If you see stains inside your kettle, they are likely caused by limescale, a gritty substance made up of mineral buildup that forms when water is heated and begins to evaporate. Over time, limescale can make its way into the kettle’s heating element, which will cause it to take much longer to boil and eventually break down altogether.
Not to mention, limescale can affect the taste of tea, making it bitter and causing white flakes to float around your mug, so it is best to clean your kettle as soon as possible. There are many ways to remove limescale, such as chemical descalers or pungent vinegar, but Chris Bolt, an expert from Green Citizen, has shared his favourite method: citric acid.
Chris said: “I’ll never forget the day I stumbled upon a jar of citric acid at a quaint farmer’s market. Little did I know, this unassuming powder was a cleaning powerhouse.”
He added: “Your kettle will probably suffer from the biggest build-up of limescale if you have particularly hard water.
“You can create magic, though, when you add this ingredient to hot water. That’s when the acid will attack the limescale and completely dissolve it.”
Citric acid may sound harsh, judging by its name, but it is a natural substance that comes from citrus fruits such as lemons or oranges.
It is a weak acid often used in the food industry to prevent spoilage in fruit or canned goods, but it is also incredibly effective against limescale.
Limescale is mainly made out of calcium, which will begin to fizz up and dissolve when in contact with citric acid, so it will clean your kettle without scrubbing it for ages.
How to use citric acid to clean a kettle
A crystallised version of citric acid can be found in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets. At Tesco and Asda, a tub only costs £1.75 while at B&Q it costs £2.25.
All you need to do is fill your kettle halfway or until it covers all the limescale stains in the pot.
Then, add two teaspoons of citric acid to the kettle and bring it to a boil. Leave the kettle alone for around 10 minutes to give the citric acid time to break down the limescale.
Pour the water away and rinse the kettle out with cold water from the tap. Your kettle should now be completely sparkling clean.
If there is any staining left, then you might have a particularly stubborn case of limescale, so you may need to repeat this a few times to get your kettle clean.
Citric acid is incredibly handy to have in your home, as not only does it clean kettles, but it also cleans stains from coffee machines, remove marks from shower screens and can even sanitise wooden chopping boards.