"Citric acid's good, but I wouldn't call it a miracle cure or anything."
Yeah, I'd agree with that. I've used citric acid a few times myself—mostly because I had some leftover from canning tomatoes and figured why not give it a shot. It definitely works faster than vinegar on tougher mineral deposits, especially if your water is really hard. But honestly, for everyday cleaning and maintenance, vinegar usually does the job just fine and it's way cheaper.
One thing to keep in mind though: citric acid can be harsher on certain finishes or rubber seals if you're not careful. Learned that the hard way when I soaked a faucet aerator overnight... ended up having to replace the gasket because it got brittle. So yeah, it's effective, but you gotta watch out for stuff like that.
Yeah, vinegar's usually my go-to as well, but I gotta disagree slightly on the cost thing. Citric acid seems pricier upfront, sure, but a little goes a long way. I bought a bag online like two years ago and still haven't run out. Plus, vinegar's smell lingers forever... drives me nuts. But you're totally right about the seals—learned that lesson soaking a showerhead once. Had to replace the washer afterward, which kinda defeated the whole "saving money" thing, haha.
I've been leaning towards citric acid lately too—mostly because of the smell issue you mentioned. Vinegar works fine, but man, that lingering scent is rough. Also, about the seals... learned that one the hard way myself. Now I just soak stuff briefly and rinse thoroughly to avoid damage.
I've been curious about citric acid too, mostly because vinegar smell sticks around forever. But speaking of water-saving, does anyone find that soaking briefly actually uses less water overall? I've tried quick rinses, but sometimes I end up needing multiple rinses to get rid of residue. Wondering if a longer soak actually saves water in the end... or am I just overthinking this?
I've wondered about that too, honestly. At first glance, soaking seems wasteful—you're literally filling something up and letting it sit—but I've noticed the same thing you have. Quick rinses sometimes mean repeating the process multiple times, and before you know it, you've used way more water than intended. I tested this out once (yeah, I was bored...) by marking the water level in my sink during a soak versus multiple quick rinses. Surprisingly, the soak actually used less water overall. Not by a huge margin, but still noticeable.
I guess it depends on what you're cleaning too. If it's something stubborn like dried glue or paint residue, soaking definitely helps. But for simple stuff, maybe a quick rinse is enough. Either way, you're probably not overthinking it—just being practical. And hey, if it saves a few cents on the water bill, I'm all for it.
