How to properly clean a kettle with citric acid. Citric acid against scale: who will win? Advantages and disadvantages of these cleaning methods

Even if you have acquired home system filter water and boil only purified water for making tea,

It is still impossible to avoid scale formation. Filters are not able to eliminate all substances dissolved in water that are responsible for the formation of lime deposits.

And sooner or later you will find that the walls and bottom of your favorite whistling kettle or the heating element of an electric boiler are covered with a layer of dirty yellow plaque. This means it’s time to remember how to descale a kettle and restore its cleanliness both outside and inside.

When cleaning, do not forget that not all products are equally suitable for conventional and electric vessels.

Why you need to remove limescale

There are several reasons for this, and each is quite serious.

• The limestone layer prevents heat transfer. While this is not fatal for an ordinary stainless steel kettle, an electric one can simply burn out. Heat from the spiral or disk is not transferred to the water, and the metal is subjected to thermal overload. In conventional kettles, this increases gas consumption: the water heats up more slowly.
• A layer of scale makes it difficult to keep the vessel clean. Particles of limescale fall into your cup, and all this garbage is not at all useful for the body.

Descaling products

You can buy ready-made descaling products in the store. Some of them are quite effective, others may not give the desired effect.
And it depends not so much on quality household chemicals, how much depends on other parameters: the composition of the water in your water supply, the thickness of the layer of lime deposits, etc.

How to descale a kettle at home

Lime deposits can be successfully removed using simple and cheap means:

• citric acid;
• canteen or apple cider vinegar;
• soda;
• lemons, apple peels or potato peelings;
• pickle from cucumbers or tomatoes;
• carbonated drinks: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta.

♦ Citric acid You can descale any kettles: stainless steel, ceramic, enameled, electric plastic or glass. This simple substance removes small to medium build-ups.

Ingredients: water - approximately 500 ml and citric acid - 1-2 tbsp. spoons (depending on the degree of contamination).

Pour water into the kettle and boil, then pour citric acid into the boiling water and wait until the water cools for about 1-2 hours (be careful - acid that gets into hot water will “hiss”). If the scale is not old, it will come off on its own, otherwise you will need to put in a little effort: carefully clean the walls and bottom with a plastic sponge or brush.

Hard metal sponges cannot be used to remove scale.

Citric acid can be replaced fresh lemons: Coarsely chop one or two lemons, boil them and leave until cool.

♦ Manufacturers of electric kettles do not recommend using vinegar to remove mineral deposits - after all, it is too aggressive. But sometimes you can’t do without this powerful remedy.

The method is suitable for: plastic, glass and metal teapots with very big amount old scale.

Ingredients: water - approximately 500 ml and vinegar 9% - a little less than 1 glass or vinegar essence 70% - 1-2 tbsp. spoons.

Pour water into the kettle and boil it, then pour acetic acid into the boiling water and leave the scale to soak in the solution for 1 hour. If the scale does not come off on its own, but only loosens, then it will need to be removed with a sponge. Be sure to boil water in a clean kettle once or twice and then rinse it thoroughly to remove any remaining vinegar.

♦ Enameled and aluminum cookware is afraid of aggressive acids, so the first 2 methods of removing limescale are not suitable for them, but the usual one can help you soda solution.

The method is suitable for: descaling both in conventional enamel and aluminum kettles, and in any electric kettles.

Ingredients: baking soda, or preferably ash soda - 1 tbsp. spoon, water - approximately 500 ml (the main thing is that it covers all the limescale).

Recipe 1: To remove scale from the walls of an enamel or aluminum kettle, you must first mix soda with water, then bring this solution to a boil, and then leave it to simmer over low heat for half an hour. At the end of the procedure, wash off the remaining soda by boiling it once clean water, drain it and rinse the kettle.

Recipe 2: To clean an electric kettle with soda, you need to boil water, make a soda solution, and then let it cool for 1-2 hours. A more gentle way is to pour soda into boiling water, and then leave the solution until it cools completely - during this time the mineral deposits will become softer, and it will be easier to wash them off by hand.

♦ Small deposits are successfully removed boiling apple peels or potato peelings.

This product is suitable either for preventative care or if the limescale deposits are still weak.

The method is suitable for: descaling conventional enamel and metal kettles.

Ingredients: apple, pear or potato peelings.

I put block, pear or washed potato peelings in a kettle, fill with water and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, leave the peel to cool for 1-2 hours, and then wash off the softened plaque with a sponge.

♦ Copes well with layers of scale cucumber or tomato pickle. The organic acids it contains dissolve lime deposits. But then it’s quite problematic to eliminate the smell of pickles, and it doesn’t harmonize well with tea and coffee.

♦ Carbonated drinks Excellent dissolution of persistent limestone layers due to the content of orthophosphoric acid. Many people know that Coca-Cola can be used to clean not only a kettle, but also other household items from scale and rust.

Coca-Cola removes old grease stains in the sewer system, it dissolves traces of rust on old bathtubs and washbasins, etc.

The method is suitable for: descaling in ordinary stainless steel kettles and electric kettles, but for enameled and tin kettles - with caution. If you want to descale a white kettle, it is better not to do it with Coca-Cola or Fanta. These intensely colored liquids leave a colored coating on light-colored materials, which will have to be dealt with separately. Take a better colorless soda: Sprite, 7UP. The effect will be the same as when cleaning with Coca-Cola, but without the color consequences.

Before descaling the kettle with carbonated drinks, you need to remove all the gas from them. Open a bottle of Coca-Cola and leave it open for a few hours before cleaning. Otherwise, when the drink is boiled, it forms foam in such quantities that you will clean the kettle not only from the inside, but also from the outside, and at the same time the entire kitchen :).

This method is not the most effective and economical, but why not try it for fun?

How to deal with old deposits

The most powerful, oldest scale deposits are removed in several stages. You will need baking soda, citric acid solution and vinegar.

First, you wash the kettle outside and inside as much as possible. Then pour half a glass of soda inside, pour in water and boil the solution for about 20 minutes. You can leave the soda solution to cool, or drain it immediately. Baking soda itself does not remove scale; it will only help deal with thick deposits.

At the second stage of the fight against scale, you need to pour a solution of citric acid into the vessel: for 3 liters you will need about 40 g of powder. The acid and soda absorbed into the layers of scale will react. This will produce gas, the bubbles of which will loosen the limescale.

When you drain the citric acid solution, you can boil the kettle with the soda solution again, or you can immediately move on to the next step: treat the scale with vinegar, table vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Boiling with vinegar will dissolve the most stubborn layers. Pour a third of the volume of vinegar into the vessel, add the rest with water and boil for 30 minutes over low heat. Drain the solution and wipe the inside of the vessel with a medium-hard washcloth (not metal).

Cleaning the kettle from scale using vinegar.

After cleaning, you will have to thoroughly rinse the kettle and boil water in it two or three times, draining it. This method is only suitable for ordinary kettles; for electric kettles it can be overly aggressive and destructive.

• Do not leave residual water in the kettle after use. This habit increases the amount of calcium deposits on the walls of the container. Pour water for plants or separately into a carafe and use cold, or boil the amount of water you want to use.
• The more often you remove scale deposits, the easier it will be. Descale the kettle at least once a month if the water is of medium hardness and once every two weeks if hard water. This will help preserve the device and extend its service life.
• Use only filtered or distilled water for boiling.
• Wash the inside of the kettle with a washcloth after each boiling of water to remove the slightest traces of scale.

How to remove scale from a kettle? Vinegar, citric acid or Coca-Cola? Checking traditional methods fight scale!

PS. Buy an electric kettle with a closed spiral or heating disk. They are much easier to care for than models with an open spiral. It will also be easier to remove the scale that appears.

Note to the owner.

On each modern kitchen I have a favorite teapot. Some have an electric device, others have a regular enameled one. Over time, any of them need proper cleaning. Plaque and scale inevitably accumulate on the walls of the vessel and it is not so easy to wash them off. Today we have prepared tips for you that are guaranteed to help you cope with this problem.

Cleaning methods

An electric kettle or a traditional metal one will eventually become covered with scale on the inside. The reason is simple. The fact is that water contains various salts, which form a hard coating on the walls, bottom, as well as on heating element. Lime deposits occur especially quickly from excessively hard tap water. However, filtered and bottled water only temporarily delays the appearance of scale. Which means serious cleaning. kitchen utensils inevitable.

Each housewife has her own methods with which she copes with this kind of pollution. For example, someone is trying to get rid of scale with detergents. We do not recommend that you do this. After such cleaning, during subsequent boilings, chemical substances will be released into the water. Drinking such liquid is very harmful to health.

Under no circumstances should you use abrasives, hard sponges, scrapers or metal meshes.. They will hurt inner part product or heating element, after which it may be damaged. You can wash the kettle quickly and easily using citric acid.

Why do we recommend descaling with citric acid? Because this product is quite affordable, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on it. In addition, it is completely safe and will not harm your health in any way. There are several effective techniques. For old thick plaque, the so-called hot way. If the contamination is not too strong, then it will do cold method. Now is the time to move on to the sequence of actions and description of proportions.

How to properly clean the inside?

If the scale layer on the inside is not too severe, you will need 50-60 grams of citric acid. Pour it into the kettle, fill it to the top very warm water, mix thoroughly. Leave for about an hour, or even better, two. After waiting the time, you just need to pour out the liquid and rinse the kettle with plenty of water. You will notice that the inside of the product has become much cleaner, the plaque has disappeared.

Such regular prevention, at least once or twice a month, will avoid the accumulation of stone deposits and preserve the dishes. The kettle will look like new for a long time.

By the way, upon completion of cleaning, after rinsing, we recommend boiling clean water in it for about five minutes, and then be sure to drain it. This is necessary so that the taste of citric acid is not felt in the drinks.

If available thick layer scale and the above method does not help, you will have to use a more serious method - hot cleaning. To do this, you will again need the kettle itself, citric acid and water. Pour water to the top, add two tablespoons of citric acid and boil the water. Turn off the heat and leave to cool completely. Remember: after each procedure the water is drained.

If small traces of plaque remain on the walls or bottom, remove them with a soft sponge. Did not help? You can safely repeat the procedure. After the second bath, the scale is guaranteed to disappear. Another recommendation regarding the hot method. Never add acid powder to boiling or very hot water.

Citric acid should be poured exclusively into cold or warm liquid. When interacting with boiling water, the acid will immediately begin to foam, which will disrupt the correct cleaning process.

A little advice on getting rid of old scale. We recommend making this “paste” in the evening. Take equal parts baking soda, which you usually use for baking, and citric acid. Dilute with a small amount of water to end up with a thick paste. Apply it to problem areas and leave overnight. The next morning, you can use any of the cleaning methods we told you about.

Another proven method that will definitely help you cope with even an annual layer of plaque is using a mixture of table vinegar and citric acid. The combination of these two ingredients is well known to many housewives who regularly clean various kitchen utensils.

We warn you that the vinegar should not be “strong”. That is, 70% acid is absolutely not suitable. Take the vinegar that can be used in food: its percentage is much lower, but the effect will be amazing. Please note that using vinegar is absolutely not suitable for cleaning electrical appliances, as it can seriously damage the integrity and performance of the heating element.

If you decide to clean an enamel or iron teapot using this method, remember the recipe. So, to clean the kettle you will need citric acid and table vinegar. To a glass of warm water you need to add 3-4 tablespoons of regular vinegar. The liquid should be poured into the kettle and left for about half an hour. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of citric acid and put the kettle to boil. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated.

After this cleaning, thoroughly rinse the inside of the product with baking soda. Work with a soft sponge. Then, after thoroughly rinsing the kettle, leave it with open lid at least for half an hour.

How to clean the outside?

Very often teapots, now we are not talking about electrical appliances, lose their appearance. Enameled or metal product becomes covered with grease stains, carbon deposits and even rust appear. What to do in this case? I would like all kitchen utensils to shine with their pristine shine and cleanliness, and not scare away with their terrible appearance.

Don't worry, there are tips for this case too. As before, you will need citric acid. Small oil stains and burnt fat can be removed with a lemon peel. Simply take a lemon peel or a citrus slice and rub onto the affected areas. Stains will come off easily, and you can easily wash the dishes with a soft sponge.

If the contamination on the surface is too serious, then prepare a special cleaning solution in a large container. You will need a large container that can completely immerse the kettle. Add 100-150 grams of citric acid to warm water, then immerse the kettle there. Leave for about an hour. It is important to remember here: the hotter the water, the more acid, the faster the cleaning process will take place.

Old stains that periodically appear after cooking can be easily removed using a “paste” of acid and baking soda. We talked about the preparation of the mixture and the consistency of the cleaning solution above.

The main thing is to make sure that both powders are completely dissolved, otherwise they may leave scratches on the surface.

Prevention methods

Exist simple rules caring for the kettle, which should be followed:

1. To ensure that the heating element and the inside of the product are not often covered with a layer of scale, use only clean water. You can use purified with a filter or buy bottled. If this is not possible, always allow tap water to sit before boiling. Only after this pour it into the bowl.
2. Do not boil the same water several times. The best option- Replace with a fresh one each time.
3. Clean the inside of the kettle before use. Make sure there are no white flakes in the water.
4. If after each use or at least once a day, in the evening, you wipe the inside of your favorite kitchen utensils dry, then scale will appear less often, and the product will last you much longer.

Finally, we have prepared a few more useful tips that will help you keep the kettle in perfect condition:

• If there is no citric acid in the house, then it is quite easy to replace it with regular citrus fruit. You can squeeze the juice from one lemon, or you can simply cut it into small pieces and use it in the methods for getting rid of plaque that were described above.
• In some cases, for example, for cleaning an iron kettle, ordinary baking soda is quite suitable, as it can also cope with severe stains.
• If you decide to use a mixture of citric acid and baking soda, but these powders are not in the house, then this is not a problem. They can be safely replaced with regular baking powder or baking powder. Their wonderful composition, which helps baked goods become more fluffy, already contains both soda and acid.
• Fans of carbonated drinks, particularly lemonade, can use them as cleansers. You just need to pour the lemonade into a container and leave it there for two or three hours. Leave the lid open to allow all the gas to escape. Then you need to boil the drink in your favorite kettle and that’s it. The result will be pleasantly surprising. Try to use clear drinks, otherwise you risk staining the inside of the glassware a toxic color.
• It will become easier to care for heat-resistant glassware if you wipe it twice a month with a slice of lemon on all sides: outside and inside. By the way, if you don’t have citrus at home, you can take the powder with lemon and dilute it in water. It is better to clean the contaminated surface with a soft sponge or sponge, moistening them in the solution.
• The following product copes well with dark soot stains and smudges on metal products. Lemon juice and rubbing alcohol should be mixed in equal proportions, then apply the resulting mixture to the stains using a cotton pad and wipe the surface thoroughly. After half an hour, you can wash everything off. If the result is unsatisfactory, the whole process should be repeated.

When interacting with metals and their derivatives, crystalline powder helps remove them from the surface, while the coating itself does not deteriorate. The acid acts very gently, does not corrode any material, and can be used to clean plastic and enamel. Well, the product costs mere pennies, and most homes always have it on hand in the kitchen, which makes cleaning much easier.

There are two effective ways to descale a kettle:

• with boiling;
• without boiling.

Both give visible results. However, if the kettle has never been cleaned, then it is better to use the boiling method - it is more suitable for removing old plaque. If scale has formed recently, you can clean the dishes differently.

No boiling

Prepare a simple mixture consisting of:

• sachet of citric acid (15-20 grams);
• 3-4 tbsp. spoons of water.

Dissolve the acid in water to obtain a homogeneous mass. Then the resulting mixture is applied to the spiral or poured onto the bottom of the kettle; for greater effectiveness, the acid is slightly rubbed into the surface with the soft side of the sponge. The product is left to act for 5-6 hours, you can leave it overnight. Then rinse the kettle several times with plain water, and then boil and drain. After this method of cleaning, there will be no traces left, and the spiral will look like new.

Powder particles dissolve without residue, so there are no scratches left on the surface.

With boiling

Before you start cleaning, wipe the spiral and the walls of the kettle with a damp cloth to remove some of the deposits mechanically. Under no circumstances should you use metal brushes, nets, or brushes with coarse bristles - after using them, deep scratches will remain.

Take 20-30 grams of citric acid and dilute them in a liter of water. The kettle is turned on and the mixture is heated to a boil. Repeat this 2-3 times. Then the device filled with water and acid is left for 4-5 hours so that the substance breaks down the scale. When time will pass, pour out the water with the dissolved sediment. Refill the kettle clean water, boil and pour out. Now the surface is cleared of plaque, and the device is ready for further use.

How to clean a kettle with fresh lemon

If you don't have citric acid at home, you can replace it lemon juice. Prepare the cleanser as follows:

1. Cut half a lemon into thin slices along with the peel.
2. Water is poured into the kettle to 2/3 of the total volume.
3. Place lemon slices in the water and turn on the heat.
4. Bring the water in the kettle to a boil 2-3 times, then drain everything.

Attention!

There is no need to boil the kettle after lemon juice, it is completely harmless and will not cause food poisoning. You can safely pour water into the device and drink tea.

How harmful is limescale from a kettle?

Finally, I would like to say that scale is a complex mixture consisting of metal salts and chlorine. Since water for the kettle is most often drawn from the tap, a large amount of scale forms on the heating element.

Dangerous compounds that make up white coating, have a toxic effect on our body. They get inside through boiled water and are not tasted, but cause colossal damage to health.

As a result of regular consumption of water with scale, liver and kidney diseases develop, and problems with the stomach and intestines arise. Therefore, it is recommended to get rid of scale every month, at least.

There are impurities of harmful metals even in water that has gone through the filtration stage. During boiling, substances settle on the walls of pans, electric and regular kettles. A layer of scale forms, which not only increases the heating time of the device, but also causes a strange taste. The reddish coating is dissolved with Coca-Cola, vinegar essence, potato or apple peel. But citric acid is considered the most effective and gentle remedy.

Why does it work

Scale on the walls of an electric kettle appears due to excess magnesium and calcium salts, as well as iron impurities. Small particles of matter settle on inside device, gradually forming a thick layer of whitish or reddish plaque. In some cases, it is removed mechanically, but if the kettle is made of plastic or glass, cracks and chips may remain, which will reduce the life of the unit.

Citric acid works more gently than popular store-bought formulations, soda and vinegar essence. The food additive enters into chemical reactions with plaque. It dissolves metals and salt deposits. It also protects iron kettles from corrosion that appears due to scale. Removes brownish spots and stains from chalk and stops the destruction of the material.

The product does not leave on plastic and glass surface scratches, unlike baking soda. Water after using citric acid has a pleasant smell and aroma. And if particles of a food additive get into the tea, then nothing bad will happen, because the component is not dangerous for the stomach and intestines.

Gentle method

A fresh layer of scale is removed from glass and enamel surfaces with a small amount of citric acid. Pour 20–35 g of powder into a kettle filled two-thirds with water. The solution is stirred with a wooden spoon until all the crystals are dissolved. Bring to a boil and leave on the stove for 5 minutes, if the layer of potassium or magnesium salts is not too thick. Otherwise, you need to increase the interval to 10–15 minutes.

Electric kettles are equipped with an automatic shut-off system. To ensure that the water continues to boil even after heating to 100 degrees, you need to open the lid of the unit before use. It is better to place a working appliance with the hood on so that the steam does not damage the ceilings and walls of the kitchen.

It is recommended to pour the lemon solution not into the sink, but into a pan. The blank can be reused to clean the outside of the kettle. Water with acid washes away dirt, traces of scale, and greasy stains.

Citric acid is a gentle remedy, but it has one drawback. For the additive to begin to interact with salts and heavy metals, it needs at least 3-4 hours. Experienced housewives prefer to clean the kettle at night. When all family members go to bed, they boil water with citric acid and leave it in the device until the morning.

After waking up, they turn on the unit again without replacing the solution. This is necessary so that the scale becomes soft and pliable. Most of the plaque will separate from the walls of the electrical appliance on its own. The remaining pieces are washed off with a sponge. If the kettle is glass or enameled, it is better to use a soft rag. It will not leave scratches on the fragile surface.

The rag is soaked in detergent or soap composition. Carefully remove scale particles with a sponge. And then pour distilled water into the device several times and bring it to a boil. Why should you use bottled liquid? It contains a minimum of impurities. But in the tap version there is a lot harmful substances, which will re-settle on a clean kettle.

Glass teapots are also renewed using another, more gentle method. A scale remover is prepared from warm water and 30–40 g of lemon powder. The ingredients are stirred in a saucepan or jug ​​and then poured into an electric appliance. It will take 4-5 hours for the acid to get rid of the plaque. All that remains is to rinse the container. And that’s it, you can use the kitchen utensils for their intended purpose.

If there are a lot of hardened salts on the walls, then the base for the cleaning solution is heated to boiling point. Pour 2 small bags of acid into the hot liquid and stir everything thoroughly. Close the container tightly with a lid and wait until the water has cooled completely. The procedure is repeated 1 to 3 times. Lemon powder will not damage the walls of the teapot.

Sometimes the plaque eats into the material so much that it cannot be softened the first time. Then they resort to the option with soda. After treatment with lemon solution, a paste of baking powder and water is applied to the walls. Rub the kettle with a sponge or rag to dissolve the deposits. And repeat the experiment with citric acid.

Aggressive way

Old ingrained scale is dissolved with a mixture of vinegar, soda and citric acid. The composition is effective, but is not suitable for working with glass and thin plastic. This method is often used to clean metal kettles that are boiled on the stove. Electric options may break. The solution also removes scale from enamel surfaces. But in this case, the vinegar-lemon solution cannot be combined with hard brushes and sponges.

The first stage is softening the plaque with soda. 30–50 g of food additive are poured into a device filled with distilled water. The solution should boil for 20 minutes to half an hour. Hot liquid is poured into the sink. Add 2-3 small bags of citric acid to a new portion of water. Bring to 95–100 degrees, drain immediately.

The last step is the vinegar solution. For 1.5–2 liters of base, half a glass of additive. Boil as much as baking soda. Pour out and rinse twice with clean water. A vinegar smell may remain, but it will disappear on the second or third day. It can be removed by adding a little citric acid to the rinse liquid.

A vinegar solution helps renew a stainless steel kettle. This option is intended for utensils that are heated on the stove, but not for electric items. Fill the container halfway with water, add 150 ml of vinegar. Leave for 20 minutes for the additive to react chemically with salt deposits. Then 40–60 g of citric acid is poured into the solution. Stir, bring to a boil and immediately turn off the stove. The water with additives is not poured out, but cooled for 20–25 minutes. Then shake gently so that particles of hardened salts are separated from the surface of the kettle.

The softened plaque that remains on the enamel or stainless steel is treated with a soft sponge. Apply a little to the inner and outer walls of the kettle. detergent for dishes. Cleaning is carried out with rubber gloves so that the vinegar-lemon solution does not damage the skin. All that remains is to rinse the utensils and wash away any remaining plaque and aggressive substances.

Preventive measures

20–25 g of food additive are poured into water. Stir so that the crystals dissolve and do not settle to the bottom. The liquid is heated to 90–95 degrees. Let it sit all night, and in the morning rinse the kettle with warm water. You can simply fill the device with a solution of citric acid and leave for half an hour without boiling. But this method only works with fresh scale.

A coating of magnesium and potassium salts appears on the walls of teapots due to poor quality water or bad filters. Gentle and gentle cleaning of kitchen utensils from hardened sediments is carried out with citric acid. Nutritional supplement also used to prevent scale and corrosion.

Video: how to descale a kettle

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 the 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- increase in noise emitted electric kettle during heating, boiled water takes on 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:

1. mechanical;
2. 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 soda ash into boiling water and leave until it cools completely. Soda solution will soften lime deposits, 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 the galvanic coating of the 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 is 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.