While many cleaning dilemmas around the home can be sorted with white vinegar, it doesn’t always give the best results. When it comes to shower screen limescale, a cleaning specialist has recommended a natural product they prefer using, and many agree with her.

Taking to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page, Michelle Davis asked for the “best cleaning product recommendations to attack the shower screen”, which spurred nearly 100 responses. Cleaner Anna Crucitti replied: “Hello, I'm a deep clean specialist. I'd spray a strong limescale remover (a citric acid solution is my choice), let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse well. I prefer citric acid to white vinegar as it’s powerful on the glass but not on the chromed areas.”

Another group member agreed. Marsha Leach said, “Citric acid, cut in half with water. Spray the glass. Leave it even overnight if needed. Wet the scrub daddy and use it to clean the glass. Rinse. Game-changer. The screen will be limescale-free and gleaming.”

Cleaner from the blog Sustainable Lazy, Sophie has shared the perfect DIY citric acid spray for limescale and soap scum.

She explained that “citric acid is effective” for removing limescale, soap scum, rust and tea and coffee stains.

Limescale is alkaline, which means “it can be dissolved by an acid”, such as citric acid.

Sophie said: “If your limescale has built up, it can become stubborn to remove. The easiest solution is to combine citric acid with hot water and leave it to soak. If it’s particularly bad, it may need more than one attempt.”

To make a citric acid spray, you should use one tablespoon of citric acid per 250ml. You can adjust this recipe depending on the size of your bottle, e.g. if your bottle is 750ml, you would use three tablespoons of citric acid.

This time around, Sophie opted to use 470ml of boiling water in which she added two tablespoons of citric acid. The hot water helps to dissolve the citric acid crystals.

Once cooled, pour your cooled water and citric acid solution into an empty spray bottle and apply to your shower screen. Leave it on for several minutes before wiping down the screen.

Once you’ve removed the build-up of limescale, using your DIY citric acid spray regularly on shower screens and other affected areas “will prevent the limescale from getting bad again”.