How to get rid of scale in an enamel and electric kettle at home. How to descale a kettle using folk remedies and chemicals

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

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

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

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

How often should you descale your kettle at home?

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

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

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

Folk remedies for descaling a kettle

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

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

How to remove scale from a kettle?

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

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

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

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

How to descale a kettle if it is not electric?

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

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

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

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

The shock method for removing old scale

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

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

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

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

Cleaning a kettle from scale takes housewives a lot of time and one can understand their desire - to find a method so that they can remove scale from the kettle as quickly as possible without much effort.

Today you will learn about many universal descaling products, all of which do an excellent job of descaling the kettle. Only you can decide how best to do this - with the help folk recipes or buy a store-bought product.

Be extremely careful! You cannot add any of the described compositions to hot water - only to cold water and only then heat it. It is impossible to predict what the effect of a reaction with boiling water may be, so follow safety precautions in your kitchen. Strong chemicals should only be used with gloves and make sure your eyes are also protected.

Why do you need to descale your kettle?

Scale occurs as a result of the settling of limescale on internal surfaces teapot. Limescale is formed from salts, metal particles, minerals, which are present in any unboiled water, and especially a lot of scale forms in hard water. Humanity has not yet found a means to remove scale so that it can disappear once and for all.

Every housewife periodically (about once every two to three months) notices the appearance of white flakes in the water, a whitish or rusty layer on the surface of the dishes, and stone deposits on the spirals of the electric kettle. This means that it’s time to descale the kettle again. Why does it have to be removed?

Scale causes significant harm because:

• the boiling time of water is extended, there is no energy saving;
• the heating element may fail;
• the kettle will start to turn off before the water in it boils;
• the water will become cloudy, which will affect the quality of the prepared tea and coffee.

Scale occurs on absolutely all heating elements, and it is false to say that if you use filtered water, there will be no problem. It will happen, but not so often and that’s very good. Alas, household filters Not everything that forms limescale is removed.

Scale particles can get into a cup of drink, and this will be harmful to human health. To prevent this from happening, you can use special filters - nylon, gold-plated. Their use is not very justified - these filters are very short-lived, they have to be washed frequently, which also reduces their service life.

Which descaling agent is best to buy?

You can remove scale from your kettle using store supplies. In every department household chemicals You will be offered a choice of several different drugs from different manufacturers. Almost everyone has the same name - Antiscale.

What's better? Judging by the reviews, all special descaling products are good, even those whose price is no more than 12-15 rubles.

If you use the product strictly according to the instructions, you will definitely have an effect and you won’t have to rub the kettle on purpose, since everything will come off on its own. Look at each package for instructions on how to apply and the exposure time - based on this, make your choice.

Usually the drug must be added to the kettle with cold water and boil. After the procedure, the dishes are thoroughly washed. Acid works well against scale, but store-bought methods for cleaning heating elements are not recommended to be used frequently, as acids can damage metal surfaces.

You can also descale an electric kettle using the products offered in our stores, but you need to look at the specific composition. Choose the newest “Antiscale”, which contains special additives that will protect your kettle from corrosion, so you don’t have to be afraid that the heating element will stop working.

How to get rid of scale in a kettle using folk remedies

It’s up to you to decide whether to learn how to care for your kettle so that scale appears in it as rarely as possible, or to always buy a new unit. If you make it a rule to regularly descale your kettle, this will not be such a big problem for you.

The most effective and inexpensive method is using citric acid or lemons. Find out how to clean scale with citric acid:

• Add citric acid to the kettle at the rate of one tablespoon per liter cold water. You have to boil it and leave it in closed overnight, and rinse everything thoroughly in the morning.
• Instead of acid, you can take lemon; half of it is enough. At heavy pollution You should cut the whole fruit into several pieces and boil water with lemon. You need to wait at least 10 hours and then wash.
• Concentrated citric acid can only be used in regular kettles. In this case, there is no need to boil the water - just wait a while, check the quality of cleaning and wash it out.

Other ways to remove scale from a kettle using folk remedies:

1. You can add 100 ml of table vinegar to the water. Bring it to a boil, let it simmer for up to 10 minutes and you can start using the dishes after thorough rinsing. Acetic acid, just like lemon, will react with scale. As a result chemical reaction salts will begin to form that are highly soluble in water. That’s why it’s enough to just rinse, you don’t have to rub anything.
2. A thick layer of scale will take longer to remove, but this can also be done with improvised means. We take water, add a tablespoon of baking soda and boil for 30 minutes. When finished, drain the water, add fresh water and now add a spoonful of citric acid - boil again for about 30 minutes. If the scale does not come off during these processes, then you can now boil new water with a few tablespoons of vinegar.
3. You can boil the remaining brine from tomatoes or cucumbers in a kettle. The result will be because these vegetables were preserved with vinegar.
4. Some housewives try to clean with Coca-Cola and similar drinks, but call it cheap this method will not work.
5. Very effective potato peelings, if you put them in a kettle and add water, and then boil for a while.

It is not always possible to completely destroy it after using the described methods to remove scale from a kettle. Still, it becomes soft and now you can try to wipe everything off with a sponge. The main thing is not to use steel wool, sandpaper, or abrasive cleaners!

In any kettle, electric or metal, scale appears over time. It accumulates most quickly from hard water, rich in magnesium and calcium salts. In this case, it is recommended to clean the boiling water utensils weekly. Today the editors of the site decided to draw the attention of their readers to this problem. In this publication we will talk about the seven best and proven ways to descale a kettle using traditional methods, as well as using chemicals.

Read in the article

Dangers of scale formation in a kettle

If you do not use store-bought drinking water for boiling, the scale problem will sooner or later arise. After all, any tap water, even cleaned by a filter, contains a certain amount of metals and salts. When heated, the substances react and precipitate, which settles in the form of a white coating on the walls.

Take note:

A comment

Designer of the studio "Cozy House"

« If it is blue, then it contains a lot of copper or brass salt. If it’s red, closer to red, it’s iron, and if it’s brown, then your water is rich in manganese.”

There are three main dangers that a person who neglects to regularly clean the kettle may encounter:

1. Breaking household appliance. Frequent failure of the heating element in the kettle or the walls and bottom metal utensils for heating.
2. Long heating time. It is known that every millimeter of scale increases the energy consumption of the kettle by 10%. When boiling water, it comes into contact not with metal, but with a layer of rust and fat. IN electrical appliance Overheating of the heating element and plastic occurs, in metal - the walls heat up unevenly, and when boiling, rust particles fall into the water.
3. Accumulation of salts in the body. The plaque forms a kind of film under which bacteria develop and destroy the metal. Small particles rust and overheating enter the body along with water and gradually accumulate inside. In the future, this may affect the functioning of the kidneys and urinary system.

How to descale a kettle

Agree before you buy strong chemical compositions, which the market abounds in, each of us wants to try something that is effective, and also cheap and cheerful. Traditional methods anti-scale products meet all these requirements. And let's start with, perhaps, the most popular method - descaling the kettle with citric acid. Probably, among the readers of our online magazine there is not a single one who has not heard of this remedy. However, hearing does not mean using it. That's why we've prepared simple step-by-step instructions that will make this process as fast and efficient as possible.

Method 1. How to descale a kettle with citric acid

This method is most often used to clean an electric kettle, since vinegar (another grandmother’s remedy) can simply corrode the plastic. This method is great for light stains and, if necessary, to “refresh” the plastic on the kettle body.

For the cleaning process we will need:

1. A couple of tablespoons of citric acid (or the juice of half a lemon).
2. 500 ml cold water.

The cleaning process is very simple. First you need to boil the water. After the kettle has boiled, pour in the citric acid (the water will hiss). Leave the kettle in this state for a couple of hours until the water cools down.

Important! Make sure that at the time of cleansing, no one in the household drinks water from the kettle with acid. Despite the fact that the product itself is safe, however, the material that has moved away from the walls and heating device rust and plaque can be dangerous to internal organs.

Actually, procedures with citric acid can also be preventive. It is not necessary to wait for sediment or plaque to appear; you can simply periodically pour warm water into the kettle and pour a spoonful of citric acid into it. The exposure time is the same, but boiling is not required. These simple steps will help keep your kettle in excellent condition for several years.

Method 2. How to get rid of scale in a kettle using vinegar

Vinegar is one of the most aggressive non-chemical methods for cleaning a boiler; it is only suitable for metal utensils. However, it is the fastest and most effective.

In this case, you first need to prepare a solution in the ratio of 50 ml of vinegar to 500 ml of water. The solution is poured into our kettle, which must be put on fire. During the boiling process, the vinegar will gradually begin to corrode the plaque. If boiling is not enough, you need to wait for the device to cool completely, then wash the kettle with a hard sponge and baby soap to remove any remaining vinegar.

Method 3. How to remove scale from a kettle using soda

We will separately consider the sequence of actions for electric and enamel kettles. For aluminum or any other metal utensils, the following recipe is suitable: dissolve one tablespoon of soda in a kettle with water. We boil over high heat, and then reduce it and let our mixture simmer for another half hour. This is often enough to remove plaque from the walls and bottom of the dish.

For electric kettles, the procedure should also not cause difficulties. The procedure is the same as for descaling a kettle with citric acid. The cooling process alone takes more than 2 hours. You don’t have to boil the kettle, but dissolve the soda in warm water and wait at least an hour. In this case, even if not all of the sediment comes off, it will be much easier to clean it with a sponge.

A comment

Designer of the studio "Cozy House"

« To achieve maximum effect, it is better to use soda ash rather than baking soda.”

Method 4. When all else fails: a special recipe for cleaning the kettle with citric acid, soda and vinegar

In this case, it is very important to follow the sequence of steps. The secret is in the order in which you use each product. The first stage is cleaning with soda (we described how to do this above). Next, pour water into the kettle again, dissolve the citric acid, in this case there is no need to boil the water, just heat it over low heat. Drain the water again. Now it's time for the vinegar. In this case, boiling is necessary. Half a glass of 9% vinegar is added to the water solution, and the solution is brought to a boil. In this case, you will be guaranteed cleanliness of the walls and bottom of the kettle.

Method 5. How to descale a kettle using carbonated drinks

This is because, despite many myths regarding the acidic properties of this popular sparkling water, there is salt in it, or rather acid... already known to us, citric. Yes, yes, it is thanks to this powder that the drink gets such miraculous properties: cleanses scale and plaque, by the way, also applies to tooth enamel.

But let's return to our... teapots. In order not to look exactly like this in the eyes of our dear readers, we decided to conduct a visual experiment and find out whether this method is so effective. So, step-by-step instruction descaling your kettle using a well-known brand of carbonated drink.

Illustration	Description of action
	We take an ordinary plastic kettle. For the purity of the experiment, we took it with transparent glass so that the result could be seen. As you can see, scale is present.
	We will need the actual bottle of Coca-Cola (some recommend degassing it first). We didn't. And the teapot itself.
	Pour soda into the kettle.
	Turn it on and bring it to a boil.
	After the kettle has cooled, drain the liquid. And here is the result - the kettle is practically new.

Let us add that this method is suitable for cleaning glass, metal dishes and electric kettles, excluding only tin and enamel dishes.

For your information! Coloring sodas, such as Sprite and Coca-Cola, also effectively clean car carburetors from rust and burnt gases. So, if you have car enthusiasts in your house, it’s better to leave them half a bottle.

Method 6. How to descale a kettle using apple or potato peelings

What we need: potato and apple peeling(a lot of). The procedure is reminiscent of steaming apples, only here vegetable and fruit waste is used. The peelings are placed on the bottom of the kettle and steamed with boiling water or cold water. Boil the mixture well. After boiling for half an hour, we leave our “gruel” to cool. After about an hour and a half, you can wash the dishes with a regular sponge.

Method 7. How to descale a kettle using brine or oxalic acid

Both methods are based on the fact that both brine and sorrel contain a considerable dose of acid. In the first case, already known to us, lemon, and in the second - oxalic. The principle is already familiar to us. If you don't have a hangover, use brine to clean the kettle.

Household chemicals for descaling

We have studied the reviews of some buyers and will take the liberty of offering you a rating of five the best means for descaling, according to the editors website.

However, chemicals can leave traces, especially if used on coatings other than those specified in the instructions. It is important to study the information on the packaging.

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

Why scale is dangerous and how to avoid it

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

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

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

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

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

To prevent a thick layer you need:

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

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

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

6 ways to get rid of scale

If you don't know how to remove scale from a kettle, take a look at kitchen cupboard or refrigerator. You need foods that contain acid. These are vinegar, citric acid or fresh lemons, apples, pickles and even carbonated drinks.

Method 1 - using vinegar

This product perfectly softens even old mineral deposits. But it is quite aggressive, so it is better not to clean a plastic electric kettle with it. As well as enameled or aluminum.

We act like this:

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

• Leave for 1-2 hours.

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

Method 2 - using brine

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

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

Method 3 - using citric acid

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

The amount depends on the degree of contamination:

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

• Twice as much required for a thicker layer of scale.

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

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

Method 4 – using carbonated drinks

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

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

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

Method 5 - using apple skins

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

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

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

Method 6 - using soda

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

It is applied like this:

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

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

What to do with old plaque

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

It is best to alternately apply vinegar, soda and citric acid using increased concentration cleaning solution.

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

Conclusion

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

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