In article , LM wrote:
On Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:01:15 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

lime away is just diluted muriatic acid.it attacks metal if left
exposed too long

No, it's not.

Muriatic acid? The pool stuff?

Yes, muriatic acid is "the pool stuff". No, it's not the active ingredient in
Lime-A-Way. According to the MSDS for the product, Lime-A-Way is phosphoric
acid, 32%.

Googling, I see muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid. Sold in standard
concentrations of 31.45% acid and 68.55% inert ingredients, primarily water
(http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infmur.html).

I guess it would be cheaper to just grab a bottle of the acid stuff over by
the pool, and dilute and then soak the aerator screens in it.

Cheaper still, and safer, to just soak your aerator screen overnight in
vinegar. That's what has always worked for me.

I'm guessing a 5% or 10% acid solution would be equivalent to lime away
then. Do you think so?

No. Phosphoric acid is a much stronger acid than hydrochloric (muriatic) at
the same concentration. 32% phosphoric acid is about 10 times as strong as 10%
hydrochloric. Either one is overkill for cleaning a faucet aerator, though.
Vinegar works just fine.