Arina Piskareva
Laboratory employee of the Department of Bioengineering, Moscow State University
Scale is mainly composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate. When interacting with citric, acetic, orthophosphoric or other acid, 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 to enhance the reaction they need to be heated.
Soda, when interacting with water, produces carbonic acid molecules, which, in turn, react with insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates, turning them into soluble bicarbonates. And they are easily washed off with water and removed with a sponge.
Fill the kettle with water about ¾ so that the liquid covers the deposits on the walls and heating elements, but does not splash out when boiling.
Pour citric acid into a kettle (100 g of powder for every liter of water) and boil.
Leave until completely cool. Drain the water, remove any remaining plaque with a sponge and wash thoroughly.
For a coffee machine, it is necessary to prepare a solution of citric acid based on the volume of the water reservoir. 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. Drain the liquid through dispensers.
Then run the coffee machine with only water, without citric acid. As soon as you pour out the boiling water, you can use the device. If the coffee machine reservoir is removable, remove any remaining deposits under running water.
After the procedure, rinse the iron reservoir with running water and wipe the sole ammonia or nail polish remover.
To remove deposits from the heating elements and drum, you will need 50 g of acid per kilogram of load.
Pour ¾ citric acid (190g acid per 5kg load) into the powder tray and ¹⁄₄ (60g) directly into the drum. Start the wash at maximum temperature.
To clean the kettle, dilute vinegar in water and place on fire. After boiling, let it simmer for a few more minutes. Then drain the water, remove any remaining deposits with a sponge and cleaning agent and boil in a kettle clean water.
Fill in warm solution vinegar into the water reservoir and, holding the iron horizontally, release steam.
Boil a kettle of vinegar and release steam from the iron only in a well-ventilated area.
In the washing machine, pour vinegar (10 ml per kilogram of load) into the cuvette for conditioner or liquid powder. Run a wash without laundry at maximum temperature, and then rinse again to be sure to get rid of the specific aroma.
Vinegar can damage the rubber bands on the door, so be careful if you decide to pour the product directly into the drum. This can be done when there are no liquid reservoirs in the machine.
The mechanism for cleaning teapots and coffee makers with soda is simple: fill them with water, add soda and boil. In this case, it is recommended not to remove a regular kettle from the heat for another 20–30 minutes after boiling, and to turn on an electric kettle several times.
After the procedure, wash the inside of the kettle or coffee machine reservoir and boil clean water.
If the plaque is very strong, try a more alkaline soda ash instead of baking soda. Or add the same amount of salt to regular soda.
Open the bottle and wait until most of the carbon dioxide has evaporated.
Pour the soda into the kettle or coffee maker reservoir, hold for 15–20 minutes, and then boil.
Thanks to phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide, sodas do an excellent job of removing salt deposits.
Pour the soda into the water reservoir, turn on the appliance, hold the iron vertically and release steam. If there is a lot of scale, do this several times.
The brine contains lactic and acetic acids. Fill the kettle with strained cucumber or tomato brine and boil for 20–30 minutes.
After this, drain the brine and scale and wash the kettle with a soft sponge and cleaning agent.
Fill the kettle with water, add citric acid and boil. If the kettle is electric, do this 2-3 times. If regular, let the lemon soda solution bubble for 20–30 minutes.
Drain and refill the kettle with water. Boil it and pour in vinegar. Leave for 15–20 minutes.
If after this the scale does not come off on its own, it will become loose. You can easily remove it with a sponge and dishwashing detergent.
At the end, boil clean water in the kettle again and then drain it.
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.
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.:
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:
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.
If you don’t know how to descale a kettle, look in your kitchen cabinet or refrigerator. You need foods that contain acid. These are vinegar, citric acid or fresh lemons, apples, pickles and even carbonated drinks.
This product perfectly softens even old mineral deposits. But it is quite aggressive, so it is plastic Electric kettle It's better not to clean them. As well as enameled or aluminum.
We act like this:
During this time, the plaque will become loose and can be easily removed with a sponge.
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.
Citric acid is not so aggressive, so it is also suitable for aluminum, plastic and enameled metal kettles. You can use either powder or fresh lemon.
The amount depends on the degree of contamination:
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.
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.
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 peelings from raw potatoes.
But this gentle method is suitable for cleaning ordinary teapots made of any material. If you use it regularly, you will not see scale in them at all.
Another effective one home remedy– baking soda or soda ash.
It is applied like this:
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.
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, baking soda and citric acid, using a higher concentration of 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.
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.
Electric kettles can be expensive or cheap, with a wide variety of filters, but nothing can save you from the scale that regularly forms on the walls and bottom of the electrical appliance.
Problems begin to form at the most vulnerable point - the heating element. Citric acid from scale in a kettle will help get rid of the problem quickly and safely.
Water filters do an excellent job of purifying water from heavy metals and chlorine, but this does not apply to lime, and although the amount of sediment will be less, it will not be possible to completely get rid of it.
It turns out that the precipitate obtained during boiling is a poor heat sink. When a heating element, which is made of steel, gets very hot, it cannot transfer heat to the liquid - adhering particles block the path to it. If there is nowhere to transfer heat, the element continues to accumulate it, overheats greatly and eventually simply breaks.
But the process of sedimentation is dangerous not only for economic reasons. Each water has a certain amount of salts. If it is hard, there is a lot of salt. When boiling, they create a salt coating, accumulating on the walls and heating element, and end up in our cups.
All this gets into the kidneys, liver and stomach, creating many problems in the future. That is why you need to know how to descale a kettle with citric acid.
There are chemicals available to remove sediment from an electric kettle, but they are not safe for your health. After use, the device is boiled for a long time and persistently, washed, and boiled again. But the metal thermal element, after the action of salts, always remains riddled with cracks, scratches and chips invisible to the eye. The chemical may leave its particles in them.
Cleaning a kettle from scale with citric acid is gentle on it and safe for humans. It is reliably washed out after the first boiling, and is not dangerous for the body, especially in that insignificant amount that may remain after processing the electrical appliance.
In addition, descaling a kettle with citric acid will be very cheap, and you can purchase the product at any grocery store, at any time that you want to determine for this work.
There are several options for cleaning by boiling and without it, with lemon.
Remove scale from the kettle using citric acid by boiling. This method is suitable for large quantity sediment that has already been tightly compressed. The process is divided into the following stages:
If the electric kettle is cleaned at least once a month (twice in case of hard water), you can use milder measures and descale the kettle with citric acid without boiling. For this it is enough:
There are small children in the house, and you have doubts about how to descale a kettle with citric acid, while still being sure of the baby’s safety? There is a solution that is a little more expensive, but ideal in terms of safety for the body, even for infants. To do this, descale the kettle with citric acid. self-made. Of course, there is no need to make powder. It is enough to have an ordinary lemon in stock:
Lemon descaler in a kettle - great idea, although it hits a little harder on the pocket. The method is not only harmless and quick (no final boiling is needed), but also has another interesting property - the boiling container gets a pleasant lemon smell for a while. As for the amount of product, it should be varied depending on the contamination.
For regular cleaning, half a lemon is enough, but to descale an electric kettle with naturally occurring citric acid in advanced cases, you will have to chop 2-3 pieces and fill half the container with mugs.
It is better to descale a kettle with citric acid frequently. This will significantly extend the life of the electrical appliance, preserving not only its performance, but also your health. No sediment – no sand and kidney stones, no infection and no stress on the liver.
Knowing how to clean scale with citric acid in a kettle quickly and carefully, you can always keep both the electrical appliance and its owner healthy.
In any water heating device from time to time we discover a treasure trove of minerals, namely deposits of magnesium and calcium salts from hard water. And if we always try to prevent the occurrence of scale in the dishwasher and washing machine, then what can we say about the kettle, where it not only worsens its performance and leads to breakdowns, but also harms the health of household members.
In this material, we have collected 6 of the most effective and affordable methods at home that will help you descale your kettle. Actually everyone's secret folk remedies very simple:
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 tablespoons.
Recipe: pour water into a kettle and boil it, then pour it into boiling water acetic acid and leave the scale to soak in the solution for 1 hour, during which you should periodically lift the lid and check how the process of peeling the scale from the walls of the kettle is progressing. 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.
The method is suitable for: cleaning electric kettles made of plastic, stainless steel and glass with light or moderate dirt.
Ingredients: water - approximately 500 ml and citric acid - 1-2 tablespoons (depending on the degree of contamination). A quarter of a lemon can replace powdered acid.
Recipe: we also pour water into a kettle and boil it, then pour citric acid into the boiling water or put a quarter of a lemon and wait until the water cools down for about 1-2 hours (the acid that gets into hot water, “hisses”). If the scale is not old, it will come off on its own. Otherwise, you will have to put in a little effort. Remember to boil water in a clean kettle and then rinse it thoroughly.
Enameled and aluminum cookware is afraid of aggressive acids, so the first 2 methods of removing limescale are not suitable for them, but a regular soda solution can help you.
The method is suitable for: descaling both in conventional enamel and aluminum kettles, and in any electric kettles.
Ingredients: baking soda, or preferably soda ash – 1 tablespoon, 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 clean water once, draining it and rinsing 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.
This method is not the most effective and economical, but why not try it for fun?
The method is suitable for: descaling in ordinary stainless steel kettles and electric kettles, but for enameled and tin kettles - with caution.
Ingredients: any carbonated drinks with citric acid in the composition are suitable - from Coca-Cola to Fanta. But it is better to take colorless drinks, for example, Sprite or Schweppes.
Recipe: First, release the gases from the drink, then pour 500 ml of liquid into the kettle and let it boil, and then cool. The result of the experiment can be seen in this video.
This product is suitable for either preventative care, or if the limescale is still weak.
The method is suitable for:
Ingredients: apple, pear or potato peelings.
Recipe: place apple, 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.
Since brine contains organic acids, it can also be used to remove scale and rust. Therefore, if you have cucumber or tomato brine on hand, which, as often happens, has nowhere to put it, feel free to put it to work.
The method is suitable for: descaling conventional enamel and metal kettles.
Recipe: pour the brine into a kettle through a sieve (so that nothing extra remains in it), bring it to a boil, then leave the brine to cool for a couple of hours. Use a sponge to remove any residue limescale and rust and finally rinse the kettle clean with running water.
Even if you use filtered or bottled water, pouring it into a kettle with a purification system, sooner or later you will have to deal with a problem such as scale in the kettle. In this article we have collected the most effective ways combat it, as quickly as possible and harmless to equipment.
Sometimes on the Internet you can find the opinion that it is not necessary to remove scale - it is a purely visual defect, which plays a role only in glass teapots. This statement is completely wrong.
First of all, you need to understand how scale appears. Most often, ordinary running water is used for boiling, which contains quite a lot of impurities. However, they are found in both bottled and filtered water - albeit in smaller quantities.
Most of them are various salts, which, when heated, are divided into carbon dioxide and a solid sodium residue that remains on the walls of the cookware. However, it is not washed off with ordinary water and tends to accumulate.
The problem of scale is not only unaesthetic appearanceSuch deposits harm your kettle: it impairs thermal conductivity, which means it will take more time to heat up. Because of this, the layer in ordinary teapots gradually becomes thinner. ceramic coating, if there is one, but in electric ones the heating elements fail faster.
However, this factor can be considered rather secondary. The main reason you should deal with scale is because of the potential health risks. Since plaque consists of sediments of salt, insoluble metals and various harmful impurities, including chlorine, sediment entering the body can contribute to the development of various diseases. The mixture can provoke arthritis, gout, osteochondrosis, kidney stones or toxicological poisoning.
That is why you need to clean the kettle from plaque regularly. In the following sections we will talk about how to do this correctly.
The answer to this question depends on two factors - the type heating device and the quality of the water you use.
Glass teapots need to be cleaned almost every week: any plaque, even the thinnest one, is noticeable on the transparent surface. But metal or ceramic ones can be cleaned of plaque about once a month - as they become dirty.
In addition, kettles with an open heating coil require cleaning more than those with a closed heating element. Otherwise, the device will fail faster.
As for the quality of water, see for yourself. Bottled or well-filtered water pollutes the kettle less, but it is not a panacea - only distilled water does not produce sediment at all, but we do not recommend anyone to drink it - it is too harmful to health.
Quality tap water depends on the water service, its source, and even the condition of the pipes in your home. Sometimes it is enough to clean the kettle once every couple of months, and sometimes after just a week a thick layer of scale forms in the tank.
Therefore, the decision on the frequency of cleaning your kettle is up to you - it is impossible to give an exact answer remotely.
You will hardly be able to completely avoid the appearance of precipitation - unless you really use crystal clear water, with a minimum of heavy impurities. However, it is quite possible to reduce the amount of scale.
Advice: Even if you don't have the opportunity to purchase a filter, try to let the water sit before boiling. A day will be enough.
If it was not possible to completely avoid the appearance of scale or you need to clean the old kettle, we recommend using our recommendations.
Banal food product costing a couple of rubles, which can be found in any kitchen, easily copes with light scale and moderate severity. The procedure is not particularly complicated: fill the kettle two-thirds with water and add citric acid. The powder should be poured at the rate of one tablespoon for every liter of water.
Citric acid is one of the most available ways descale the kettle Then turn on the kettle and wait until the water cools down. Drain the water when it has cooled down to room temperature. Then wipe the kettle with a soft sponge. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated two or three times in a row until the scale is completely gone. After this, boil the kettle again with clean water and wash it thoroughly.
The method is effective, but it will not cope with old scale that has ingrained itself into the surface. In addition, it is not suitable for enamel teapots - the surface of the latter may become dull from the aggressive effects of citric acid. But it can be used for both conventional and electric kettles.
conclusions: Effective, budget-friendly and very simple method.
For those who prefer to use the most natural products in the kitchen, citric acid can be replaced with lemon. As with the previous method, you should not experiment with enamel teapots unless you want the enamel to discolor or crack.
Cut the lemon into thin slices and place in a kettle filled two-thirds with cold water. Then boil it. Further, the procedure differs for conventional and electric kettles.
Most eco-friendly way cleaning the kettle In the first case, you need to wait for the water to boil, and then keep the kettle on low heat for 20-30 minutes.
For an electric kettle, you need to boil it several times, after the water has cooled a little - on average, reviews recommend three boils with an interval of 10 minutes.
After the water has cooled completely, drain it and wipe the kettle with a soft sponge to remove any remaining deposits. Most often, a repeat procedure is not required, but if necessary, you can boil the lemon again. Bonus - a pleasant aroma that will spread throughout your kitchen.
First of all, it should be noted that this technique is not suitable for electric kettles: vinegar can only be used for ordinary metal ones. However, for them this method is very effective and convenient.
As in previous cases, you need to fill the kettle two-thirds full. Add vinegar, about half a glass per liter. If you are using concentrated essence, you will need one and a half tablespoons for the same amount of liquid.
Measure the amount of vinegar carefully Boil water and leave to cool for one hour. Then simply drain. Use a soft sponge to wipe stubborn stains and they will come off. After cleaning, you need to boil the kettle with plain water two or three times.
Important: Please note that vinegar emits a very strong aroma when heated, so the procedure should only be carried out when open windows or a powerful hood turned on.
An inexpensive and healthy way to get rid of even the oldest and toughest scale is to use baking soda. It is suitable for all types of teapots, including enameled ones.
It is important not to overexpose the soda in the kettle However, you should use baking soda carefully - it can scratch the surface, so don't try to just wipe off the plaque with it. In addition, in order to get rid of the old layer of scale, you will have to repeat the procedure at least three times.
Add one tablespoon of soda to half a kettle of water (no more!). For a regular kettle, boil the water for half an hour. For electric, you need to turn on the boiling mode several times. Forum users claim that three to four times are enough.
As everyone knows, when soda is added to vinegar, a chemical reaction occurs. You can use it to clean scale from a kettle, but you should be careful - you can’t just fill the kettle with vinegar and add baking soda. So aggressive influence will damage the container.
Baking soda and vinegar when mixed give an active chemical reaction. You need to fill the kettle two-thirds full and add one tablespoon of baking soda per liter of water. Then pour half a glass of vinegar into the tank or add three tablespoons of vinegar essence.
Bring the water to a boil and keep the kettle on low heat for half an hour. Then use a soft cloth to wipe off any dirt. This method is not suitable for electric kettles, but it does an excellent job of cleaning old scale from regular ones.
This method cannot be called gentle: it has a very aggressive effect on the surface, so it is permissible to use it only if the kettle has not been cleaned for several months and a thick layer of scale has formed inside.
This method is only suitable for the oldest scale In order to clean the kettle, you will need to boil water in it three times for 30 minutes. The first time - with a tablespoon of soda, the second time - with a tablespoon of citric acid, the third time - with half a glass of vinegar. For each case, water should fill the container by two-thirds.
After the last boil, carefully wipe the kettle with a sponge and then boil it several times with clean water. It is very important to ventilate the room well during the cleaning process, as vinegar emits extremely bad smell when heated.
Oddly enough, however, this method has a right to exist.
First of all, a few rules:
The cleaning process itself is quite simple. Fill the kettle halfway with the drink and turn it on. Leave it for about 20 minutes after the liquid boils. Drain it and rinse it with clean water.
Cola is not only a drink, but also an excellent cleaning agent It sounds incredible, but even old scale can be cleaned this way. However, another question arises here - how safe it is to drink such drinks if they remove something that aggressive detergents cannot always cope with.
Another method from the “Incredible but true” category. It doesn’t always work: if the scale is old, you won’t be able to get rid of it this way. But with plaque that has just appeared, the method works perfectly. In addition, it is considered one of the most gentle. It can be used for glass teapots - it is both environmentally friendly and will help give them shine.
The method is suitable for savings fans: no waste! Simply boil two handfuls of apple peels in half a kettle of water for 20 minutes. For electric kettles, you can turn on the boiling mode 2-3 times. Then leave the device for two hours. After this, you can drain the liquid and wipe the inside of the kettle with a soft cloth. Rinse it well - the clean kettle is ready for use!
Frankly speaking, this method is not for everyone. It's hard to imagine a person who likes the smell of boiling brine. However, if you are not sensitive to fragrances and the naturalness of the product is important to you, you can experiment.
It is necessary to pour the brine into the kettle, boil and leave for half an hour. Then drain the brine and rinse the kettle with clean water.
Not everyone will like boiling brine. True, not every brine is suitable - only one that contains vinegar or citric acid. It is through their action that the effect is achieved. But here the question arises: why boil the brine if you can just use acid or vinegar?
If quick results are important to you and you don’t want to experiment with your own kettle, you can simply go to a hardware store and buy a descaler.
Antiscale, Cinderella, Shine... There are many options, for every taste and budget. We recommend that you carefully study the composition: some drugs should not be used, as they can have an aggressive effect on the coating of the kettle or cause harm to your health.
If you don't want to experiment with a teapot. 
