How to effectively descale an electric kettle at home. Simple ways to remove scale in a kettle How to descale a kettle with folk remedies

  • 15.06.2019

Scale not only impairs the taste of boiled water, but also serves as a kind of fur coat that prevents the heating element from actively releasing heat. As a result, it may fail prematurely. How to effectively remove deposits and return the kettle to a radiant look?

There are many folk ways for cleaning the kettle from scale at home, they used to be used by our grandmothers mainly for cleaning metal teapots which were impossible to break. Everything that came to hand, so it was cleaned.

Lemon acid

Fits for simple and electric kettles made of stainless steel or glass
It is forbidden use for metal, enameled teapots.
pros: cost savings.
Minuses: helps with small impurities

Citric acid helps to restore cleanliness not only to kettles, but also to the tanks of automatic washing machines. The principle of operation is quite simple. The acid loosens the deposits and helps the water dissolve them.

In order for the teapot to acquire virgin purity, you need 1-2 tsp. powder dissolve in 1 liter. water and boil in a dish to be cleaned. If you have hard water and deposits build up quickly and in large numbers, then the procedure should be repeated a couple of times. In this case, you are more likely to achieve the desired result.

To prevent deposits, use a strong solution citric acid(1 sachet per 1 liter of water) for cold dishwashing. You don't need to boil anything. Just dissolve the powder in the liquid.

Remove scale from a kettle with vinegar and baking soda

Vinegar, baking soda and citric acid

Cleaning the kettle with baking soda

Fits for ordinary, enameled and electric kettles.
pros: security, accessibility, cheap way, which will help get rid of old scale.
Minuses: May leave scratches on surfaces.

Alkaline solutions cope with deposits somewhat worse than acids. However, if nothing else is at hand, you can resort to soda. Moreover, boiling in a soda solution effectively cleans not only teapots, but also smoked pans and pots.

Pour 1-2 tsp into a three-liter kettle. soda and boil water with it for about half an hour. Then let the water cool down and wash the container in the usual way. If dirt still remains, repeat the procedure a couple more times.

Cleaning the kettle with Coca-Cola

Fits for all types of kettles, except for electric ones. Care must be taken when cleaning enameled models.
pros: effective method.
Minuses: dyes that are part of the drink can eat into the surface of the device.

What hostesses do not do with the famous American drink. It turns out that with a touch of hard water, he copes no worse than professional products. Before. how to proceed to cleaning, open the bottle and let the soda stand overnight so that the gas comes out of it.

Pour the drink into the teapot up to half the volume. Boil and rinse with a soft sponge or cloth.

When working with Cola, you need to take into account that light plastic can be stained. Use this method with caution in devices with an open heating element.

Cucumber pickle and tomato

Fits for all types of teapots.
pros: availability, cost savings (since, by and large, it is a handy home remedy)
Minuses: does not remove strong dirt from the surfaces of dishes, may leave bad smell, which can be felt while boiling water.

Some housewives claim that boiling brine in a kettle removes scale as well as citric acid. How plausible is this? Can salt dissolve salt? There is a rational grain in this, since vinegar is included in the recipe of many marinades. It creates an acidic environment in which magnesium salts may well dissolve.

So, for work you will need one and a half liters of brine from under a tomato or cucumber. Boil it in a kettle, then wash the container in the usual way.

Peeling apples and potatoes

Fits for enameled, metal, electric kettles.
pros: availability, environmental friendliness, economy.
Minuses: does not help to get rid of ingrained plaque.

Apple and penny peels contain fruit organic acids. They can be used to remove light plaque. It is enough to boil water with the addition of cleaning products, and the deposits can be easily washed off.

Potato is an alkaline product. Its action is like soda. You need to use the peel of a potato, as well as peeling fruits. Just boil it in water and rinse thoroughly.

Heavy artillery

Fits for all models.
pros: high efficiency, helps to get rid of the most difficult stains.
Minuses: chemical composition, can cause a local reaction of the body. Be sure to use rubber gloves while cleaning.

In severe cases, sparing methods are ineffective. In this case, you have to use stronger means. Keep in mind that such procedures cannot be used frequently. Otherwise, electric kettles may fail.

  • Vinegar. For 1 liter of water, take 1 cup of 9% vinegar. Boil the solution in the kettle to be cleaned and hold for 15 minutes on low heat (if the dishes are enameled or made of stainless steel).
  • Household chemicals. There are a great variety of antiscalers. Before use, you must carefully read the instructions and make sure that the selected composition is suitable for your type of dishes. The manufacturer is obliged to notify users that the ingredients of the product may damage the plastic, rubber gaskets or metal teapot bushings. If there are no such marks, antiscale can be safely applied. Popular chemicals from scale: PureFF, Planet Pure Spray, Selena, Doctor TEN universal, HG, Cinderella.


Cleaning features for teapots of various materials

Plastic and glass

Glass is considered a versatile material because it can withstand the effects of aggressive substances. It is not for nothing that laboratory glassware is made from it. Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that glass surfaces do not like abrasives. If you use baking soda for cleaning, do not rub it against the walls of the kettle, but only boil the soda solution.

Plastic equally does not like products with bleach and dyes. Therefore, it is better not to experiment with Coca-Cola, Fanta and fruits in plastic dishes.

Enamel and stainless steel

Enamel can be stained in the presence of bright dyes, regardless of their composition. In addition, it does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, you first need to pour cold water, bring it to a boil, and then rinse or hot water or let the kettle cool down to room temperature.

Stainless steel, like glass, can withstand almost any experiment with cleaning products. Dislikes abrasives. Small scratches spoil the beautiful gloss, although they do not affect the functionality.

Electrical Models

You can find two types of electric kettles: with an open heating element and a closed one. In the first case, cleaning is complicated by the fact that the scale is clogged under the heating element, from where it is difficult to get it mechanically. In this case, it is better to use natural or factory chemicals.

When using acids and other aggressive substances. it must be remembered that in an acidic environment with frequent cleanings, seals and rubber gaskets gradually dissolve. For this reason, it is better to alternate acidic and soda procedures, and also not to start the situation until you need to resort to emergency cleaning methods.

Cleaning a stainless thermos from tea plaque

  • A cleaning solution from the proposed methods above is poured into a thermos and left for several hours. Periodically you need to check the condition of the raid. Rinse with soft purified water.
  • Avoid using abrasive products.
  • Wash the thermos immediately after use. Wipe the flask with a microfiber cloth. So the water will leave much less sediment.
  • Ventilate the thermos after cleaning to dispel cleaning agent odors.

As you can see, dealing with plaque on teapots and in a thermos is quite simple. For this, ordinary ingredients that can always be found in the kitchen are quite suitable.

Dear readers of the site, leave your comments. Tell us which of the cleaning methods you consider the most acceptable and effective. Your opinion is very valuable to us.

May 22, 2017 Werri

It is not easy to find a house where there is no kettle - conventional or electric. Since many of us use mostly hard tap water for boiling, it is not surprising that sooner or later this container will become overgrown with scale from the inside. Plaque is not only aesthetically unattractive, but also harmful to health - its microparticles get into your mug of tea or coffee. And the electrical device may well fail due to such growths. Therefore, today we will talk about how to descale the kettle quickly, efficiently and in simple ways. Let's take a look at the most popular!

Why is scale formed and why is it dangerous?

In metal, glass and enameled teapots, we see growths on the inner walls and bottom, in electric teapots - mostly on the heating element. The reason for the formation of scale is salt, which is so rich in tap water. Accordingly, the harder the latter, the more intense the formation of lime build-up. Special filters will not help here either - they only soften the water a little, but do not completely deprive it of salts.

Descaling the kettle at home is very important. Here are the dangers of ignoring the problem:

  • It is scale that is the cause of the destruction of the walls of ordinary kettles and the premature failure of electric kettles. Growths on the heating element lead to its overheating, preventing water from directly contacting the metal, heating the latter to high temperatures.
  • The use of strainers and filters does not always protect our body from scale ingress with drinks. And it can cause problems with the genitourinary system, kidneys.

Method number 1: vinegar

The method is ideal for metal containers. Use with caution in relation to glass, plastic - after all, we have an aggressive agent in front of us. How to descale a kettle with vinegar:

  1. Dilute the substance with water. This is 100 ml of 9% food vinegar per 1 liter of water. If you are using vinegar essence(70%), then it is enough 1-2 tbsp. spoons.
  2. The composition is poured directly into the kettle, which is placed on a small fire.
  3. Wait for the solution to boil.
  4. Raising the lid, periodically monitor the flaking of scale. Usually 15 minutes of boiling is enough for the growths to leave the walls and bottom.
  5. Rinse the kettle thoroughly under running water, removing both scale and vinegar residue.

Method number 2: citric acid

But this substance was created for plastic electrical devices. They can also easily clean glass containers. Let's figure out how to clean the kettle from scale with citric acid:

  1. First of all, dilute 1-2 teaspoons of the powder in 1 liter of water.
  2. The solution is simply poured into the kettle, which you turn on and bring to a boil.
  3. As a result of the process, the plastic layer will "renew" - the plaque will easily peel off under the influence of acid.
  4. You only need to thoroughly rinse the kettle and then boil the water in it "idle".

Note that boiling with acid is already an extreme measure. It is best to carry out preventive monthly cleaning of the device. in this case? In the same amount, dilute citric acid in water and leave the composition in the kettle for several hours.

If you do not have acid on hand, then a quarter of a lemon can easily replace it.

Method number 3: sparkling water

How to clean the kettle from scale enameled or metal? Use carbonated drinks - Cola, Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite and the like. But for electric kettles, this method is not suitable!

We note by the way that the gas water is also capable of dissolving rust and even cleaning car carburetors. And here is what we will do specifically for the teapot:

  1. Unscrew the cork - let the soda stand open for a while.
  2. As soon as the gas bubbles stop rising, pour the drink into the kettle about half way.
  3. Now it remains to bring the liquid to a boil.
  4. In conclusion, we thoroughly rinse the container from scale residues. That's all.

By the way, if you intend to clean a snow-white or light teapot with soda, then it is better to use a colorless drink for these purposes - for example, Seven-Up, Sprite. "Pepsi" or "Fanta" can leave its characteristic shade on the walls of the container.

Method number 4: soda + citric acid + vinegar

Let's say right away that the method is for the most severe and neglected cases. For electrical devices, it should not be used at all.

How to descale the kettle here:

  1. Pour water into the container, add 1 tbsp. spoon baking soda.
  2. Bring the solution to a boil, then drain it.
  3. Fill a container with fresh water. In it we will already dissolve citric acid - 1 tbsp. spoon. We will boil on low heat for half an hour. The composition is merged again.
  4. We refill the kettle with fresh water, dissolve 1/2 cup of vinegar in it. Boil again for half an hour and drain.

In most cases, such a three-stage procedure is enough for the scale to gradually come off on its own. One way or another, even if left, it will become supple and soft. Therefore, you can easily remove it with a regular soft sponge for dishes. But we strongly recommend that you do not use metal and hard brushes, washcloths for cleaning teapots.

You can use a slightly different version - vinegar + soda:

  1. Fill the kettle 2/3 full with water.
  2. Add baking soda at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 liter of water.
  3. Boil the composition for half an hour.
  4. Discard this solution.
  5. Add fresh water, stir vinegar in it - 1/2 cup per 1 liter of water.
  6. Boil again for half an hour.
  7. Drain the solution and rinse the kettle thoroughly.

Method number 5: soda

This method equally good for enameled and metal containers. You can clean the kettle from scale with soda as follows:

  1. Fill a container with water and add 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
  2. Then we put the kettle on the stove and bring it to a boil over low heat.
  3. So the solution in it boils for another half hour.
  4. Then we drain the composition, rinse the kettle, fill it clean water and again send to boil. This step will allow us to remove the remaining soda from the inner walls of the kettle.

Method number 6: brine

Quite an unusual folk method. How to descale a kettle with a preservation solution - tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and others delicious pickles? The scheme is similar:

  1. Pour the brine into the kettle, put the container on the fire.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Boil until the scum begins to move away from the walls.
  4. Rinse the kettle thoroughly after such cleaning.

Why is pickle so good? The fact is that it contains citric acid, which helps to exfoliate lime growths. By the way, the brine does an excellent job with rust from iron salts in the same kettle.

Method number 7: potato peelings

We are also in a hurry to introduce you to a waste-free method of descaling - potato peelings. But we note that he will cope well only with mild growths on the walls of metal and enameled teapots.

Here's how we'll do it:

  1. First of all, potato peelings must be thoroughly rinsed from dirt.
  2. Put them in a kettle, fill with water.
  3. Put the container on the fire, bring the brew to a boil.
  4. Remove the kettle from the stove, leave to infuse for several hours.
  5. Then pour out the cleaning water and rinse the container thoroughly.

And one more thing, note to the hostess - do not rush to throw away peelings from apples or pears. If you brew them according to a similar instruction, you can get rid of a small whitish salt scale on inside containers.

Special funds

As you can see, it is easy to clean the kettle from scale with improvised means that can be found in almost every home. However, in our article we will not ignore special substances that effectively cope with the problem.

The recognized leaders will be "Cinderella" and "Antinakipin". Use - according to the instructions. It does not differ from the one described above - the product is also added to the water, after which it is poured into the kettle and boiled. At the end of the procedure, the container is thoroughly washed from the chemical preparation.

After cleaning...

So we figured out how to clean the kettle from scale. It doesn’t matter which method you used, after cleaning, we recommend that you do the following:

  1. Thoroughly rinse the inside of the container.
  2. Boil water "idle" in the kettle once or twice, not for drinking.

The fact is that not all cleaning products used will be useful if they enter your body along with tea or coffee.

Problem Prevention

The methods that we have presented are quite simple and effective. Still, it is better to prevent a problem than to fix it. Therefore, we bring to your attention a few actionable recommendations, which will help you meet scale in the kettle quite less often:

  1. Don't forget preventive cleaning. It should be done at least once every 1-2 months. Here such gentle means as brine, peelings from apples or potatoes are suitable.
  2. Get a water filter. Although it will not rid the liquid of all impurities, it will significantly reduce the amount of salts in it. This means that much less scale will form.
  3. As soon as you have finished drinking tea, pour out the rest of the water on the bottom of the teapot. Do not forget to rinse the container before filling it with fresh water.
  4. A good option- buy bottled water. Or, if possible, use spring or thawed.

Now you know how to quickly and effectively descale the kettle. We also advise you to listen to preventive recommendations that will help you meet this problem as rarely as possible.

Someone noticed that the kettle, as, by the way, the stove is the face of the hostess. Therefore, each of us should know how to clean the kettle from scale.

Where does scale come from

Part drinking water includes a huge amount of minerals and salts. Whatever folk methods and you didn’t clean it with modern filters, even a small percentage of various impurities still remain. When sodium salts are heated, magnesium forms limescale, which eats into the walls of dishes and does not want to voluntarily leave it.

This plaque covers any kind of material, so all housewives have to clean their kettles.

Why get rid of limescale

  • Limescale has a low thermal conductivity, which is why water boils more slowly.
  • If the kettle is electric, and you are too lazy to clean it, plaque quickly disables the heating element.
  • Water becomes tasteless due to scale. And if it boils for a long time, it is also cloudy.

Effective ways to deal with scale

How to clean a kettle with simple means that can be found in every home.

Hit the scale with citric acid

  1. Type a full kettle of water, pour 1-2 sachets of citric acid (depending on its volume and scale thickness). Boil.
  2. Let the solution cool slightly, in the meantime, the acid will have time to corrode the plaque as much as possible. Drain the liquid.
  3. Boil water with citric acid again. Drain the liquid again and rinse the kettle thoroughly.
  4. You can replace citric acid with vinegar - 100 grams per liter of water.

Removing a thick layer of scale

If the solution with citric acid did not give the expected result, try another method:

  1. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 liter of water. Pour this solution into the kettle, boil for about half an hour.
  2. Drain the resulting liquid. Pour water and add a tablespoon of citric acid, boil.
  3. Pour water with vinegar a third time (the thicker the layer, the more vinegar), boil for 30 minutes.
  4. After such a triple treatment, the scale becomes soft and easily lags behind the walls. Remove it with either a kitchen sponge or a wooden spatula. Rinse the kettle thoroughly, boil for reliability clean water and pour it out.

Trying to clean Coca-Cola

  1. Release all gas from the drink before use.
  2. Fill half of the kettle with Coca-Cola, boil.
  3. Pour out the contents, rinse.
  4. Some claim that "Fanta" and "Sprite" are also suitable for this case.

Is your teapot sparkling clean again? Isn't it time for a fragrant tea? Good tea drinking and pleasant conversation!

Despite the fact that the kettle is a simple household appliance, it requires care. When using an electrical appliance, the inner coating and the heating element become covered with scale, which leads to the following consequences:

  1. Heating element failure.
  2. Reducing the thermal conductivity of the metal of a household appliance.
  3. Reducing the life of the electric kettle.
  4. Excessive electricity consumption.
  5. Premature wear of the electrical appliance.
  6. The adverse effect of scale on the human body (deterioration of the functioning of the urinary system).

Let's see how to clear Electric kettle from scale and prevent its occurrence.

The best way to protect against limescale

A key factor in the formation of deposits on the kettle is an excess of magnesium and calcium salts, which leads to an increase in water hardness. Special flow filters with softening cartridges help reduce the concentration of magnesium and calcium salts in water, solve the problem of its hardness and prevent the formation of deposits in the electrical appliance. The use of water-purifying filters helps prevent scale build-up in the kettle.

Effective reception - regularly (at least once a month) clean the container from plaque and rinse periodically cold water. These measures will help keep the electric kettle clean.

To electrical appliance remains clean, pour out the remaining water after boiling and rinse the device before boiling a fresh portion.

At home, it is recommended to install an electromagnetic water converter, which will help reduce its hardness, prevent deposits on the appliance, washing machine as well as a water heater.

7 most effective remedies for scale

Since it is not always easy to clean the kettle from scale at home, consider the most effective means contributing to the solution of this problem.

Lemon acid

To clean the kettle with citric acid, you need:

  • pour a tablespoon (with a slide) of acid with water;
  • bring the mixture to a boil;
  • rinse the electrical appliance;
  • boil 1-2 more portions of water, pour it out;
  • repeat the procedure several times in order to remove scale residues.

Soda

To clean the kettle from scale with soda, you must:

  • pour a tablespoon of soda with water;
  • bring the resulting mixture to a boil;
  • rinse the container;
  • when the deposits become soft and loose, remove them with a dishwashing sponge.

Salt and soda

Required:

  • pour 2 tablespoons of soda with water;
  • add a tablespoon table salt(with a slide);
  • boil the resulting mixture;
  • for better removal of the formed deposits, leave the mixture in an electric kettle for 20 minutes;
  • remove the remaining deposits with a dishwashing sponge, which will help to completely remove scale in the electric kettle.
  • rinse the device thoroughly.

No matter how you clean and filter the water, scale in the kettle is unlikely to be avoided. Due to scale, electric kettles break more often and fail faster. At the bottom of ordinary teapots (enamelled, glass or stainless steel), a mixture of limestone deposits with rust forms, which also shortens the life of the dishes. So how do you remove nicks in a teapot quickly and effectively? Let's figure it out.

The consequences of scale

Experts advise not to ignore the problem of scale. Due to the fact that the sediment has low thermal conductivity, it does not allow water to come into contact with steel, so the heating element in the electric kettle (steel spiral or disk) becomes hot and quickly becomes unusable.

Apart from frequent breakdown electric kettles and the destruction of the walls of ordinary ones, scale getting into the human body with water, negatively affects the functioning of the kidneys and urinary system. According to some reports, scale can accumulate in the kidneys and lead to the formation of stones.

Vinegar

Cleaning with vinegar is the most effective and fastest way to remove scale and is suitable for metal kettles. For 1 liter of water you will need 100 ml of food vinegar. Acetic solution must be poured into the kettle and put on fire. After the water boils, it is necessary to reduce the heat and let it boil for 10-15 minutes, the time depends on the degree of contamination of the kettle. Then you should wash and rinse the kettle well and boil it 1-2 times without using water for cooking.

Lemon acid

Citric acid will help remove scale from a glass teapot. In 1 liter of water, you need to dilute 1-2 hours of citric acid, pour the resulting solution into a kettle and boil. If the scale layer is quite large, the procedure will need to be repeated. In a clean kettle, boil water 1-2 times and then rinse it well to remove acid residue.

Apple or potato peel

Such cleaning is suitable for preventive care, when the scale build-up is not too large. Washed potato or apple peels should be put in a kettle, pour water and bring to a boil. After that, remove the kettle from the heat and let stand with the solution for 1-2 hours. Then wash and rinse the kettle.

soda

Carbonated drinks - "Fanta", "Coca-Cola", "Sprite" clean the dishes well from heavy scale and rust. First, open a bottle of drink and let it stand to release the gas. Then pour the soda into the kettle and bring to a boil. Let the kettle cool down, wash it thoroughly and boil it with clean water. It is better not to use this cleaning method for electric kettles, but it is ideal for ordinary dishes.

Soda

For metal and enameled teapots, you can use soda cleaning. Fill the kettle with water and add 1 tbsp. l. soda, bring to a boil and simmer for 25-40 minutes, depending on the degree of contamination. Wash the kettle, boil water in it several times and rinse well to wash off any remaining baking soda.

Brine

Pickle from under cucumbers or tomatoes perfectly removes scale and rust from iron. The cleaning process is quite simple: the brine must be poured into the kettle, boiled over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Then you need to thoroughly wash the kettle, boil it with clean water and rinse thoroughly.

A solution of soda, vinegar and citric acid

Such cleaning will help to cope with especially difficult and advanced cases. But to apply this method very often and without real need is not worth it. Fill the kettle with water and add 1 tbsp. l. baking soda. Boil for at least 5 minutes and drain the water. Fill the kettle with a solution of citric acid (1 tbsp per kettle), simmer for 30 minutes and drain the water. Once again, heat the kettle with the vinegar solution (250 ml of vinegar per kettle) for at least 30 minutes. After such cleaning, the scale, even if it does not completely come off by itself, will become loose, and you can remove it with a foam sponge.

Scale prevention

To minimize descaling and keep the kettle in working condition for a long time, follow a few simple rules:

  • Rinse the kettle daily, cleaning it from a small amount of plaque with a sponge;
  • use purified and, if necessary, softened water for boiling (use a water filter);
  • after boiling, drain the remaining water from the kettle, especially do not leave the water overnight;
  • do not wait for a lot of scale to form and its layer becomes thick and hard, the smaller the sediment, the easier it is to remove.

Following these simple advice and using simple methods cleansing, you can remove the scale in the kettle without spending a lot of time and money for this.