Limescale is the biggest battle households have with their kettles. This is the formation of white chalky deposits that spread across the appliance and will remain until the kettle is thoroughly cleaned.
Limescale is completely harmless to your health and isn’t bad for you to drink, but it can spoil the boiled water.
What’s more, limescale can shorten the lifespan of your kettle because it can corrode the elements.
Though there are products available specifically designed to bust through limescale, many people prefer not to use chemicals when cleaning around their homes, especially when cleaning areas of their kitchen.
White vinegar is what fans of natural cleaning products opt for, however, some people are put off by the odour it has.
Luckily, there is a natural alternative that also has the same acidic qualities as white vinegar, but without the scent – citric acid.
Taking to TikTok as @my_plastic_free_home, Kate shared many areas of the home that can be cleaned with citric acid.
The first place Kate spoke about was using citric acid to remove limescale from kettles.
She said: “Citric acid is amazing for descaling. Add a couple of tablespoons to your kettle, top up with water and bring it to the boil to get rid of all that nasty limescale.”
After removing limescale from your kettle, there are steps you can take to help reduce the need to descale it as often.
One of these is to use a water filter to filter your water before filling the kettle. Water filters used to be pretty wasteful, however, you can now buy reusable water filters, meaning there’s no plastic waste.
As well as being useful for cleaning your kettle, you can also use the leftover citric acid to make a fantastic cleaning spray.
Kate instructed: “Make a citric acid cleaning solution by adding two tablespoons to 500ml of warm water, mix and add to a trigger spray bottle to use as a natural cleaner all over your home.”
She pointed out that this solution is “great” on tiles, sinks, all over the bathroom and it “brings your taps up so shiny”.
Kate added: “Of course, it’s also great for removing limescale from the bottom of your toilet. Pour it in, add hot water and let it sit overnight to work its magic.”
