If you have ever peered into your kettle and found some strange stains at the bottom near the heating element then do not worry as it is easy to clean in less than 15 minutes.
Kettles often become scaly and stained due to limescale, a substance made up of the minerals from evaporated water that clingy stubbornly to surfaces and can be difficult to remove.
Limescale is completely harmless but can affect the taste of a cup of tea or coffee to make it more bitter and can also break down the kettle if it is allowed to build up for a long time.
Luckily Katrina Springer, also known as The Organised Housewife, has shared that getting rid of kettle limescale is simple as all you need is common kitchen items.
She said: “Cleaning the kettle is super easy and you don’t need an expensive cleaner – all you need is a lemon or vinegar! That’s right, these simple cleaners can descale a kettle and get it looking like new again.”
It may sound strange but the only thing that can completely get rid of limescale is natural acidic substances. Lemon juice contains citric acid while white vinegar contains acetic acid.
Limescale is mainly made up of a mineral called calcium carbonate and both the acids in vinegar or lemon juice will dissolve this mineral naturally so you do not have to scrub away at your kettle.
How to properly clean your kettle
All you need to do is fill a kettle halfway with water and then add a generous amount of either lemon juice or white vinegar.
Boil the kettle, then allow the water to cool and leave the cleaning solution to work for 15 minutes.
After the time is up, empty the kettle and give it a rinse with clean water from the tap.
Fill the kettle up again, boil it and then pour the water out to remove any lingering lemon or vinegar in the appliance.
Once you have emptied the kettle, it should be sparkling clean without any limescale or other stains on it so you can have a cup of tea without any bother.
You can use lemon juice, white vinegar or a mixture of both to clean the kettle but vinegar can take a few rinses to completely clean away due to its strong taste.
If you use vinegar, you may have to wipe the inside of the kettle with a cloth to make sure the cleaning solution is completely gone.
