White chalky marks on my razor head that won't wipe off. Limescale, and is it damaging the plating?

Some of you will remember my water. The kettle furs up inside a month. Well, it's now having a go at my razor.

There are white chalky marks building up around the edges of the cap and in the corners of the base plate, and a dull film on the handle. They don't wipe off with a towel. The razor is chrome plated, about three years old, and I rinse and air dry it every day like a good boy.

Is this limescale? And is it eating the plating, or is it just sitting on top? I'd rather not ruin a razor I like by scrubbing it with the wrong thing.

Almost certainly limescale plus a bit of soap scum. Sits on top, doesn't eat chrome, but it can trap water in the corners and that's the bit that makes plating fail over time.

I soak mine in a mug of warm water with a splash of white vinegar for a few minutes, then an old soft toothbrush, rinse, dry. Not overnight, and not anything stronger than vinegar.

What Rob said, with one warning. Take the blade out first, obviously, and if the razor is anything other than plain chrome or stainless, check before you soak it. Some plated finishes and brass razors with worn plating don't love acid.

Limescale, yes, and in a hard water area it's just part of owning a razor. It sits on the surface rather than attacking the chrome, but Rob's right that it holds moisture in the corners, and wet corners are where pitting and plating trouble eventually start.

A short soak in warm water with a little white vinegar, a soft toothbrush, a proper rinse in clean water, and a thorough dry is all it needs. Blade out, and a few minutes is plenty. I'd do it every few weeks rather than waiting until it's visible. There's a section on descaling in how to care for your razor and brush, along with the drying side.

Last thing: a final rinse in a splash of filtered or boiled and cooled water after the shave cuts the build-up a lot, if you can be bothered. Same trick Rob suggested for your soap last year.

Done. Five minutes in vinegar and warm water, toothbrush round the corners, and it came up like new. The film on the handle took two goes. Plating looks fine underneath.

I've started giving it a last rinse from the kettle jug, which is already full of boiled water most mornings anyway. We'll see if it stays clean.