity of laundry detergent recommended for soft water". For me this saves about 10p per wash and the tablets work out at about 20p each, so the overall cost is about half the purchase price.

Calgon comes in tablet, powder and liquid forms. I have only used the tablets. The tablets come in boxes of 15 or 30 and each tablet is individually plastic wrapped. To use them simply place them on top of the washing powder in the dispenser. Originally the advice was to place them in the drum, but the instructions have changed.

I have not used the liquid or powder, so I will not offer opinions on those products.