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10/26/04

> On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 11:28:32 GMT, Michael Plant wrote:
>
>> Dog Ma /25/04
>> reply w/o spam
>>
>>> Derek:
>>>> Bottled water is *not* mineral free. If you want water with no minerals,
>>>> you need to buy distilled.
>>>
>>> Or deionized, which you can also make at home with a cartridge gadget. Or
>>> rainwater.
>>>
>>>> Personally, I'm still struggling with lime scale on our electric tea
>>>> kettle. Unfortunately, it's around the rim, and it's in a very difficult
>>>> place to soak in vinegar.
>>>
>>> Sodium salts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) - for those not
>>> afraid of "chemicals" - are a universal descaling agent that rapidly
>>> chelates polyvalent ions like those in lime deposits. It's cheap at hardware
>>> stores, but wear gloves and keep out of eyes. A spongeload may remove
>>> deposits very quickly, or make a "poultice" in a rag or paper towel and
>>> leave it for a while. Some dishwasher detergents are loaded with that,
>>> zeolites, phosphates and other hard-water ion eaters. When I have crusted
>>> old cookware, I usually just soak it for a few hours in hot water with a
>>> cupful or so of the stuff. Watch out - can eat aluminum and some other
>>> metals.
>>>
>>> -DM
>>>
>>>
>> Dog Ma,
>>
>> Is this stuff you're describing environmentally sound? After all, that acid
>> has 11 syllables, if I've counted correctly; a bad omen.
>>
>> Michael
>
> EDTA is a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. When I worked in a research
> lab, we used it for a lot of different things. But it was always treated as
> an irritant.
>
> But it's not considered particularly toxic. Even so, it's not something I
> personally want around my tea water. I've seen what it can do.

Thanks Derek. I knew eleven syllables couldn't be trusted.

Michael