In most settlements, tap water contains many impurities, especially calcium and magnesium salts. During boiling, they form an insoluble precipitate. Therefore, an unpleasant plaque is often formed inside the kettle - scale. These salts go into an insoluble form and are deposited on its bottom, walls and heating elements. Due to scale, the taste of water worsens, its small pieces fall into tea and spoil its appearance and our health. For an electrical appliance, it is even more harmful, because due to the deposition of salts, it boils longer and breaks faster. Most housewives know how to clean the kettle from limescale with citric acid, but there are several other ways.
What are the cleaning methods based on?
It is very unpleasant when, when adding water from the kettle, yellowish scale flakes fall into your cup in your cup. Moreover, it is formed even if you use filtered water, because filtration does not clean it of calcium and magnesium salts. Over time, their insoluble forms corrode the enamel or plastic walls of the kettle. Due to scale, the time it boils increases greatly. Therefore, you need to deal with it regularly: it will be easier to remove it than a thick layer.
All methods of cleaning the kettle are based on the fact that scale is the deposition of salts. Acids are used to remove them. They react with salts and convert them to a soluble form. Many people know how to clean the kettle from limescale with citric acid. This method is based precisely on this property of chemicals. Now descaling products are sold, some use them because it is easier. Pour the product from the bag into water and boil. You can descale the enameled kettle in this way at one time. But many do not like the fact that traces of chemicals may remain on the walls, so they prefer to use alternative methods.
How to descale a kettle with citric acid
This is the most common and well-known way to keep your heater in order. You just need to pour a bag of citric acid into the kettle and boil water for 5-10 minutes. Then leave this solution for half an hour. Many leave a teapot with citric acid overnight if the layer of limescale is very thick.
How to properly breed this tool? On a regular two-liter kettle take 1-2 sachets of acid (or 2 tablespoons with a slide). You can also use lemon juice by squeezing it from 1-2 fruits. After the boiled solution has cooled, the water needs to be drained, but not in the sink, as it may become clogged with scale flakes. Remnants of plaque are easily cleaned with a sponge. If the sediment is very thick, the procedure must be repeated.
Cleaning the kettle with citric acid is a very simple and cheap way. It’s so easy to even descale your kettle. But not everyone uses this method, because a concentrated acid solution can be dangerous for the metal, cause its corrosion. There are some more simple and safe methods.
The way our grandmothers
Since olden times, women have cleaned dishes with soda. It was also used to clean the kettle from scale. Soda not only mechanically gently removes plaque, but also softens the sediment. Along with citric acid, this is one of the safest ways. After all, even if you wash your kettle badly and the rest of the product gets into your tea, this is unpleasant, but it will not harm you. Often these two tools are used together. This removes the thicker sediment more effectively.
How to clean the kettle from soda lime? Dissolve a couple of tablespoons in water and boil for half an hour. After the kettle has cooled, boil it again. Draining the water, you will see that the scale has become loose. If you can’t remove it with a sponge, you can still boil water with citric acid, so the most difficult deposits are removed.
Other popular methods of combating scale
- Boil potato peelings, apple peel or cut lemon in a teapot for an hour.
- Instead of water, pour brine from cucumbers or tomatoes into the dishes and boil for at least an hour.
- For an hour and a half, boil the following solution in a teapot: two glasses of water, three glasses of crushed chalk and a glass of ammonia and laundry soap.
How to clean the kettle with acid
But most often, modern housewives use acids to remove salt deposits. After all, all folk remedies are not suitable for electric kettles.
Such solutions are boiled for a long time, and it will constantly turn off. Therefore, it is best to clean the kettle from scale with vinegar. To do this, pour two-thirds of the water, adding to the top of table vinegar. This solution must be brought to a boil and cooled. The scale should dissolve without a trace, but if there are pieces left, the procedure can be repeated.
Recently, many housewives instead of vinegar use "Coca-Cola" or "Fanta". These drinks also have an acid that dissolves the precipitate. The peculiarity of this method is that you need to pour only half the kettle, and before that completely remove the gases from the drink. In addition, when boiling on the walls of the dishes, traces of dyes may remain, so it is better to take colorless soda, such as Sprite.
How to clean the kettle from scale
- After using any method, the dishes should be thoroughly rinsed so that no traces of the solution remain on the walls. It would be nice to boil clean water in it and pour.
- When cleaning an electric kettle, do not make a strongly concentrated acid solution that can corrode the plastic walls and heating elements.
- Do not forget to warn your family members that they do not drink tea at this time, because instead of water they can pour acid into the cup.
Many housewives have long known how to clean the kettle from limescale with citric acid. But it turns out there are many other cheap and reliable ways to do this easily.