How To Descale A Tea Kettle
Image: Giraffe Tea Kettle from A Jungle Store
If you routinely heat water for your tea in a tea kettle and you haven’t descaled it lately it is probably time to do so. Mineral deposits from the water adhere to the sides of the kettle every time it is used until it not only looks awful but it doesn’t work as well, taking longer to heat up AND it makes the tea have a funny taste. If you have an electric kettle it can also cause the heating element to burn out.
So. The first thing to do is to half fill the kettle with a 75/25 mixture of white vinegar and water. Allow it to sit over night. In the morning pour the vinegar mixture out, scrub the inside of the kettle with an old (clean) toothbrush an rinse again. Boil some water in it to get any remaining vinegar smell or taste out and it is sparking clean and ready to go.
Some people keep tiny pebbles or shells in the bottom of their kettle because the pebbles bumping around during boiling helps to keep the scale from building up in the first place. I haven’t tried that so I don’t really know. If you have tried that, leave a comment and let us know how it works.
Tags: clean-a-teakettle, descaling-kettles, eco-friendly-descaling-methods, environmentally-friendly-ways-to-descale-a-tea-kettle, how-to-descale-a-tea-kettleRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Tea
6 opinions for How To Descale A Tea Kettle
Julie F
Jan 15, 2008 at 9:44 am
My great-grandmother once mentioned to her daughter that she would fill the pot with ammonia, wrap it in a black garbage bag and let it sit outside overnight. She did this with pots and pans every few months, too. I lived with her and from what I remember, her pans were always shiny. Ammonia has dangerous fumes, so I am pretty sure that is why she left the whole contraption outside.
Marye
Jan 15, 2008 at 11:57 am
yeah..and vinegar will really do the same ting AND it is environmentally friendly.
I still would like to know about the whole shell/pebble thing tho.
Ginger
Jan 15, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I am pretty sur my family would think i went off the deep end if they found pebbles in the tea kettle. They might blame it on one of the smaller children. It sounds like it would work though.
Marye
Jan 15, 2008 at 11:46 pm
ah, but Ginger, the beauty in that rests in the fact that our families all ready think we are off the deep end….
Ginger
Jan 16, 2008 at 12:51 pm
well, when you put it that way…. maybe I will find some pebbles, sterilize them, and give it a go.
um…did I just say i was going to sterilize rocks?
I’d better have another cup of coffee.
Marye
Jan 16, 2008 at 4:39 pm
LOL! You clean freak you
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: