How to descale an electric kettle. How to descale an electric kettle? Old-fashioned methods

There is a kettle in every kitchen. It doesn't matter whether it is an old metal device or a modern electrical one - any of them requires timely maintenance, not only outside, but also inside. Here the question comes first: "How to descale the kettle and why do it?"

We will talk about this today, and at the same time we will figure out what measures can be taken to minimize the appearance of an unpleasant sediment.

Scale forms due to the content of salts in the water, mainly calcium and magnesium carbonate. Over time, they are deposited on surfaces that come into contact with water: in kettles, thermopots, dishwashers and washing machines.

And no matter how good a teapot you choose, sooner or later you will still face the problem of white solid plaque. In ordinary teapots, it covers the bottom and walls, and in electric kettles it also covers the heating element, significantly impairing thermal conductivity.

In this case, water heats up longer, and in electric kettles the presence of sediment can lead to breakdown. In order to carry out its function, the spiral or disc has to heat up more and more each time. This leads not only to an increase in electricity costs, but also provokes a quick development of the resource of the part. In the end, the heater will simply burn out.

Scale is dangerous to human health, since its particles penetrate the body and provoke the development of kidney disease, osteochondrosis and gout. In addition, under the influence of salts, the taste of the drinks changes, a whitish sediment appears in the glass.

How to deal with scale and what should not be done?

Fortunately, knowing the nature of the occurrence of an unpleasant sediment, it turns out to be quite easy to fight with it. Plaque is afraid of organic and inorganic acids: under their influence, it becomes loose, so it will not be difficult to remove it. Armed with this knowledge, you can get to work.

But first, let's talk about what not to do:

• Remove limescale mechanically with a knife, scrapers or metal sponge. Thus, you will spend a lot of effort, but you will still not achieve the perfect result. In addition, there is a great risk of damage to the device.
• Do not use harsh chemicals such as Whiteness. It will remove the plaque, but it will be very difficult to wash off the remains and get rid of the pungent odor.
• Powders with coarse granules can scratch the surface and scale up even faster.

Special means

The chemical industry has developed special formulas for easy softening and descaling. This, for example, Cinderella, Antinakipin, Flat, Bosch and many others.

They are easy to use: in most cases it is necessary to dissolve the product in water, boil and leave for a while.

Please note that some formulas have different uses. Be sure to read the instructions!

Traditional methods

Why spend money on household chemicals, look for where it is sold, if in every kitchen there are no less effective means?

After using any of these methods, rinse the kettle thoroughly and boil clean water in it at least once. This is necessary to remove the remaining particles of the product and the smell.

Soda

A gentle method suitable for all teapots, including aluminum and enameled ones. You need to mix 500 ml of water with 1 tbsp. l. soda (preferably soda ash) and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. After that, wash the inside of the device well with a sponge or cloth, if there is a need to repeat the process.

Vinegar

Quite an aggressive method that will help in the fight against old deposits in metal, glass and plastic teapots.

It is necessary to pour 500 ml of water and let it boil. Then pour about ¾ cup of vinegar or 1 - 2 tbsp into boiling water. l. 9% vinegar essence and leave for 1 hour. Periodically, you need to check how the peeling process is going, and as soon as all the scale leaves, wash the kettle.

Remember to wear a mask and open the window to protect the airways from the vinegar fumes.

Lemon acid

Useful for quick cleaning of glass, plastic and stainless steel appliances.

Bring 0.5 liters of water to a boil and dissolve 1 - 2 tbsp. l. lemons. Then we leave until it cools completely and, if necessary, repeat the procedure again.

You can take on board not only powder, but also fresh lemons.

To do this, cut half of the citrus fruit into pieces and place in the teapot. Otherwise, the recipe is the same as for citric acid. But as a bonus of this technique: a pleasant citrus aroma after processing.

Brine

The composition of the pickle from cucumbers or tomatoes contains acid, which means it can be used to remove plaque in enamel teapots and stainless steel.

To do this, filter the liquid through a sieve and boil. The brine level should be no more than ⅔ of the kettle's volume. Then let the liquid cool and drain.

Cleaning

At home, you can make a mild remedy for any teapot. It is suitable as a prevention of plaque formation or if there are few deposits. Potato peels or apple and pear peels will work.

Remember to thoroughly wash the potato peel off the ground.

We shift the peels into a kettle, fill with water and boil. Let it cool, remove the remaining scale with a sponge.

For electric kettles, you can use the following recipe: we put the cleaning in a saucepan, boil and pour the finished broth into the device. Heat again to 100 ° C, let stand and rinse.

Carbonated drinks

Suitable for stainless steel cookware and electric kettles. Use with care in enamel and tinplate.

Do not use colored soda like Fanta or Coca-Cola on plastic devices because they can stain the surface. Better take a colorless drink: 7UP or Sprite.

For details on cleaning a kettle with Coca-Cola, watch this video.

In order to use soda, first open it, let the gas come out. Then pour the drink into a kettle and let it boil. Cool and clean the device.

Triple hit in advanced cases

With very persistent sediment, a three-phase system will help:

1. Pour in water and dissolve one tablespoon of soda in it. We boil, and then we drain the liquid.
2. Fill the kettle with water again, but now add citric acid (1 tbsp. L.) Let it boil for about half an hour and pour out the solution.
3. Now pour 0.5 cups of vinegar into clean water and boil again for at least half an hour.

This method will help soften and remove the most stubborn plaque. But it is better not to bring the dishes and appliances to the point where they need such cleaning.

Prevention of scale formation

To prevent lime scale from forming again, follow these guidelines:

• Install a filter or buy bottled water.
• Pour the rest after boiling into another container, and rinse the kettle thoroughly.
• Do not heat the same water again.
• Add citric acid solution at least once a month. Just let it sit for about an hour and rinse. You can also use cleaning or brine.

Conclusion

Scale is a phenomenon, of course, unpleasant, but inevitable. If you fight it regularly and do not allow it to firmly settle on the walls of your kettle, then it will not cause any problems.

Rinse the kettle regularly, devote half an hour a week to preventive cleaning, then the salt deposits will not even have a chance to settle in your kettles.

It takes ~ 2 minutes to read

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

Is limescale in the kettle a problem or not?

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

Health hazard:

• Accumulation of salts in the joints;
• Clogging of blood vessels;
• Kidney stones.

As for the harm to appliances, equipment and dishes:

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

How to clean limescale in a teapot at home with 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 famous descaling method is citric acid. This product is in every home, but not everyone knows that it can be used to get rid of scale, and not only kitchen utensils, but also equipment. It is completely safe and does an excellent job of descaling.

Removal method is elementary:

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

Can you peel with lemon?

The next way to descale is lemon. This method works well for people who stick to natural products. Lemon and citric acid are similar in principle, they contain acids that break down scale.

Instructions:

• Cut the whole lemon into small pieces;
• Pour into a dish with scale, fill with water;
• Boil for five minutes and leave to cool;
• After cooling, drain;
• Remove the remaining scale with a sponge;
• Repeat the procedure if necessary;
• After the cleaning process, we wash the dishes well and boil the water without anything in order to get rid of the remnants of the smell and taste of lemon.

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

How to clean with vinegar?

The next option is getting rid of the problem with the help of vinegar. Vinegar is harsh and therefore not recommended. But he copes with scale perfectly. Recipe for use:

How to get rid of heavy limescale with baking soda?

The easiest and safest way is to peel with baking soda. Baking soda does not contain acids that harm both electric and conventional kettles with metal, enamel and glass cover. To get rid of limescale:

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

We have come to a cleaning method that leaves no chance for limescale. This cocktail is vinegar + soda + citric acid. Such heavy artillery should be used in the most neglected cases.

We combine several methods into one:

Can apple and potato peels remove limescale?

Another popular way is with the help of potato and apple peelings. The effect is not strong and it is recommended to use it for small plaque. This method is suitable only 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.

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

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

A proven option for how to descale an electric kettle is to boil it with citric acid. Follows 1 tbsp. l. pour acids into the kettle, pour water into it and turn it on. When the water boils, it is drained and the appliance is thoroughly rinsed. Then they put the water to boil again.

As a result, the walls and heating elements will be perfectly clean, although some limescale dirt may remain on the bottom. Cleaning the kettle with citric acid is the most popular way.
You can also remove plaque with regular lemon. Add water, toss in a few lemon slices and boil them. This is perhaps the safest way to remove plaque from heating elements.

Soda

You can easily clean your kettle with baking soda. It is enough to put 1 tbsp into the device. l. soda and fill it with water. Then the device is turned on. After the water boils, it is drained and the equipment is thoroughly rinsed 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 finally gone.

Vinegar

To clean the kettle in this way, 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, then 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, during boiling, will spread throughout the apartment.

Lemonade

A good, tried-and-true way to remove lime is to peel it off 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. Beverages contain phosphoric acid, which eats away scale. Finally, we clean the equipment, rinse it, and then boil it again.

Oxalic acid

A little bit of the product is diluted in water and boiled. The solution must 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 as common, but it is still quite effective. But you will have to turn on the water several times. They put cleanings in the kettle, fill them with water and boil 2-3 times. Apple peelings also contain acids, but not as strong as other methods.

Household chemicals

Today, there are a lot of products on sale that can easily remove scale from heating elements. Strong household chemicals very quickly remove even the most stubborn dirt. But after using such products, the 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 make sure that they do not prepare tea with harmful substances for themselves.
• After cleaning the equipment, the water in it must be boiled at least 2 times so that all harmful substances are gone.
• Do not use abrasives to clean the heating element, which can damage the surface. Although you will remove plaque in this way, the inside of the device may be damaged.
• The treatment should be carried out once a month so that a thick layer of plaque does not form.
• Try to use only filtered water for boiling. This will allow you to significantly extend the service life of the equipment.

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

Arina Piskareva

Laboratory employee, Department of Bioengineering, Moscow State University

Scale is mainly composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate. When interacting with citric, acetic, orthophosphoric or other acids, sparingly soluble carbonates of alkaline earth metals are converted into readily soluble salts. For example acetates. Therefore, acidic substances are effective in the fight against scale, and they need to be heated to enhance the reaction.

Soda, when interacting with water, gives carbonic acid molecules, which, in turn, reacts with insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates, converting them into soluble hydrocarbonates. And they are easily washed off with water and removed with a sponge.

1. How to remove limescale with citric acid

• Suitable for any kettles, coffee machines, irons, washing machines.
• Proportions: kettles, coffee machines and irons - 10 g for every 100 ml of water; washing machines - 50 g per kilogram of load.
• pros: environmental friendliness, safety, availability, pleasant aroma.
• Minuses: does not cope with old, thick scale.

Fill the kettle with about ¾ of water so that the liquid covers the deposits on the walls and heating elements, but does not splash out when boiling.

Pour citric acid (100 g of powder for each liter of water) into a kettle and boil.

Leave to cool completely. Drain off water, remove residual plaque with a sponge and wash thoroughly.

How to descale a coffee machine

For the coffee machine, prepare a citric acid solution based on the volume of the water tank. For example, if the coffee machine is designed for 2 liters, you will need 200 g of citric acid.

Pour the hot solution into the tank and leave for 60 minutes.

After an hour, start the coffee program without the coffee itself. Empty the liquid through the dispensers.

Then run the coffee machine with water only, no citric acid. As soon as you drain the boiling water, you can use the device. If the tank of the coffee machine is removable, remove the remaining deposits under running water.

After the procedure, rinse the iron reservoir with running water, and wipe the soleplate with ammonia or nail polish remover.

To remove deposits from heating elements and drum, you need 50 g of acid for every kilogram of load.

Pour ¾ citric acid (190 g acid per 5 kg load) into the powder tray and ¹⁄₄ (60 g) directly into the drum. Run the wash at the maximum temperature.

2. How to descale with table vinegar

• Suitable for glass and ceramic teapots, stainless steel teapots, irons and washing machines.
• Proportions: kettles - 100 ml for each liter of water; irons - 1 tablespoon per liter of water; washing machines - 10 ml for each kilogram of load.
• A plus: more aggressive acidic environment removes even thick layers of limescale.
• Minuses: can damage rubber and plastic parts of devices, acrid smell.

How to descale a kettle

To clean the kettle, dissolve vinegar in water and put on fire. After boiling, let it boil for a few more minutes. Then drain the water, remove the remaining plaque with a sponge and a cleaning agent and boil clean water in a kettle.

Pour warm vinegar solution into the water tank and, holding the iron horizontally, release the steam.

Only boil a kettle with vinegar and let steam out of the iron in a well-ventilated area.

How to descale a washing machine

Pour vinegar (10 ml per kilogram of load) into the washing machine into a dish for conditioner or liquid powder. Run the wash without laundry at the maximum temperature, and then rinse again to surely get rid of the specific aroma.

The vinegar can damage the rubber bands on the door, so be careful if you choose to pour the substance directly into the drum. This can be done when there are no liquid reservoirs in the machine.

3. How to descale with soda

• Suitable forany teapots, coffee machines.
• Proportions: kettles and coffee machines - 1 tablespoon for every 500 ml of water.
• pros: availability, simplicity.
• Minuses: does not take all types of plaque, does not cope with old deposits.

The mechanism for cleaning teapots and coffee makers with soda is simple: fill them with water, add soda and boil. At the same time, it is recommended not to remove an ordinary kettle from the heat for another 20-30 minutes after boiling, and the electric kettle should be turned on several times.

After the procedure, wash the inside of the kettle or tank of the coffee machine and boil clean water.

If the build-up is very strong, try a more alkaline soda ash instead of baking soda. Or add the same amount of salt to regular soda.

4. How to descale with soda

• Suitable for any teapots, coffee machines, irons.
• Proportions: The containers are filled to about ¾.
• A plus: effective even with thick deposits.
• Minus: Colored drink can stain the vessel. Therefore, to clean irons and white plastic electric kettles, it is better to use clear soda, including mineral water.

How to descale a kettle or coffee machine

Open the bottle and wait for most of the carbon dioxide to evaporate.

Pour the soda into the kettle or the tank of the coffee maker, hold for 15-20 minutes, and then boil.

Thanks to orthophosphoric acid and carbon dioxide, soda drinks do an excellent job of removing salt deposits.

Pour soda into the water tank, turn on the appliance, hold the iron upright and let off steam. If there is a lot of scale, do this several times.

5. How to descale with brine

• Suitable for any teapots.
• Proportions: the kettle must be filled to ¾.
• pros: simplicity, availability.
• Minuses: does not cope with persistent plaque, specific smell.

The brine contains lactic and acetic acids. Fill the kettle with strained cucumber or tomato pickle and boil for 20-30 minutes.

Then drain the limescale brine and wash the kettle with a soft sponge and detergent.

6. How to remove limescale with soda, citric acid and vinegar

• Suitable for any teapots.
• Proportions: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of citric acid and a glass of vinegar per liter of water.
• A plus: breaks even rock salt deposits.
• Minus: troublesome, strong odor, exposure of devices to aggressive components.

Fill the kettle with water, add with citric acid and boil. If the kettle is electric, do this 2-3 times. If normal, let the soda-lemon solution simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Drain and refill the kettle with water. Boil it and pour in the vinegar. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes.

If after this the scale does not come off by itself, it will become loose. You can easily remove it with a sponge and dishwashing detergent.

At the end, boil clean water in a kettle again, and then drain it.

What to do to prevent limescale

1. Try to use only filtered water in kettles, coffee machines and irons.
2. Rinse the appliance before taking in water.
3. Do not leave water in the appliance after use. It is better to pour a new one every time.
4. Get rid of limescale at least once a month, even if there is no pronounced plaque on the heating elements and walls. If the appliance has a self-cleaning function, use it.

Why is scale dangerous?

Some people care little about the issue of scale, and they do not even suspect that they need to get rid of it as soon as possible. Limescale or scale is deposits on the inner surface of the dishes of magnesium, calcium, iron and some other salts. Plaque forms gradually, deposited in layers on the walls or heating element. It is formed if the tap water flows of medium hardness or hard (the indicator exceeds 4 mg-eq / l). If the scale is not removed in a timely manner, then with further boiling of water, part of the salts dissolves and enters the human body. Over time, an excess of salts will inevitably lead to diseases of the bladder, kidneys, bones, joints.



In addition, limescale has a low thermal conductivity, so the water in such kettles boils more slowly. Often, scale leads to a breakdown of the heating element in an electric kettle, because in order to boil the water of a steel coil, you have to warm up to temperatures unusual for it. This leads to a malfunction and, as a result, to breakdown.

Methods for cleaning metal and enamel surfaces from scale

How to descale a kettle that boils water on gas or on an electric stove? In this case, it is much easier to cope with the problem, because the metal withstands well the effects of both acids and alkalis.



Vinegar

Removing limescale with table vinegar is the easiest and most effective method. A solution must be prepared in a separate vessel: 1 liter of cold water and 100 ml of the substance. Next, pour it into a kettle that needs cleaning and put it on fire. In this case, the fire should be low so that the water boils slowly, gradually dissolving the limescale. As soon as the liquid boils, you need to carefully open the lid and observe the process of the scale peeling off. In especially difficult cases, keep boiling for 10-15 minutes. Then, pour out the contents of the kettle, and remove the remaining plaque with a hard sponge. Further, the kettle should be filled with clean water, boiled and poured out without using it in food. For greater reliability, it is recommended to boil the water again and pour it into the sink. It should be remembered that vinegar contains acid, so all actions must be performed carefully.

When opening the lid at the moment of boiling of a solution containing acid, remember that fumes can cause burns to the eyes and skin. For this reason, it is not recommended to lean too low.

Soda

How to descale a kettle with soda? The cleaning principle is similar to the method described above. Cold water is poured into the kettle, 25 g of soda is added and put on fire. As soon as the water boils, the fire is reduced. Over low heat, the water should boil for another 30 minutes. After that, the contents are poured out, the container is thoroughly cleaned and rinsed. Further, in a kettle, you need to boil water 2 times, but do not use it for food.



Vinegar, soda and citric acid

How to descale the kettle in severe cases? If the water is in a region of increased hardness, then limescale deposits on the walls of the dishes very quickly, hardening more and more every day. In this case, the fight against scale will be long and persistent. Pure water is poured into the kettle, 25 grams of soda is added, brought to a boil, after which they continue to boil for 25–35 minutes over low heat. Then the soda solution is changed to pure water, to which 25–30 g of citric acid (crystals) are added. The solution is boiled in the same way, then discarded again. The final stage is a vinegar solution, half a glass of the substance is added to the volume of a standard teapot (2.5 l) and boiled for 30 minutes. As a rule, this method gives very good results, although it is time consuming. If the plaque does not come off by itself, then after the procedure it will become looser and can be easily removed with a sponge.

After the kettle has been descaled, it is washed in running water and boiled a couple of times, pouring the contents into the sink.

Less popular folk ways

In addition to the ones listed above, there are several more interesting ways, and many housewives claim that they are no less effective. In addition to vinegar or soda solution, you can use soda and cucumber pickle.



It is better to take soda of a light shade, for example, "Sprite", so as not to accidentally paint the surface of the teapot. Before pouring the soda, you need to wait until the bubbles come out of it, and for this you should leave the bottle open for a couple of hours. The kettle is 2/3 full and put on fire. As soon as the soda boils, it is poured out. This method can remove not only scale, but also rust. The brine from under canned vegetables acts in a similar way, as it contains citric acid.

Another unusual way is to peel raw potatoes, apples, or pears. How to descale the kettle using the peel? The "skins" are placed in the kettle and poured with water, after which it is brought to a boil. Further, the cleaning must be left for a couple of hours so that the acid in the peel begins to act, and only then wash the container. This method is less effective and will only work if there is little limescale.

How to descale a plastic kettle?

You can't use vinegar and soda to clean plastic, but citric acid can handle scale perfectly. The method described below can also be used to remove limescale deposits on metal surfaces.

If only a thin layer is visible on the surface, then boiling can be dispensed with. It is necessary to take a liter of water and dilute 20 g of citric acid (crystals) in it, pour the resulting solution into a kettle and leave to act. Usually 3-4 hours are enough, after which the scale will exfoliate on its own. If this does not happen, then you can turn on the kettle and bring the solution to a boil. After such a procedure, the plaque from plastic can be cleaned without much difficulty.



Teapot care features

To avoid the question of how to descale the kettle, you need to regularly look after it. Take only filtered water for boiling, this is insignificant, but it reduces the salt content in it. If the water in the region is characterized by increased hardness, then you should not wait for a large accumulation of plaque, but remove the sediment every 2 weeks in any suitable way.

To reduce the build-up of limescale, experts recommend rinsing the container after each boil, and then wiping the surface dry with a towel. This simple trick will help keep the dishes clean for a long time.

Video how to descale the kettle