Alternatively, you can make a cleaning solution by mixing lemon and vinegar. Lemon reduces the odor of the vinegar. Fill a quart-sized glass jar with lemon rinds. Cover with white vinegar. Let it sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Strain the lemon rinds out using a cheesecloth or strainer into a glass spray bottle. If you want a weaker cleaning solution, add filtered water to the product after straining. If you’re cleaning an electric kettle, make sure it’s unplugged before pouring in the water and vinegar. If your kettle has a filter near the spout, pull it out before cleaning it. If there’s limescale stuck on the filter, put it in a small bowl with equal parts vinegar and water. Check the owner’s manual for your kettle to make sure that it’s safe to add vinegar to the interior. Vinegar may be too harsh of a cleaner for some electric kettles.
Feel free to use a high heat setting to bring the solution to a boil as quickly as possible. It shouldn’t take longer than 5 minutes to get it boiling. Turn on an exhaust fan or open a window since the vinegar will create a pungent odor once it starts boiling. If yours is an electric kettle with an automatic switch-off feature, listen for it to turn off on its own instead of watching to see when it boils.
If your kettle has a removable lid, take this lid off to make it easier to rinse out the interior. You can rinse the lid by itself to make sure it’s also clean.
If a damp cloth isn’t cutting it, add a sprinkle of baking soda to a damp sponge and use that to clean out the inside of the kettle. If there’s still stubborn limescale stuck inside your kettle, then boil more vinegar and water solution to break it apart. You may need to run vinegar through your kettle a few times if it’s really dirty.
You can also “test” your kettle by preparing a beverage in it and seeing if it tastes at all like vinegar.
Alternatively, cut the lemon into small slices and toss them all in the water. [8] X Research source If you don’t have a lemon, you can use 1⁄4 cup (59 ml) of store-bought lemon juice instead. [9] X Research source Check the manufacturer’s instructions for your particular kettle to make sure it’s safe to add lemon juice or pieces of lemon inside.
Lemons contain citric acid that breaks apart stubborn limescale. Letting the solution soak will give it enough time to descale your kettle and cool down.
If you have an electric kettle, avoid submerging it completely. Just rinse out the inside so you don’t damage any of the electrical components.
You may need to repeat this cycle several times to completely remove any leftover limescale or lemony odor inside your kettle.
Baking soda is a natural cleaner and disinfectant so it works as a natural kettle descaler. Baking soda is usually safe to use in most kettles, but check your instruction manual to be sure.
You can leave the solution to soak inside your kettle for up to an hour to help break apart even more of the limescale.
Rinse your kettle 2–3 times to ensure you get as much of the limescale out as you can.
You may need to try scrubbing the limescale multiple times if it doesn’t come off after the first try.
