This is a little different from my usual content, but hear me out: Miss Rona is still on the loose and we should still be staying home as much as possible, so why not make home as nice as possible, amirite?
When I was younger, I used to have a fascination for informercials. I’d watch them for hours on end, see the many different ways a product can make my life better (theoretically; I never bought anything because I was 11), obsessed with befores and afters and everything in between.
There was a certain hair tool that would magically give you frizz-free blowouts, a kitchen contraption that would help you make your own mayonnaise (???), and a cleaning solution of sorts that would turn whatever you pour it on back as new.
Not gonna lie: As a moody preteen who felt alienated with her curls when everyone else had straight hair, I thought I needed that hairstyling tool. But all the informercials for the cleaning product were so damn satisfying, I started wishing we could get one of those just as much.
Also, I have zero interest in making my own mayonnaise. Store bought’s fine, thanks.
These days, I’ve learned to love my curly hair, so the hairstyling tool is besides the point. I did get to live out my dreams of having a magical cleaner of sorts recently, and it’s as exciting as 11-year-old me imagined.
Brookesworth Urban Property Managers recently hooked me up with one of their latest products, the Cebu Hard Water Descaler. It’s a cleaning solution that removes the effects of hard water on all surfaces except for brass and natural stone.
Now, it’s no all-purpose cleaner (although I’m told they’re working on one), but it does give you that satisfying feeling upon seeing a surface looking good as new, which counts a lot.
Descaling, so I’ve recently learned, is removing the stubborn deposits of calcium, magnesium, and other metals that build up on a surface when water comes into contact with it. Apparently the water in Cebu is hard, which leads to all those gnarly-looking white residue on your tiles, sinks, and yes—your kettle.
I’ve been alternating between using a Keurig and heating water in my kettle for my morning coffee, and I’m all too familiar with the hard water deposits that make them look dirtier than they actually are. Even with this knowledge, I rinse them when I’m not too lazy (or when I’m actually awake), or replace the water often because I don’t want those deposits in my drink.
Here’s a before-and-after of my kettle.
Just how beautiful does my kettle look?! Although I’ll be the first to say the full results weren’t instantaneous, but that’s less on the product and more of how thick the deposits were. That said, it was already amazing what one round of the Hard Water Descaler actually did:
Everything else melted off rather nicely, to my delight. I barely lifted a finger, just rinsed the Descaler off and this was the immediate result. The two spots that remained were stubborn though, and required soaking in the solution for another hour before I could scrape them off. Still, not bad for who knows how long the deposits were there!
While there were also deposits in my Keurig’s water reservoir, they weren’t as thick. They slid off fast as well, though unfortunately I did that on a whim and wasn’t able to document it properly.
I was curious though to see how it would do against the bidet in our toilet. It was unused for so long because we didn’t have running water for ages, so it also accumulated some nasty buildup—though I’m not sure of what exactly. I don’t think the metal is stainless steel, so I assume there’s rust, hard water from previous use, and maybe lime.
Before, it looks like something you wouldn’t want to touch with bare hands. There’s also only one or two lousy spurts of water coming out from the actual bidet. After, it’s full stream ahead! Note that the after photo is simply just after soaking the bidet in the solution and brushing it off, not fully cleaning it.
What I love about the Cebu Hard Water Descaler is that it’s safe for the skin. You wouldn’t catch me touching a bottle of muriatic acid with a meter stick, simply because I’m terrified I’ll burn myself (I watched Mula Sa Puso as a kid, I know how it goes). With this, I splashed myself several times but it’s all good, no averse effects or allergic reactions on my skin… though maybe do try not to be so clumsy about it—such a waste of this elixir. It also doesn’t have a funky smell.
Brookesworth Urban Property Managers is a company that offers end-to-end solutions for property needs such as cleaning, plumbing, electrical works, and handyman jobs.
As of July 2020, they have also been certified by the World Health Organization for COVID-19 disinfection, and have been commissioned by Shell Philippines to disinfect their gas stations in Cebu. They have also disinfected establishments such as Room 11 Recording Studio, The Core by MDF Productions, and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño.
They also have a private home cleaning arm, Maid2Hire Cleaning Services Cebu, which can clean and disinfect your homes, and work on your water descaling if you’d rather have professionals do it.
But if you’re just home, an afternoon with the Cebu Hard Water Descaler and a brush or cleaning cloth is as perfect as watching informercials—even better in fact, because it’s real life.
For Cebu Hard Water Descaler orders, and inquiries about Brookesworth’s other services, follow them on Facebook, e-mail Chris Sy at brookesworth@gmail.com, or call +63 977 660 0016.
