Removing lime scale from washing machine

[HerbalEd]

For those impossible stains in the dunny bowl..... pour in a bottle of bleach....... let it sit for couple of hours then flush.... good as new.

Do not pour bleach in the toilet as it will kill the bacteria in the septic tank and cause problems.

That's not true. If it were, the millions of people who continuously use bleach in their washing machines would all have non-functioning septic systems.

[xen]

From what i understand food quality vinegar comes from grapes or apples ( or other fruit i assume), but the artificial is a petroleum by-product . Whether this is correct i am not too sure . I posted the question on TV about the difference a few years ago and never really got a conclusive answer but some really interesting information especially on food chemistry . Vinegar is a generic name just like word butter and can describe a whole lot of products with similar chemical properties.

[newatthis]

For those impossible stains in the dunny bowl..... pour in a bottle of bleach....... let it sit for couple of hours then flush.... good as new.

Do not pour bleach in the toilet as it will kill the bacteria in the septic tank and cause problems.

That's not true. If it were, the millions of people who continuously use bleach in their washing machines would all have non-functioning septic systems.

I think there is a difference between sullage [water from washing machines, showers, kitchens etc and septic [toilet]. That is why bleach in washing machines does not affect the septic system.

[chiang mai]

For those impossible stains in the dunny bowl..... pour in a bottle of bleach....... let it sit for couple of hours then flush.... good as new.

Do not pour bleach in the toilet as it will kill the bacteria in the septic tank and cause problems.

That's not true. If it were, the millions of people who continuously use bleach in their washing machines would all have non-functioning septic systems.

I think there is a difference between sullage [water from washing machines, showers, kitchens etc and septic [toilet]. That is why bleach in washing machines does not affect the septic system.

Washing machine waste water is regarded as grey water, typically it is disposed of in soak ways, I've never heard of it being routed through a septic tank.

[CMKiwi]

Someone asked where to get synthetic vinegar. It's typically in the sauce section of supermarkets, nam som in Thai and usually has artificial vinegar written in English on the bottle. You have to get the tone right on the som or you may be sent off to the fruit juice section for orange juice...!

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Ok I'll check it out today. I saw distilled white vinegar but dont think thats the same as it had quite a smell to it. And thats not something I want my clothes to smell of. Cheers for the tip

[monkey4u]

Seems like most of the vinegar (except for the imported vinegar in glass bottles) in the grocery stores is artificial these days. I've often wondered what the real difference is between artificial vs "real."

The local vinegar you get in the plastic bottles is 10 % vinegar, the rest is water.

I prefer the real vinegar, my wife say's too expensive for her,

Add 90% water and you go from 1 litre to 10 litres very cheap

[cheeryble]

I wouldn't recommend putting bleach in the toilet bowl as it takes the enamel off resulting in more frequent staining.

Surprised.

Evidence please?

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[mizztraveller]

Bitter experience! Try it and see.

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[NeverSure]

If you can't find real bleach you can make it. See if a swimming pool supply house carries a powder - sodium hypochlorite. (NOT sodium hypochloride which they may also carry.)

When mixed with water, it becomes chlorine bleach. Google for mixing instructions because I don't want to mess you up. It takes very, very little powder to make it. In fact, it is easiest to make it too strong and then dilute it. Link

It is so concentrated as a powder, that one pound (about 1/2 kilo) will shock a 15,000 gallon swimming pool with chlorine bleach.

It isn't expensive. In the US at Walmart I buy 1 pound for $11 to shock a pool.

[FolkGuitar]

Good Karma's online health food store sells both borax and sodium carbonate (Calgon) that we use regularly in our washing. They are physically located in Phuket and ship via EMS.

You can buy both of these right here in Chiang Mai at any of the Chemical Supply shops. There are two that I deal with on Suthep Rd opposite the hospital, one just east of Wat Suan Doak, the other west of it on the same side.

Borax chemically is Sodium tetraborate, but the shops know the common name, and sodium carbonate chemically is sodium carbonate, which really simplifies things....

[roger1999]

I've been putting beach in my toilets for five years now and they look fine. Just a few ounces 2-3 times a year does the trick.

Edited January 26, 2014 by roger1999

[wpcoe]

Seems like most of the vinegar (except for the imported vinegar in glass bottles) in the grocery stores is artificial these days. I've often wondered what the real difference is between artificial vs "real."

The grocery store vinegar ... i.e., food grade ... is not artificial or synthetic. The cheap stuff is made from grains like corn and wheat which are of low quality ... vs. the traditional apple or other fruit vinegars.

Personally I'd never use the low-quality grain-derived vinegar on my food, but I keep a gallon under my sink for cleaning purposes. For cleaning I only want/need the vinegar's acetic acid which is a great cleansing agent ... esp. for dissolving alkaline lime.

Okay, now color me confused. Is this vinegar not "food grade"? What is low quality about grain-based vinegar? What does it do/not do compared to fruit-based vinegar?

The last couple times I went to buy vinegar, *all* of it was labeled "artificial" like the one pictured above.

The local vinegar you get in the plastic bottles is 10 % vinegar, the rest is water.

I prefer the real vinegar, my wife say's too expensive for her,

Add 90% water and you go from 1 litre to 10 litres very cheap

I've never seen 10%. Most of it is 5%, and a few times I've seen 6%. Where do you buy 10%?

[murni]

I am amazed at the response I have had. Thank you all for the advice.

[MRGTINGTONG]

Dishwasher tablets or powder dissolved in hot water first, then pour in and leave to soak (so to speak) in any appliance or sanitary unit, cleans fantastic. Old wives trick.

White vinegar will clean just about anything.