I figured I should do a hot and steamy post since it’s Valentine’s Day, but I promise to keep it PG. :) I love a hot drink during the winter months to help keep me warm and cozy but I don’t love the hard water build up that comes with it. I typically dump out the old water before boiling some new water, which means it has time to sit and scale up my kettle. I probably won’t change my ways since I don’t mind de-scaling my kettle when it needs it.
To de-scale your kettle you will need:
- water
- vinegar
- stove (optional)
- Add roughly 1 1/2 cups of vinegar to your kettle then fill it the rest of the way up with water.
- Bring the vinegar and water mixture to boiling then allow it to cool down. The steamy vinegar will do the work to break down the buildup and disinfect at the same time.
- Warn your family member that the water has vinegar in it or they will think the water is for hot chocolate and try to make some.
- After allowing the water to cool, dump it out and rinse.
Done. Easy. Clean. I only had to put forth the effort of 1-2 minutes to fill it up and dump it out since I asked Husband to turn off the burner while he was in the kitchen. He asked excitedly if I was making hot chocolate and I said “No, I’m cleaning.” I like love cleaning when it means sitting on the couch and watching the Olympics. I also love that this method doesn’t use any harsh chemicals unlike other methods I’ve used. (For the record, I’m still alive without any side effects so far…)
Happy Cleaning and Valentine’s Day!
Angela
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Angela Says 
Great tip (such a steamy post :) ) I need to do this to my kettle.
Thanks Sarah! :)
I have been hiding my tea kettle for weeks because the outside has scaling and I am so psyched to have found this post! I have been trying to scrub it off, which doesn’t work :( I can’t wait to try this
Let me know how it works for you! I used to scrub mine to try and get it off before I started using this method.
Thanks for this. I have an electric kettle that needs this badly, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. Is there any after taste or need to run one more pot with plain water after?
Just rinse it out with water when your done, that should take care of any residual vinegar and leave no taste.
Oh my! This is so much easier than scrubbing it, which is the method I’ve been using! I’ve even considered buying a new kettle….
Thanks so much for the tips….
Off to clean my kettle now….
:)
hugs x, Crystelle
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i love this ideal, thanks louie.
I don’t see any way on the site to submit a question so I’ve been looking and searching and reading other posts and not finding… but this post is most closely related.
TOILETS! How to descale a HORRIBLY scaly toilet bowl??? Thank goodness I haven’t had a single guest in this house in 6+yrs but that just might be because my toilet is disgusting. I have very hard water (calcium, not iron) and it pretty much scales up everything from the dog bowl to the pots & pans. It destroys every coffee maker w/in a few months. Yes – I know I need to get a filter on the house, etc. However… for now I just wanna know how to get that horrid, nasty, never-comes-clean, thick, lumpy CRUST off the walls of my toilet bowl. PLEASE help!
Rosie I would pouring a cup or two of vinegar in the tank of the toilet as well as the bowl and spritz the bowl. The vinegar should break down the calcium scale. Keep the bowl wet with vinegar for 30-60 minutes then scrub and flush the toilet a few times. This will make your bathroom smell like vinegar when you flush the toilet for a while but it should help cut down on the buildup. The vinegar will also deodorize your bathroom.
If all else fails, I would try this toilet bowl cleaner.
I hope this helps!