How to Descale a Kettle

The white crust inside a kettle is limescale, left behind when hard water boils. A vinegar boil dissolves it in under an hour.

Fill the kettle halfway with vinegar and water

Pour in equal parts white vinegar and water until the kettle is about half full. For a typical 1.7 liter kettle that is roughly 1 3/4 cups of each. Make sure the scale on the bottom and heating element is covered.

Boil it and let it sit

Boil the mixture, then unplug the kettle or take it off the heat. Leave it for 30 to 60 minutes. For a thick, chalky buildup, leave it overnight. The scale softens and much of it dissolves on its own.

Pour it out and wipe the inside

Pour the vinegar down the sink. Wipe the inside with a soft cloth or sponge to loosen anything still clinging on. Scrub the spout and the area around the element with a bottle brush or an old toothbrush if needed.

Rinse twice and boil fresh water

Rinse the kettle with clean water twice, swirling and pouring it out each time. Fill it with fresh water, boil it, and discard that water. If you can still smell vinegar, boil and discard one more time.

Wipe the filter and the outside

Pull out the spout filter if your kettle has one and rinse it under the tap. Wipe the outside of the kettle with a damp cloth. Keep water away from the base and the plug.

Other descalers that work. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of citric acid powder to a full kettle of water, boil, and leave for 20 minutes. Or use the juice of two lemons topped up with water and boiled the same way. Both leave less smell than vinegar. Rinse and boil fresh water afterward either way.

What not to do. Never run a kettle with nothing in it, which can burn out the element. Do not use bleach or abrasive pads inside a kettle. In a hard-water area, descale once a month to keep the buildup thin and the boil time short.