Milkstone Removal from Dairy Equipment

How to remove milkstone from dairy equipment

Milkstone is a hard layer of calcium and magnesium phosphates, protein and fat that builds on tanks, cans and heat exchangers. It hides bacteria and cuts heat transfer. Remove it with an acid wash, such as INNOVA CIP Descale, after the alkaline step. Wash more often where the water is hard.

By Ashutosh Bhardwaj · Reviewed by the InnovaChem technical team · Updated 6 October 2026

Made of: Calcium phosphates, protein, fat
Forms: Fast above 60 °C
Remove with: Acid wash after alkali
Products: CIP Descale · DescalePro

What milkstone is

When milk is heated above 60 °C, fouling starts to form on the surface. It is a deposit of calcium and magnesium phosphates, proteins and fat ^[1]. On cold surfaces such as BMC walls and cans it builds more slowly, from milk residue and hard water, and shows up as a white or chalky film.

Why hard water makes it worse

Calcium in the wash water adds to the scale every day. A dairy review recommends more frequent acid washing where water hardness is above 100 mg/L as calcium carbonate ^[2]. Hard water also weakens ordinary detergents unless they contain sequestrants.

Acid wash frequency
Equipment	Acid wash	Product
Pasteuriser and heat exchanger plates	In every hot CIP cycle, after the alkaline step (Tetra Pak typical: 0.5 to 1.5% acid at about 70 °C)	INNOVA CIP Descale
Silos, tanks and BMCs	Regularly; more often with hard water	INNOVA CIP Descale
Milk cans	Regularly, or when a white ring appears	INNOVA CIP Descale
Boilers, utility exchangers and pipework	When scale limits heat transfer	INNOVA DescalePro

Which acid product to use

INNOVA CIP Descale is a formulated acidic cleaner for tanks and heat exchangers and for descaling chiller plates. INNOVA DescalePro is an acid descaler for boilers, heat exchangers and pipework outside the product line. Always run the acid step after the alkaline wash and a rinse, never mixed with it.

Products used

Quick answers

How do you remove milkstone?

With an acid cleaner after the alkaline wash and a rinse. Alkaline detergents remove fat and protein; only acid dissolves the mineral part of milkstone.

What is the best milkstone remover?

A formulated acid cleaner made for dairy steel, such as INNOVA CIP Descale. It should be suitable for food contact surfaces and rinse clean.

How often should I acid wash?

Heat exchangers in every hot cycle. Tanks, BMCs and cans regularly, and more often with hard water.

Sources

How often should each clean happen?

A simple schedule for a documented cleaning programme, as FSSAI Schedule 4 expects. Adjust it to your plant, products and audit findings.

When	What to do
Every shift	Clean food-contact surfaces and equipment after production; sanitise before the next start; clean floors and drains at the end of the shift; log each clean.
Every day	Run CIP on lines, tanks and fillers after use; check sanitiser strength with test strips; empty and wash bins.
Every week	Run the acid wash your programme sets; deep clean walls, overheads and non-contact frames; review the cleaning records.
Every month	Trend ATP or swab results and fix repeat failures; refresh staff training; check that each chemical’s SDS and TDS on file are current.

What do hygiene auditors look for?

A written cleaning SOP for each area and piece of equipment, with the chemical, method and frequency.

Signed cleaning records for every shift, with any failed check and the corrective action.

A current SDS and TDS on file for every cleaning chemical in use.

Logged sanitiser strength checks, such as test-strip readings in ppm.

Colour-coded tools kept in their zones, and chemicals stored away from food.

Verification results, such as ATP or swab trends, and training records for the cleaning team.