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Using Reno knives for ages now and can easily recommend them. They are more expensive than local brands but last much longer than the regular knives we used in parallel earlier.

For Front Load WM's, how many packs of descaler powder do we have to use ?

Just got IFB's descaler, one pack is good for one wash, use it once in a month.

Thanks, Nitish


These service people of IFB use multiple packs when they come for servicing. I wasnt at home today when he came, and the guy uses 3 packs

I've never descaled a washing machine! Including all my London days, and London has really hard water.

I see very different prices for IFB descaling powder.

This link says it's 100rs for a 100gm pouch

Take a look at this IFB Descaling Powder 100g Detergent Powder 100 g on Flipkart
https://dl.flipkart.com/s/TDmOaZuuuN

This link says 195rs for 10 pouches of 100gm each.

Take a look at this IFB Genuine Descaling Powder 10x100gms Detergent Powder 1000 g on Flipkart
https://dl.flipkart.com/s/TDEVqGuuuN

Any idea of the actual price?

I use fortune descaler. The MRP is 150 for a 100gm pack, but it is usually available for 50-60 on Amazon when buying a set of 5 packs. IFB should also cost somewhere in the same range. On Amazon, I see it listed for 300 for the 10 pack. So, 195 could be an offer or a pricing error.

Never needed. Used it once but it was useless.

To check if descaling is required, just inspect the drum. If there is scaling you will see deposit marks on it. If like mine it is clean and shining, then do not bother descaling.

True. I have also never ever descaled my WM

Shared it more for the mal-practices that these service guys do, to meet their targets.

Can anyone suggest a good domestic flour mill brand for a small family of 4 ?
There are a lot of local brands but i am having a hard time to find a bigger player.
Looking for a brand having decent after-sell support.
Will be used mostly for wheat and jowar.

Like others are saying, the service guys have incentives to meet. The mrp on the pack is RS 170 whereas I bought 6 packs from flipkart for a total of Rs 117.

Since you weren't home, those guys swiftly took advantage of the situation.

One.

Please don't use any more than that, it's against the dosage instructions, and use it only if you really have to - many IFB servicemen will try to push the descaler for just any problem.

Dry tap? How about a descaler?
Broken timer display? Sir, you should try our descaler.
Unbalanced load? Sir, coastal area, must be a limescale deposit.
Vibrating? Sir 'scaling' must be done.

The funny part is the amount they kept bragging that the OEM descaler was tailored for IFB machines, when our machine was in fact not even really made by IFB (Admiral 7012W) - it was a rebadged Gorenje, I've found pictures of it being assembled in their Slovenia plant. Imagine a Toyota serviceman bragging about how Toyota engine oils are tailored for the Glanza.

When our older IFB Supremo DX was on its last legs I remember the serviceman using multiple doses of Descal (it came in an orange box back then) for no apparent reason, and it died very soon anyway.

I'm not saying the descaler is useless, if you have very hard water you can use it in regular intervals depending on severity, but don't let the servicemen fool you.

You could just buy citric acid crystals off the shelf and throw in a cup on an empty 40ºC cycle instead. The OEM descaler is a ripoff (so are many other OEM accessories, and don't trust them when they tell you they'll void your warranty if you don't use them - the last page of the owner's manual has the warranty terms printed, use it to your advantage).

You could wind up with a bad heater, that's all, and it'll probably work out less expensive to change the heater (it's a very easy DIY) than to regularly descale. In the worst case you could wind up with a corroded drum spider, but that usually takes years.


Corroded heater
Image: www.dreamstime.com

I believe most front load machines on the market have heaters. Very few, like the erstwhile IFB Diva ColdWash (with the yellow exterior trim, not pink) and some other entry-level front load machines don't.

Finding Asian top-load machines with heaters is rare, though some are slowly emerging. Some have a hot water inlet.

I have never used a WM which has a heater. Most WMs don't.

Every washing machine I have used has a heater. Even the twin-tub thing I used in 1970-something did.

In fact, my complaint is that my recent front-loaders have no hot intake. I have "free" solar-heated water, but have to use electricity to heat from cold in the washing machine.