I used to manage a coffee shop where we had to use expensive chemical descalers to clean our hefty coffee machines and boilers. I wouldn't consider that option at my house even if it was free. At home, to clean my kettle thoroughly, I add equal parts water and white vinegar inside and let it sit for an hour. I then bring it to a boil and pour it out. I fill the kettle back up with water and bring it to another boil, then pour it out. The kettle is no longer dingy.
As a side note, when I say I pour out the two sets of waters, I actually use them to clean other things: the floors, the bath. Nothing goes unused at mine!
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Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight.
If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool, and re-use the tea kettle with plain water. Don't pour the tea kettle vinegar down the drain.
You can freshen the drain if you first pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, then pour the hot vinegar down the drain. Or, you could use the vinegar to kill weeds. Make it do double duty!
By Ron from Cortez, CO
Why would you not pour the tea kettle vinegar down the drain?
If you read the complete post, you will see that the hot vinegar is poured down the drain after the baking soda. This causes a foaming action that helps clean the drain. My mom put a glass marble in her tea kettle to help keep the scale from forming, but once or twice a year she would follow the cleaning procedure mentioned above.
Be careful! I used vinegar to clean my bathroom sink pipes and followed with baking soda. The two together indeed ate away the build up...AND THEY ALSO ATE THROUGH MY PIPES!
I fill my teakettle with white vinegar, heat it up almost to boiling and let it sit all day. After dinner I pour the vinegar into a bottle that is labeled "vinegar for teakettle". You can use this many times again. Then I use a sponge to loosen and clean any residue from the inside of the pot, rinse, and it is ready to go for another couple of weeks.
What is the best way to clean lime off of a tea kettle?
Wendy from Apple River, IL
If you have any old lemon juice in the fridge that is too old to be used, boil it in the kettle. Or boil vinegar in the kettle.
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I bought a second hand kettle from my charity shop, but never checked the inside. So, I need to really descale it.
Does anyone how to descale a kettle? How often should I descale it?
To remove the buildup from the inside of a tea kettle, a friend told me this method. Fill the tea kettle with lemon juice (bottle from juice section in grocery store OK).
