How to wash an electric kettle. How to descale an electric kettle: useful life hacks and tips for perfect cleanliness

Takes ~2 minutes to read

In this article we will tell you how to properly wash and remove limescale from a kettle at home using improvised means.

Limescale in a kettle - a problem or not?

Boiling water is an integral part of our Everyday life. And each of us has noticed that inside the dishes, which are often used for boiling, plaque forms and sediment appears. These are salts (calcium, magnesium) contained in any hard water, which disintegrate when heated and form an insoluble precipitate. The question arises: what does this threaten us with? Scale harms not only your health, but also the devices, equipment and utensils in which the water heating process occurs.

Health Hazards:

Accumulation of salts in joints;
Blockage of blood vessels;
Formation of kidney stones.

Regarding damage to devices, equipment and utensils:

Even a slight layer of scale reduces thermal conductivity, that is, heating hard water will take longer and more energy will be needed, be it electricity or gas.
The formation of scale can lead to cracks in the metal, and cracks can lead to breakdowns of equipment and devices.

How to clean limescale in a kettle at home using folk remedies

There are a lot of ways to get rid of this problem, we will tell you about all the options, even such as Fanta, Sprite, apple and potato peelings.

A quick way - cleaning with citric acid

The most well-known method for descaling is citric acid. This product is in every home, but not everyone knows that it can be used to get rid of scale, not only from kitchen utensils, but also from appliances. It is absolutely safe and does an excellent job of removing scale.

The removal method is elementary:

IMPORTANT: before using the kettle, you need to boil the water twice and drain it.

Can you peel with lemon?

The next way to remove scale is with lemon. This method is well suited for people who adhere to the use of natural products. The principle of action of lemon and citric acid is similar; they contain acids that break down scale.

Instructions:

Cut the whole lemon into small pieces;
Pour into a bowl with scale, fill with water;
Boil for five minutes and leave to cool;
After cooling, drain;
Remove any remaining scale with a sponge;
If necessary, repeat the procedure;
After the cleaning process, rinse the dishes well and boil water without anything to get rid of any remaining lemon smell and taste.

IMPORTANT!!! Lemon can only be used for dishes and ordinary teapots. For appliances (electric kettle, washing machine) is strictly forbidden, otherwise lemon particles may clog the holes, which will lead to malfunctions.

How to clean with vinegar?

The next option is to get rid of the problem using vinegar. Vinegar is an aggressive agent, so its use is not recommended. But it copes with scale perfectly. Recipe for use:

How to get rid of severe scale using soda?

The simplest and safe way– clean with baking soda. Soda does not contain acids that harm both electric and regular kettles with metal, enamel and glass coating. To get rid of scale:

How to wash with a combination of vinegar, soda and citric acid - the best way

We've come to a cleaning method that doesn't give scale a chance. This is a cocktail of vinegar + soda + citric acid. Such heavy artillery should be used in the most advanced cases.

We combine several methods into one:

Is it possible to remove limescale with apple and potato peelings?

Another popular method is using potato and apple peelings. The effect is not strong and it is recommended to use it with a small plaque. This method is only suitable for kitchen utensils and teapots.

Brines as an option to combat scale in electric (metal and glass) kettles

There is also an option to wash the kettle using brines. It seems incredible, but this method is effective because the brine contains citric acid and vinegar.

The method is very simple:

How to descale a kettle with carbonated drinks

Now we will tell you about the non-standard use of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta and other carbonated drinks. Using this method is expensive and ineffective, but anyone who wants to experiment will be convinced that the method works. Any sweet carbonated water is suitable for use, but it is better to use colorless:

Sprite;
Seven ap;
Schweppes;
And others.

The method is:

Household chemicals to combat scale

Using household chemicals for cleaning is the fastest and most effective way, but not the safest. Household chemicals use substances that are harmful to humans. You can buy such chemicals in hardware stores. These products are available in different forms:

Powder;
Granules;
Pills.

The method of use is similar to all described above:

Prevention

Unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent the appearance of scale. But it is possible to reduce its occurrence to a minimum; this is easy to do:

Filter water before boiling or use less hard water, such as store-bought water;
Do not leave the water to settle after boiling;
Do not boil water twice;
Wash dishes well after each boil;
Carry out preventative descaling once every two weeks.

Whatever water you use - tap, purchased or spring - sooner or later it will appear in the kettle white coating. This is scale formed as a result of the deposition of potassium and magnesium salts dissolved in water on the walls. If it is not cleaned regularly, it will turn into limestone. I will tell you about all the ways to remove scale from a kettle without resorting to special means.

Why scale is dangerous and how to avoid it

It’s clear why scale appears: it’s salts evaporated from water. You can avoid its appearance only if you use distilled water. But it is not only not useful, but also harmful to the body.

However, scale from water itself is also not harmless.:

Damage to health. High content undissolved salts entering drinks leads to cholelithiasis and other physiological disorders;
Scale affects the taste of water;
Electricity. Limestone on the bottom and walls of the kettle reduces their thermal conductivity and forces you to spend more energy on heating water. And the heating elements in an electric kettle quickly burn out.

Therefore, the answer to the question of how to remove scale from a kettle will help you solve not only an aesthetic problem. But also avoid unnecessary expenses and health problems.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely prevent the appearance of plaque. But you can prevent the formation of a thick and hard layer, which is very difficult to deal with.

To prevent a thick layer you need:

Use soft water. It can be filtered, settled before boiling, or purchased from reliable suppliers.
Do not keep water in the kettle. After each tea party, the leftovers should be poured out and the dishes should be rinsed.
Clean regularly. Depending on the quality of the water, it needs to be repeated every 2-4 weeks.

To do this, you can use special products sold in stores. Their price varies from 20 to 300 rubles, but, in my opinion, they act exactly the same. The method of application and the time spent on cleaning may differ - each product comes with its own instructions. But this is not important.

But you can do without them. After all, in every kitchen there will always be other, more natural remedies capable of coping with this task.

6 ways to get rid of scale

If you don’t know how to descale a kettle, look in your kitchen cabinet or refrigerator. You need foods that contain acid. These are vinegar, citric acid or fresh lemons, apples, pickles and even carbonated drinks.

Method 1 - using vinegar

This product perfectly softens even old mineral deposits. But it is quite aggressive, so it is plastic Electric kettle It's better not to clean them. As well as enameled or aluminum.

We act like this:

Pouring water into the kettle so that it covers the entire plaque;
Bring it to a boil and remove from heat;
Carefully pour a glass of 9% vinegar into boiling water. or 2 tablespoons of essence for every liter of water;

Leave for 1-2 hours.

During this time, the plaque will become loose and can be easily removed with a sponge.

Method 2 - using brine

The brine from pickled cucumbers or tomatoes already contains vinegar, so it can also be used to descale the kettle. There is no need to dilute it, just strain through a sieve.

Sour milk and whey, which contain organic acids, have the same effect.

Method 3 - using citric acid

Citric acid is not so aggressive, so it is also suitable for aluminum, plastic and enameled metal kettles. You can use either powder or fresh lemon.

The amount depends on the degree of contamination:

1 tablespoon powder or a quarter of a medium lemon per 500 ml of water will remove the faint white residue in the kettle;

Twice as much required for a thicker layer of scale.

But citric acid will not dissolve large deposits that have already stuck to the walls.

The recipe is the same as when cleaning with vinegar: the acid is added to freshly boiled water, and after a couple of hours it is poured out along with the dissolved salts. Their softened remains will need to be removed with your own hands using a dish sponge.

Method 4 – using carbonated drinks

Sprite, Fanta, Coca-Cola and other carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can also remove scale from the kettle.

They are poured into an empty container, stirred to get rid of gases, and then brought to a boil.

When the liquid has cooled, the kettle can be washed.

Method 5 - using apple skins

This method will not help clean the kettle from heavy scale. It is rather preventive, used when plaque has just begun to settle on the walls. To get rid of it, just fill the peelings in a kettle with water, boil it and after an hour pour it out along with the skins.

In addition to apple skins, you can use pear skins or washed peelings from raw potatoes.

But this gentle method is suitable for cleaning ordinary teapots made of any material. If you use it regularly, you will not see scale in them at all.

Method 6 - using soda

Another effective one home remedy– baking soda or soda ash.

It is applied like this:

Before descaling from the kettle, you need to mix two tablespoons of powder with a liter of water;
Pour the solution into the kettle and she put it on fire;
When it boils, reduce the heat and leave the water to simmer gently for half an hour;
Then drain the solution, and rinse the dishes and boil clean water in it.

In general, after each remedy listed above, it is recommended not just to wash the kettle, but to boil clean water in it 1-2 times.

What to do with old plaque

If the scale is old and covers the surface with a thick layer, only a special product or repeated use of the methods described above can help.

It is best to alternately apply vinegar, baking soda and citric acid, using a higher concentration of cleaning solution.

Even if the scale does not come off on its own, it will become soft and loose, which will allow you to clean it off the walls.

Conclusion

I hope that the listed methods for descaling a kettle will help you always keep your dishes clean. And those who wish can boast of particularly impressive results in the comments.

The video in this article shows the cleaning process - you can see for yourself that these methods work.

Agree that everyone loves to drink tea or coffee. It is an incomparable pleasure to drink a cup of hot, delicious tea; it soothes like nothing else and all worries and adversity go away. And chatting over a cup of tea... we all love that. Of course, the taste of tea depends on the water, and the water depends on the teapot. Because scale often appears in teapots, which impairs the taste of tea and is harmful to health. Therefore we will talk about 7 effective ways how to remove scale from a kettle. All of them are effective, choose the one you like best.

Now in stores you can find a huge number of shapes and types of teapots. They can be made of metal, enameled or electric. But during operation, scale appears on them. It will not be possible to avoid its occurrence, even by installing expensive filters. Scale always appears, although sometimes it forms a very thin layer.

Therefore, descaling a kettle is a regular activity for every housewife. After all, its thick layer not only harms the electrical appliance. Its particles will get into drinks. And that means into the human body. There is nothing useful in this.

It is worth recalling that after the kettle has been effectively descaled, it will have to be thoroughly rinsed. And then boil it, with the goal of pouring out this water. Since after treatment, another 1-2 boils are characterized by the fact that the water contains scale particles with the used product.

How often should you descale your kettle at home?

If the walls of the kettle are made of transparent material, then even the thinnest layer of scale immediately becomes noticeable on them. Therefore, such equipment will have to be cleaned more often than metal or enameled ones. The latter may only require treatment once a month. But this is only when the water is of good quality.

Sometimes something flows from the tap that after two or three boils a noticeable yellow coating already forms on the walls. Therefore, you need to descale your kettle at home as quickly as possible. And do this procedure as often as possible.

To prevent the formation of a thick layer of harmful scale, you need to:
pour soft water into the kettle;
do not leave water in the kettle;
Carry out preventive cleaning every 2-4 weeks.

Folk remedies for descaling a kettle

Craftsmen have discovered that liquids such as carbonated drinks (Sprite, Cola or Fanta) and marinade from preparations successfully deal with scale. The procedure is simple: pour in the drink, boil, let cool and wash the dishes.

The following method was probably discovered by summer residents who cooked cleaning for livestock in old dishes. It turned out that they also help to remove scale from the walls. The peelings left over from potatoes, apples or pears are suitable. But they can only cope with a small white coating of salt.

How to remove scale from a kettle?

Many stores across the country sell all kinds of chemicals, which successfully cope with the task of removing scale. Most often they give quick and noticeable results. The range of such products is quite wide. Therefore, in the store you need to carefully read the labels. It may be that something cannot be used in a metal kettle or
it is prohibited to be used in electrical equipment.

If you don’t want to buy chemicals, they will help traditional methods How to get rid of scale in a kettle. A simple and affordable solution is citric acid. This substance can be used in all teapots.

For prevention, citric acid is used without boiling. In a kettle filled with water, you will have to dilute 1-2 bags of lemon. Then you need to leave it so that the acid dissolves the salt deposit. It is better to maximize the exposure time so that the exposure lasts several hours. Now you need to rinse the container, boil the water, and pour it out. It is recommended to do this once every 4 weeks.

If the plaque is many months old, then simple soaking will not help. The solution to the problem of how to remove scale from a kettle is boiling. The procedure looks the same as when soaking. You just don’t need to insist, but turn on the electric kettle or put the boiling utensils on the stove. Then rinse and boil “idle”.

How to descale a kettle if it is not electric?

The following methods are not recommended for electric kettles that have a thick deposit of sediment on them. This is due to the fact that the substances require prolonged exposure during boiling, which cannot be achieved in an electrical appliance.

The first remedy is food vinegar. For a kettle with a capacity of 1.75 liters, you will need to prepare a solution of 1.5 liters of water and 150 ml of table vinegar. Now the dishes with this solution need to be placed on medium heat and brought to a boil. At this point, you should look under the lid to evaluate the process of scale removal. If necessary, the boiling time of the vinegar solution can be extended by 15 minutes. Then the kettle will have to be thoroughly cleaned.

Cleaning a kettle from scale with vinegar is not the only substance at hand. The second remedy is baking soda. Only one spoon of baking soda should be poured into a kettle filled with water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue heating for another half an hour. After washing the dishes, you must not forget about idling boiling.

To the question of how to remove scale from an electric kettle, if it has not yet grown very large, the answer will be: “Use acid and soda, but without prolonged boiling.” It is worth mentioning that hot water There is no need to immediately pour it out of the dish. Let it cool there. You will need to wash it later. Moreover, the effect of the product will last for some time.

The shock way to remove old scale

For the reason stated a little earlier, it is not suitable for electric kettles. You are supposed to use three products in turn at once.

Pour a tablespoon of soda into a full kettle. Boil this solution and drain it.
Refill the kettle. Add the same amount of citric acid to the water. After boiling, reduce heat. Boil the solution in a kettle for 30 minutes. Now you need to drain the water.
Fill it a third time by pouring in half a glass of 9% vinegar. And boil again for half an hour.

There are situations when scale remains on the dishes, but it has already become loose. Therefore, it can be easily removed mechanically. For this purpose, it is best to use a soft dishwashing sponge. Cleaning kettles with hard brushes or metal sponges is prohibited.

As you can see there is quite a large number of tricks on how to remove scale from a kettle and prevent scale from appearing. I am sure that each of you will choose for yourself suitable way combating plaque, which not only spoils the appearance of your favorite dishes, but can also harm our body. Here are some more experiments: folk remedies help in the fight against scale.

Limescale deposits that appear over time on the walls of new electricalteapot can ruin the mood of any housewife. Existing methods will help keep it clean on an ongoing basis.

Causes and consequences of scale formation

The formation of plaque on the walls and spiral of an electric kettle is caused by the use of hard water containing a significant amount of mineral salts.

Important! Scale on the walls of electrical teapot slows down the heating of water, and accordingly contributes to greater energy consumption due to increased time spent for boiling reading. Additional cons- an increase in the noise made by the electric kettle during heating; boiled water acquires an unpleasant aftertaste. In addition, sediment microparticles fall back into the water, polluting it.

The presence of scale reduces the service life of electrical appliances, leading to their breakdown.
There are two ways to remove deposits:

mechanical;
chemical;

The use of the first method, in addition to requiring certain physical effort, can also damage the heating element of the kettle or its body.
The effectiveness of the second method depends on the application:

special industrial cleaning products;
baking soda;
citric acid;
vinegar;
sparkling water.

It is impossible to get rid of scale forever, since even the cleanest and filtered water contains a certain amount of calcium and magnesium salts, which settle as scale on the walls and heating element under the influence of high temperature.

Methods for cleaning an electric kettle

Method 1

A combination of vinegar or citric acid and soda will help get rid of old scale:
To do this, add 1/2 cup. soda into a kettle with water and bring the soda solution to a boil.
Turn off and stand for 20-30 minutes, drain the water. Then pour fresh water and add 2-3 tbsp. l. citric acid or 1/2 cup vinegar.
Bring to a boil again, turn off and let stand for about 30 minutes. Pour out the water and wash the kettle thoroughly.
The scale that remains on the walls can be easily cleaned with a kitchen sponge.

Method 2

Using soda alone has a more gentle effect:

Pour into boiling water soda ash and leave until completely cool. Soda solution will soften calcareous deposits, will make them loose, which will allow you to easily clean them with a sponge.

Method 3

A vinegar solution has an effective cleaning property that allows you to remove a thick layer of scale: 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar, poured to the top in a kettle and heated to a boil.
After which the electric kettle is left to cool slowly and then thoroughly washed using detergents.

The disadvantage of this method is the pungent odor, which can then only be removed after prolonged ventilation.

Important! You should not use vinegar undiluted, as it can destroy electroplating heating coil.

Method 4

1 liter of carbonated water can cope with small plaque deposits on the walls of the kettle: Sprite, Schweppes, Coca-Cola, which is poured into the kettle and kept for 2-3 hours.
The effect is achieved due to the content of orthophosphoric acid in these drinks, a substance that can remove deposits of lime salts.

Advice! Experienced housewives recommend using primarily colorless soda for light-colored electric kettles, since the coloring pigment of colored drinks can eat into the walls and will be quite difficult to remove.

Method 5

Citric acid will help clean an electric kettle with a plastic body from moderate and minor lime deposits:

To do this, pour about 100 g of citric acid into a kettle filled with water and heat to a boil, boil for several minutes. Then turn it off, leave until it cools completely, then drain the water and rinse the kettle thoroughly.
Then it is filled with water 2 more times and boiled. This method is not as aggressive as the method using acetic acid, so may require repeating the procedure again.

As an alternative, you can also use lemons, cut into wedges with the peel included.

They are placed in an electric kettle, filled with water and boiled. In addition to the cleansing effect, this method has an additional bonus - a pleasant aroma.

Method 6

As a cleanser, you can try fresh sorrel, which is placed in an electric kettle, filled with water, heated, and boiled for several minutes.
Then leave until it cools completely, drain the water and remove the scale with a sponge. The content of oxalic acid in the leaves of this vegetable crop allows you to soften hard lime deposits and make them looser.

Preventive measures

You should not allow a thick layer of scale to form, as it will be much more difficult to remove. Preventative cleaning of the electric kettle from limescale recommended as needed and at least once every 1-2 months.
It is also not recommended to leave water in the kettle after boiling, or overnight.
Washing the kettle daily with a sponge prevents the appearance of plaque.
Although modern water purification filters do not protect against the formation of limescale, using specially filtered water for boiling allows you to keep the electric kettle clean longer.
When purchasing, it is better to choose models with a heating disk or a closed spiral, since caring for such kettles is much easier.

Some of the described methods are radical methods used when a thick layer of scale accumulates. Special means household chemicals presented on store shelves are also capable of cleaning scale from the walls of an electric kettle. They are used in accordance with the instructions presented on the packaging.

Constantly following simple rules for keeping the electric kettle clean will extend its service life.

Our tap water too hard, and therefore from time to time you have to look for ways to descale an electric kettle. Kettles must be cleaned regularly, because calcium and magnesium deposits are harmful to health.

Scale in electrical appliances is very sensitive to acids, and therefore all methods of removing it mainly come down to using products that contain acids. How to descale an electric kettle yourself?

A proven option on how to descale an electric kettle is to boil it with citric acid. Should be 1 tbsp. l. pour the acid into the kettle, pour water into it and turn it on. When the water boils, drain it and rinse the electrical appliance thoroughly. Then they put the water to boil again.

As a result, the walls and heating elements will become perfectly clean, although some lime stains may remain on the bottom. Cleaning the kettle with citric acid is the most popular method.
You can remove plaque with regular lemon. Take water, throw in a few slices of lemon and boil them. This is perhaps the safest way to clean heating elements from plaque.

Soda

You can easily clean your electric kettle baking soda. It is enough to pour 1 tbsp into the device. l. soda and fill it with water. Then the device is turned on. After the water boils, drain it and rinse the equipment thoroughly with running water.

If necessary, remove the softened dirt with a sponge. It is advisable to boil the water 2 more times so that all the dirt is completely removed.

Vinegar

To clean the electric kettle using this method, fill it with water and add 100 ml of vinegar. Then the water is boiled and left for a couple of hours. If there is a lot of lime, you can leave the solution overnight. Then the vinegar solution is drained and the device is thoroughly washed.

The disadvantage of this method is a rather unpleasant vinegar smell, which will spread throughout the apartment during boiling.

Lemonade

A good, proven way to remove lime is to clean it with lemonade. It is important to choose colorless lemonade so that the drink does not stain the plastic.

The soda is shaken well and then boiled. After which the lemonade is left to cool completely. Drinks contain orthophosphoric acid, which corrodes scale. Finally, we clean the equipment, rinse it, and then boil it again.

Oxalic acid

A little product is diluted in water and boiled. The solution should be left for a few minutes, and then all that remains is to remove the remaining dirt with a sponge. You can also use fresh, raw sorrel, but since the concentration of acids in it is low, the procedure will have to be repeated.

Apple peelings

This method of cleaning electrical appliances is not so common, but still quite effective. But you will have to turn on the water several times. The peelings are placed in the kettle, filled with water and boiled 2-3 times. Apple peeling also contains acids, but not as strong as in other methods.

Household chemicals

Today there are a lot of products sold that can be used to easily remove scale from heating elements. Strong household chemicals Very quickly removes even the most stubborn stains. But after using such means kitchen utensils need to be washed very well. The device will have to be boiled with fresh water at least 3 times.

Carry out cleaning work when children are not at home. And if there are small children in the apartment, then carefully ensure that they do not prepare tea with harmful substances.
After cleaning the equipment, the water in it must be boiled at least 2 times to remove all harmful substances.
Do not use abrasives to clean the heating element as they may damage the surface. Although you will remove the plaque in this way, the inside of the device may be damaged.
Treatment should be carried out once a month to prevent the formation of a thick layer of plaque.
Try to use only filtered water for boiling. This will allow you to significantly extend the life of your equipment.

We hope that our tips will be useful to you, and by listening to them, you will properly clean your kitchen utensils from scale and plaque. Compliance simple rules will allow you to keep the electric kettle perfectly clean.