As some of you may see from my previous review of Oust, I'm trying to descale my very furred-up kettle today. Alright, I haven't done this tiresome and smelly old job for a year, but I was rather shocked when I opened the kettle up this morning. It wasn't quite at the point where stalactites and stalagmites were growing in there, but it was pretty close.

Packaging

After Oust completely failed to dislodge the buildup of limescale, I tried Ecover Limescale Remover. This costs £2.50 for 500ml from my local healthfood shop, and comes packaged in an opaque, white bottle with a blue trigger spray.

Use

I should stress that this is NOT a product that is designed for use in kettles. It's actually a bathroom spray, for dealing with limescale build up around the shower. So I started by investigating whether it worked on the plastic exterior of my kettle. I gave it a couple of sprays (the product bubbles up copiously, so you only need to use a little bit). The formula smells natural - slightly lemony perhaps - but also quite strong. Personally I wouldn't call it pleasant, though I didn't dislike it either. After leaving the spray to work for a couple of minutes, I wiped it off. The limescale vanished like a dream, leaving the surface completely free of grime!

Having subsequently used it around my sink upstairs subsequently, this is the best surface cleaner that I've ever used on limescale. You don't even need to scrub - the scale just dissolves or glides off a few seconds after application.

Uncharted territory

My success on the outside of the kettle gave me the encouragement I needed to try the product inside the appliance. Directly ignoring manufacturer's instructions not to use this in appliances, I sprayed the metal baseplate of the kettle thoroughly, and left the product to work its magic. Ten minutes later, I returned and boggled at the amount of scale that the spray had lifted. Whereas Oust had done virtually nothing to solve the problem, Ecover had really got to grips with it, lifting 80% of the deposit. Only a few stubborn rings remained.

I made sure that I rinsed the kettle thoroughly and boiled three loads of water before I used it to make a cup of tea. The fresh water boiled surprisingly quickly, making me realize how much the buildup had been reducing the efficiency of the kettle!

Environmental impact

Ecover is a "green" product, specifically designed to cause minimum environmental impact. Its formula (containing citric acid) is less damaging to aquatic life than other brands, and the product also biodegrades quickly, rather than leaving trace chemicals in the environment. It's also not tested on animals. You still need to wear gloves when applying it, though, as it's quite tough on your skin!

Other views

In a recent test, Which? magazine ranked this highly for its efficacy, and I can't help but agree with them! If you live in a hard water area, this product could save you a lot of work. Recommended.