The Best Way to Clean an Electric Tea Kettle

What’s going on?

Toaster ovens needing a good clean makes sense—you’re cooking food in them. But kettles? The only thing that ever goes in a kettle is water.

Your first thought might be that it’s time for a new one. But don’t be so quick to throw it away. 

You’re looking at limescale—a collection of naturally occurring minerals in our water. Limescale is made up of mostly calcium carbonate, one of the most abundant minerals on earth.

Depending on where you live, the levels of these minerals will vary and can affect the taste of your water. 

Although limescale is not harmful, it can be pretty ugly. The good news is that it can easily be removed. 

For more information on the best way to “uncrust” your kettles, I turned to our equipment expert, Lisa McManus, who suggested a few easy steps to remove limescale buildup safely.

Repeat these steps every one to two months to stay on top of buildup.

• STEP 1: Boil a full kettle of water. Don’t pour it out.
• STEP 2: Add a citric acid base solution such as Dezcal to the full kettle. (Use 1 oz of descaling powder per 32 oz of capacity in your machine.) Let it sit for five minutes and then pour it out.
• STEP 3: Boil one to two clean full kettles of water before using the kettle again to be sure that all the chemicals are washed away.

Now, that you know how to properly clean your kettle, it’s important to know what methods and products could actually make it worse.

1. DON'T USE Vinegar: Although many sites and manuals recommend using distilled white vinegar to descale small appliances like kettles and coffee makers, it can actually be damaging. Not only is vinegar corrosive, it also doesn’t completely remove limescale. 
2. DON'T USE Dish Soap: Limescale needs to be broken down with an acid. Dish soap won’t be as effective as citric acid or Dezcal. It could also stick to the limescale.