"Caecilius" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 30 Sep 2017 09:16:34 -0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
"Dan S. MacAbre" writes:
Dan S. MacAbre wrote:
Does anyone here sort of 'make their own'? I buy glacial acetic acid
off ebay, because the missus uses it (well diluted, of course) as
fabric
conditioner, although it doesn't really condition it AFAICT, but she
seems to like it. Anyway, it's not as good as I'd imagined at
descaling
kettles, even though I thought it'd be stronger. I think the bought
stuff contains citric acid, but I don't want to buy a load of ebay just
to have it sit on the shelf for the rest of my life next to the Bradex
Easy-Start.

Some interesting ideas - thanks all. Interesting that these are all
organic acids. I've no idea why that should be, but there may be a good
reason for it.

Hydrochloric will dissolve scale much better, but it will also dissolve
the metalwork inside the kettle. I do use it where there's no metalwork.

I don't understand why hydrochloric acid should dissolve metals if
it's suitably diluted.

Doesn't even need to be suitably diluted, works fine
with the metal tools used in bricklaying when used
to clean surplus mortar off after bricklaying.

But I'm pretty sure that it will, otherwise
everyone would use it due to its low cost.

Nope, because it isnt great in food containers.

My understanding is that at low concentrations, hydrochloric
acid will be fully dissociated into hydrogen ions and chloride
ions. The hydrogen ions are what any acid will provide

That mangles the real story.

(that's what makes something an acid); and the chloride ions
are just the same as you'd get from some dissolved salt.

Using that line it would be fine to clean glass and ceramic
food containers but isnt in fact used like that even if its cheap.