How to remove a thick layer of scale from a kettle. How to descale an electric kettle. Fruit and potato peelings

Scale (salt sediment) disrupts the functioning of the electrical appliance, and white and red flakes end up in the cup along with boiled water. At first this layer is just white coating, then it turns into stone, which is difficult to remove. I'll describe effective ways How to descale a kettle at home.

• Warn your family not to use the device temporarily.
• Fill the water up to the middle of the container.
• Add active ingredient.
• Turn on the device.
• Wait at least half an hour.
• Wash thoroughly inner surface.

To remove old fossilized plaque, use several methods at once or try again.

Traditional Effective Methods

The easiest way to clean an electrical appliance at home is with the help of improvised means:

• Soda - softens salt deposits.
• Acids - They even dissolve fossilized scale.
• Brush and sponge- will not damage the surface of the kettle walls, like their metal counterparts.

So, the main sediment fighters are soda and citric acid.

Method 1: Cleaning with baking soda

Baking or soda ash will help restore cleanliness to any electrical appliances (plastic, metal, ceramic). There are 3 ways to descale a kettle with soda:

Image	Description
	Method 1 - with soda ash Recipe for multilayer scale: Fill the bowl with water. Add powder at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 liter. Boil and leave until cool. Wash the kettle, removing any remaining sediment.
	Method 2 - with baking soda and vinegar Recipe for a small layer of salts: Empty the kettle from water. Prepare containers for vinegar and soda. Here, soda for descaling in a kettle works in combination with vinegar. Wear rubber gloves. Soak a sponge in vinegar and then dip in the powder. Using your hands, rub it into the inner surface of the device. Wash the electrical appliance. Vinegar and soda, when combined, produce a reaction that destroys salt deposits.
	Method 3 - powerful complex from soda ash And citric acid Dissolve 1 tbsp in a liter of water. a spoonful of soda and 1 teaspoon of citric acid. Pour the resulting solution into the device. Next, boil and leave to cool. Remove loose residues with a brush. Wash the device thoroughly. This method is not for plastic. Long-term contact with acid and alkali will destroy it. An aluminum kettle may also be damaged.

Method 2: using acids

Any old deposits acids can be easily removed:

Acid	Application
	Vinegar To clean metal, ceramic and glass electric kettles: Prepare the solution: ½ cup vinegar per 1 liter of water. Bring the solution to a boil. Leave for an hour to loosen sediment. Wipe the device with a sponge, removing the remaining salt layer. Wash thoroughly. The disadvantage of this method is bad smell in the kitchen from vinegar. Ventilate.
	Two types of citric acid are used: powder and lemon. Cleaning instructions: Dissolve teaspoon of powder in 500 ml of water or cut the sour fruit into 4 parts. Turn on the electric kettle. The next half hour is the time for cooling and softening of the plaque. Clean up leftovers sponge Rinse. The bonus of the method is a refreshing lemon aroma.
	Cleaning a kettle from scale with oxalic acid: Pour the powder into the device, about half a glass. After 10 minutes, fill it with water. Boil. Wash thoroughly plenty of water. For minor plaque, you can use fresh sorrel: boil a few leaves.
	Lemonade contains phosphoric and citric acids, eliminating sediment: Shake carbonated drink. Pour into the kettle. Turn on device. Leave to cool.
	Organic acids of the peel they will get rid of the apple Electric kettle from scale: Peel the apple from the peel. Fold cleaning into the device. Fill with water and boil. Leave it overnight. Use this safe natural remedy once a week for prevention.

Method 3: combined (for a thick layer of scale)

After such a powerful attack, all the scale will come off. This is a two-step cleansing process:

• Step 1: remove with soda and acid. Pour some soda into a saucer, add any acid from the table. Treat the entire coated surface with the resulting slurry. After 10 minutes, rinse.

• Step 2: Remove scale and odors. Cut the lemon into slices and place in the electric kettle. Boil water with lemon and leave for half an hour. Wash the device to remove loose residues.

Various household chemicals for scale removal

Except traditional methods, you can clean an electric kettle using chemical products specially designed for this purpose.

Their main components:

• Organic and mineral acids (citric, sulfamic, adipic).
• Sodium tripolyphosphate- the main product from the processing of phosphoric acid in expensive products.
• Soda.

These products also solve the problem of how to descale an enamel kettle. Available in liquid, powder or tablet form. Use strictly according to the instructions so as not to damage the equipment.

General scheme of how to get rid of scale special cleaners:

• Prepare the solution.
• Boil in a kettle.
• Then pour it out.
• Remove scale. Once softened, it will come off easily.
• Boil 2-3 times clean water to flush out any remaining chemicals.

Conclusion

We found out that the choice of ways to remove scale from an electric kettle is quite large. Home remedies are not inferior in effectiveness to industrial ones, tested! Check out the video in this article, and you can ask questions in the comments.

Whatever water you use - tap, purchased or spring - sooner or later a white coating will appear in the kettle. This is scale formed as a result of the deposition of potassium and magnesium salts dissolved in water on the walls. If it is not cleaned regularly, it will turn into limestone. I will tell you about all the ways to remove scale from a kettle without resorting to special means.

Why scale is dangerous and how to avoid it

It’s clear why scale appears: it’s salts evaporated from water. You can avoid its appearance only if you use distilled water. But it is not only not useful, but also harmful to the body.

However, scale from water itself is also not harmless.:

• Damage to health. High content undissolved salts entering drinks leads to cholelithiasis and other physiological disorders;
• Scale affects the taste of water;
• Electricity. Limestone on the bottom and walls of the kettle reduces their thermal conductivity and forces you to spend more energy on heating water. And the heating elements in an electric kettle quickly burn out.

Therefore, the answer to the question of how to remove scale from a kettle will help you solve not only an aesthetic problem. But also avoid unnecessary expenses and health problems.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely prevent the appearance of plaque. But you can prevent the formation of a thick and hard layer, which is very difficult to deal with.

To prevent a thick layer you need:

• Use soft water. It can be filtered, settled before boiling, or purchased from reliable suppliers.
• Do not keep water in the kettle. After each tea party, the leftovers should be poured out and the dishes should be rinsed.
• Clean regularly. Depending on the quality of the water, it needs to be repeated every 2-4 weeks.

To do this, you can use special products sold in stores. Their price varies from 20 to 300 rubles, but, in my opinion, they act exactly the same. The method of application and the time spent on cleaning may differ - each product comes with its own instructions. But this is not important.

But you can do without them. After all, in every kitchen there will always be other, more natural remedies that can cope with this task.

6 ways to get rid of scale

If you don't know how to remove scale from a kettle, take a look at kitchen cupboard or refrigerator. You need foods that contain acid. These are vinegar, citric acid or fresh lemons, apples, pickles and even carbonated drinks.

Method 1 - using vinegar

This product perfectly softens even old mineral deposits. But it is quite aggressive, so it is better not to clean a plastic electric kettle with it. As well as enameled or aluminum.

We act like this:

• Pouring water into the kettle so that it covers the entire plaque;
• Bring it to a boil and remove from heat;
• Carefully pour a glass of 9% vinegar into boiling water. or 2 tablespoons of essence for every liter of water;

• Leave for 1-2 hours.

During this time, the plaque will become loose and can be easily removed with a sponge.

Method 2 - using brine

The brine from pickled cucumbers or tomatoes already contains vinegar, so it can also be used to descale the kettle. There is no need to dilute it, just strain through a sieve.

Has the same effect spoiled milk and whey, which contain organic acids.

Method 3 - using citric acid

Citric acid is not so aggressive, so it is also suitable for aluminum, plastic and enameled metal teapots. You can use either powder or fresh lemon.

The amount depends on the degree of contamination:

• 1 tablespoon powder or a quarter of a medium lemon per 500 ml of water will remove the faint white residue in the kettle;

• Twice as much required for a thicker layer of scale.

But citric acid will not dissolve large deposits that have already stuck to the walls.

The recipe is the same as when cleaning with vinegar: the acid is added to freshly boiled water, and after a couple of hours it is poured out along with the dissolved salts. Their softened remains will need to be removed with your own hands using a dish sponge.

Method 4 – using carbonated drinks

Sprite, Fanta, Coca-Cola and other carbonated drinks contain phosphoric acid, which can also remove scale from the kettle.

They are poured into an empty container, stirred to get rid of gases, and then brought to a boil.

When the liquid has cooled, the kettle can be washed.

Method 5 - using apple skins

This method will not help clean the kettle. strong scale. It is rather preventive, used when plaque has just begun to settle on the walls. To get rid of it, just fill the peelings in a kettle with water, boil it and after an hour pour it out along with the skins.

In addition to apple skins, you can use pear skins or washed cleaning from raw potatoes.

But this one soft method Suitable for cleaning regular teapots made of any material. If you use it regularly, you will not see scale in them at all.

Method 6 - using soda

Another effective one home remedy– baking soda or soda ash.

It is applied like this:

• Before descaling from the kettle, you need to mix two tablespoons of powder with a liter of water;
• Pour the solution into the kettle and she put it on fire;
• When it boils, reduce the heat and leave the water to simmer gently for half an hour;
• Then drain the solution, and rinse the dishes and boil clean water in it.

In general, after each remedy listed above, it is recommended not just to wash the kettle, but to boil clean water in it 1-2 times.

What to do with old plaque

If the scale is old and covers the surface with a thick layer, only a special product or repeated use of the methods described above can help.

It is best to alternately apply vinegar, baking soda and citric acid, using a higher concentration of cleaning solution.

Even if the scale does not come off on its own, it will become soft and loose, which will allow you to clean it off the walls.

Conclusion

I hope that the listed methods for descaling a kettle will help you always keep your dishes clean. And those who wish can boast of particularly impressive results in the comments.

The video in this article shows the cleaning process - you can see for yourself that these methods work.

Arina Piskareva

Laboratory employee of the Department of Bioengineering, Moscow State University

Scale is mainly composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate. When interacting with citric, acetic, orthophosphoric or other acid, sparingly soluble carbonates of alkaline earth metals are converted into readily soluble salts. For example, acetates. Therefore, acidic substances are effective in the fight against scale, and to enhance the reaction they need to be heated.

Soda, when interacting with water, produces carbonic acid molecules, which, in turn, react with insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates, turning them into soluble bicarbonates. And they are easily washed off with water and removed with a sponge.

1. How to descale with citric acid

• Suitable for any kettles, coffee machines, irons, washing machines.
• Proportions: teapots, coffee machines and irons - 10 g for every 100 ml of water; washing machines - 50 g per kilogram of load.
• pros: environmental friendliness, safety, availability, pleasant aroma.
• Minuses: does not cope with old, thick scale.

Fill the kettle about ¾ full with water, so that the liquid covers the coating on the walls and heating elements, but did not splash out when boiling.

Pour citric acid into a kettle (100 g of powder for every liter of water) and boil.

Leave until completely cool. Drain the water, remove any remaining plaque with a sponge and wash thoroughly.

How to descale a coffee machine

For a coffee machine, it is necessary to prepare a solution of citric acid based on the volume of the water reservoir. For example, if the coffee machine is designed for 2 liters, you will need 200 g of citric acid.

Pour the hot solution into the tank and leave for 60 minutes.

After an hour, start the coffee program without the coffee itself. Drain the liquid through dispensers.

Then run the coffee machine with only water, without citric acid. As soon as you pour out the boiling water, you can use the device. If the coffee machine reservoir is removable, remove any remaining deposits under running water.

After the procedure, rinse the iron reservoir with running water and wipe the sole ammonia or nail polish remover.

To remove deposits from the heating elements and drum, you will need 50 g of acid per kilogram of load.

Pour ¾ citric acid (190g acid per 5kg load) into the powder tray and ¹⁄₄ (60g) directly into the drum. Start the wash at maximum temperature.

2. How to descale with table vinegar

• Suitable for glass and ceramic teapots, stainless steel teapots, irons and washing machines.
• Proportions: teapots - 100 ml for each liter of water; irons - 1 tablespoon per liter of water; washing machines - 10 ml per kilogram of load.
• Plus: more aggressive acidic environment even cleans thick layer scale
• Minuses: may damage rubber and plastic elements of devices, pungent odor.

How to descale a kettle

To clean the kettle, dilute vinegar in water and place on fire. After boiling, let it simmer for a few more minutes. Then drain the water, remove any remaining deposits with a sponge and cleaning agent, and boil clean water in a kettle.

Pour the warm vinegar solution into the water reservoir and, holding the iron horizontally, release the steam.

Boil a kettle of vinegar and release steam from the iron only in a well-ventilated area.

How to descale your washing machine

IN washing machine Pour vinegar (10 ml per kilogram of load) into a cuvette for conditioner or liquid powder. Run a wash without laundry at maximum temperature, and then rinse again to be sure to get rid of the specific aroma.

Vinegar can damage the rubber bands on the door, so be careful if you decide to pour the product directly into the drum. This can be done when there are no liquid reservoirs in the machine.

3. How to clean scale with soda

• Suitable for any kettles, coffee machines.
• Proportions: teapots and coffee machines - 1 tablespoon for every 500 ml of water.
• pros: accessibility, simplicity.
• Minuses: does not remove all types of plaque, does not cope with old deposits.

The mechanism for cleaning teapots and coffee makers with soda is simple: fill them with water, add soda and boil. Wherein regular kettle It is recommended not to remove it from the heat for another 20–30 minutes after boiling, and to turn on the electric one several times.

After the procedure, wash the inside of the kettle or coffee machine reservoir and boil clean water.

If the plaque is very strong, try instead baking soda more alkaline calcined. Or add the same amount of salt to regular soda.

4. How to descale with soda water

• Suitable for any kettles, coffee machines, irons.
• Proportions: the vessels are filled approximately ¾.
• Plus: effective even with thick plaque.
• Minus: A colored drink may stain the vessel. Therefore, to clean irons and white plastic electric kettles, it is better to use clear soda, including mineral water.

How to descale a kettle or coffee machine

Open the bottle and wait until most of carbon dioxide will evaporate.

Pour the soda into the kettle or coffee maker reservoir, hold for 15–20 minutes, and then boil.

Thanks to phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide, sodas do an excellent job of removing salt deposits.

Pour the soda into the water reservoir, turn on the appliance, hold the iron vertically and release steam. If there is a lot of scale, do this several times.

5. How to clean scale with brine

• Suitable for any teapots.
• Proportions: The kettle must be filled ¾ full.
• pros: simplicity, accessibility.
• Minuses: does not cope with persistent plaque, specific smell.

The brine contains lactic and acetic acids. Fill the kettle with strained cucumber or tomato brine and boil for 20–30 minutes.

After this, drain the brine and scale and wash the kettle with a soft sponge and cleaning agent.

6. How to clean scale with soda, citric acid and vinegar

• Suitable for any teapots.
• Proportions: 1 tablespoon of soda, 1 tablespoon of citric acid and a glass of vinegar per liter of water.
• Plus: even breaks up rock salt deposits.
• Minus: troublesome, strong smell, exposure of devices to aggressive components.

Fill the kettle with water, add citric acid and boil. If the kettle is electric, do this 2-3 times. If regular, let the lemon soda solution bubble for 20-30 minutes.

Drain and refill the kettle with water. Boil it and pour in vinegar. Leave for 15–20 minutes.

If after this the scale does not come off on its own, it will become loose. You can easily remove it with a sponge and dishwashing detergent.

At the end, boil clean water in the kettle again and then drain it.

What to do to prevent scale

1. Try to pour only filtered water into kettles, coffee machines and irons.
2. Rinse the appliance before adding water.
3. Do not leave water in the appliance after use. It's better to pour a new one each time.
4. Get rid of scale at least once a month, even if there is no pronounced plaque on the heating elements and walls. If the device has a self-cleaning function, use it.

Scale appears due to impurities contained in low-quality water. During boiling, they settle on the walls of the kettle and spoil the taste of hot drinks. Scale also conducts heat poorly, so a dirty kettle will take longer to boil.

How to clean a kettle with vinegar

The method is suitable for very dirty teapots made of plastic, glass, and stainless steel.

You will need:

• ½ liter of water;
• 1 glass of 9 percent vinegar or 2 tablespoons of 70 percent vinegar essence.

Heat water in a kettle, then pour in vinegar or vinegar essence and leave the solution for an hour. During this time, the scale will soften. Rinse the inside of the kettle with a sponge, boil clean water again and drain it.

How to clean a kettle with lemon or citric acid

The method is suitable for electric kettles made of stainless steel, plastic or glass with a moderate layer.

Not suitable for enamel and aluminum kettles.

You will need:

• ½ liter of water;
• ¼ lemon or 2 tablespoons of citric acid.

Heat water in a kettle and add a piece of lemon or citric acid to the boiling water. Leave the scale to soak for 1-2 hours. Wash the kettle with a sponge and rinse thoroughly. After the first boil, the water will need to be drained.

How to clean a kettle with soda

The method is suitable for any teapots.

You will need:

• ½ liter of water;
• 1 tablespoon baking soda.

Stir the baking soda thoroughly in a glass of water until it dissolves completely. Pour the resulting liquid into the kettle, add the remaining water and boil it. Wait half an hour or an hour and heat the kettle again.

Now you can wash the kettle and boil clean water in it. True, you will have to pour it out afterwards.

How to clean a kettle with soda water

The method is suitable for stainless steel kettles heated on a stove.

Not suitable for aluminum, enamel and electric kettles.

You will need a bottle of any lemonade. The most famous option is cola, but it is better to use a colorless drink (it is important that the composition contains citric acid).

Let the opened bottle of lemonade sit for 2-3 hours to allow the gas bubbles to disappear. Then it’s simple: pour the drink into the kettle and bring to a boil. Then wash and rinse everything thoroughly.

How to clean a kettle with a peel

The method is suitable for enameled and metal teapots with a weak layer of scale.

Not suitable for electric kettles.

You will need:

• ½ liter of water;
• skin of 2–3 apples or pears.

Rinse the cleaning from dirt and sand, put them in a kettle and fill with water. Boil the liquid and leave to steep for one to two hours. A light layer of scale will come off on its own; rub stubborn stains with a dishwashing sponge. After rinsing, the kettle will shine like new.

If you have a particularly spacious kettle, and scale has accumulated on the walls, take large quantity water than indicated in recipes. The liquid should cover the dirt completely.

How to keep your kettle clean for a long time

1. Fill the kettle with soft water. If you don't buy bottled, use a filter. Or at least let the tap water sit for several hours to allow impurities to precipitate.
2. Boil water in a kettle no more than once. Better fill it with fresh one.
3. Rinse the inside of the kettle at least once a day. And ideally before each use.
4. For the sake of prevention, boil a filled kettle with one tablespoon of citric acid once a month.

Enameled teapot - very beautiful, convenient and the most common type kitchen utensils. Even if there is a kitchen home system filtering water, it is completely impossible to avoid solid deposits on the walls and bottom inside the kettle.

The filter significantly reduces the concentration of impurities and salts of calcium and magnesium, but over time, in the process of heating the water, an insoluble precipitate still forms, raising a completely expected question - how to remove scale from the enamel teapot.

When first heated in a vessel, the salts contained in the water precipitate and first form a loose base. With each further boiling, it becomes more and more compacted, creating a durable layer of plaque.

The most important argument is taking care of your own health. The smallest particles of sediment, falling into a cup and then into the body, clog the intestines and lead to many unpleasant diseases.

How to descale an enamel kettle

The problem is quite common and was relevant many years ago, when there was no talk of filters designed to purify water.

Today, there are three answers to the question of how to descale an enamel kettle:

• Mechanical method;
• Application special means for cleaning devices;
• Use valuable knowledge to clean at home.

Mechanical - at first glance, the easiest way to remove formations, using a metal brush and cleaning pastes. With sufficient intensity, mechanical action will remove even the most stagnant layer of solid deposits.

This method is not without its drawbacks:

• The impact process takes a long time and requires a lot of effort;
• Along with the plaque, the coating is also removed, forming cracks;
• In the future, the scale in these defects will become more firmly entrenched and will be more difficult to remove.

Departments household chemicals They are replete with a variety of cleaning products, the instructions of which clearly describe how to descale an enamel kettle. As a rule, the names speak for themselves - “Antin-scale”, “Antin-scale” and others. These powders contain acids, through which solid sediment is removed. They are easy to use by following the instructions on the package.

Home Recipes

Lime deposits are successfully removed natural means that can be found in every housewife’s kitchen:

1. Lemon acid;
2. Vinegar essence, table vinegar, apple cider vinegar;
3. Baking soda.

Citric acid is an amazing assistant in how to descale an enamel kettle. Excellent solubility, lack of toxicity and the ability to effectively remove solid deposits make crystalline powder one of the leaders in home remedies for fighting scale. In order to remove scale from an electric kettle, you can use the same means.

To do this, you need to dilute five tablespoons of citric acid in two liters of water and bring the solution to a boil. It is not necessary to boil and after 15-20 minutes you should make sure that the process of peeling off the plaque has been successfully completed.

If the desired result is not achieved, it is necessary to clean again with citric acid. Before you drain old mortar and rinse the kettle, it is necessary to cool the vessel, otherwise the enamel will crack.

After all solid deposits have moved away from the walls and bottom, you need to wash the vessel with a soft sponge and loose particles (if any) will be easily removed. In order to remove the remaining citric acid, you need to boil clean water 2-3 times.

Vinegar works on a similar principle. Acetic acid actively breaks down solid deposits.

• For 2 l cold water you will need a glass of 9% vinegar;
• Leave the mixture for half an hour;
• Then bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 minutes;
• Rinse the kettle thoroughly under a strong stream;
• Boil fresh water several times “idle”.

The only drawback of vinegar is its strong specific smell. But at the same time, this is how you can clean a stainless steel kettle.

Vegetable peel

Potato peels contain a large number of organic acids, even more than in the tuber itself. It is the peel that helps solve the problem of removing scale from an enamel kettle.

To do this, peel the two fruits by placing them in a vessel, adding water and boiling over low heat for 1-1.5 hours. It should be noted that the deep layer of solid particles will soften only slightly, but will not dissolve completely.

Apple and lemon peels are used for the same purpose.

Some recommend using carbonated drinks (Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc.) instead of these products. They are really able to cope with a small layer of gray plaque and all because they add carbon dioxide with the formation of weak carbonic acid.

The concentration is small, so this method is irrational, due to high cost drinks.

Cleaning an enamel kettle from scale using any chosen method is carried out in several stages and continues until a satisfactory result is achieved.

The cleaning procedure should not be delayed - this will be a good preventative measure.

It is more advisable to wash the kettle every two weeks and spend 5 minutes on it, rather than then deal with old, deeply ingrained scale.

How to deal with old scale?

Let's figure out how to remove scale with soda. In this case, soda will become one of the stages in the fight against old plaque. It will not remove it completely, but will only soften the stubborn areas.

• Pour water into the kettle and bring to a boil;
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of soda;
• Stir and let cool;
• Bring to a boil again and drain;
• Without rinsing, pour a new portion of water and add two teaspoons of vinegar essence or a bag of citric acid;
• Let stand for 30 minutes.

After this procedure, solid deposits easily move away from the walls and bottom. To achieve maximum effect, you need to wash the kettle with a soft sponge, rinse well and boil clean water in it 2-3 times.

Video on how to descale an enamel kettle