I love the natural cleaning hacks I see on social media, so I decided to test one out by cleaning my taps

Taps in our bathrooms and kitchens are used countless times throughout the day so is essential they stay clean if you want to stop bacteria spreading around your house. While most people simply give their taps a quick wipe during cleaning, they're often covered in limescale, which is a stain that forms when minerals evaporate from hard water.

Limescale will appear as cloudy streaks, which is why it often goes unnoticed, but over time it can build up into a tougher residue that can trap germs, which will leave your hands dirty even if you have just washed them. It is important to be on the lookout for limescale, but I hate cleaning it as most cleaning products do not work on it, and even if you scrub at the stain, it will likely still be there.

I wanted to see if there was a better way to get rid of limescale so I decided to go into Marks and Spencer to check out their clenaing range and go on social media to see how to get rid of these stubborn stains on my tap.

What can you use to get rid of limescale?

Removing limescale can be really annoying, as it tends to cling firmly to a surface and is also made up of minerals that will not dissolve in soapy water.

After looking online, I found there are two primary methods for tackling limescale: either use something acidic, like lemon juice, or purchase a specialist stain remover.

It may seem strange to use lemons for cleaning, but they contain citric acid, which naturally breaks down limescale deposits and eliminates them entirely.

Using lemons to get rid of limescale is very popular if you look at cleaning videos on TikTok and Instagram, so I wanted to test out if it really works.

I got a lemon for 50p at Marks and Spencer but also bought their limescale remover that cost £2.25.

My aim was to discover whether natural cleaning techniques are superior, or whether spending a little extra on a supermarket product makes tackling limescale a simpler task.

What is the best way to clean your taps?

I chose to tackle my hot tap with the lemon, while using the Marks and Spencer limescale remover on my cold tap.

To apply the spray, I generously coated the tap and left it to work for five minutes before wiping away the product.

The Marks and Spencer cleaner proved highly effective at banishing limescale, clearing it completely in a single attempt with just one wipe.

My cold tap also appeared noticeably more gleaming afterwards, looking as though it had been professionally cleaned, leaving me thoroughly impressed with the outcome.

Using the lemon requires slightly more effort, as it needed to be cut and secured to the tap with a hair tie, though an elastic band works just as well. I also left the lemon on the tap for five minutes.

Bottled lemon juice sprayed directly onto the tap is another option, however citric acid performs more effectively the fresher it is, and purchasing the whole fruit is also more cost-effective.

After the allotted time had passed, I took off the lemon and dried the tap with a cloth. It did succeed in eliminating the limescale, though I observed that my hot tap still had a few scattered marks that hadn't disappeared

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Both cleaning approaches proved highly effective, and I was pleased with the outcome, but going forward, I'll be sticking exclusively with the Marks and Spencer product.

While it costs more, at £2.25 it delivers such impressive results and simply demands less work than attempting the natural method using lemons.

I also believe I'll economise in the long term as I'd need to purchase a lemon each time I wanted to clean my taps, whereas with the cleaner I can just keep it stored in my bathroom for next time.