We've been using our kettle for years, and the scale (mineral deposits from the water) have built up pretty noticeably. I understand that people who drink tea a lot (ie, in countries outside of the US) take methods for de-scaling their kettles for granted, but I have no idea how to do this thing.
What works well and is eco friendly (yep..im german) is either vinegar essence or regular really cheap vinegar( i tend to not use my good balsamico vinegar ;)). you pour water and vinegar into the kettle (id say for a kettle you would probably use 4 tablespoons of essence more if youre using regular vinegar) boil the two and then let it sit for a couple of hours.Then I scrub it a bit with a brush. If it doesnt work well enough you will have to use more vinegar.
Citric acid also works. Now i wouldnt know where to buy it in the states but i get vinegar essence at the supermarket (where the regular vinegar is) and citric acid in the drugstore (usually where the cleaning products are).
p.s. It also works well for cleaning shower heads,sinks etc
posted 8 months ago
just out of curiosity: when you use this method, what do you then do to remove the vinegar flavor from the kettle?
This really does stink your house out (vinegar) but it is eco friendly and it works. Also try using vinegar - white wine vinegar - and newspaper to clean glass. Put the vinegar in a spray bottle (plastic watering bottle for delicate plants). Spray onto glass and scrub with a screwed up piece of newspaper. Works as good as any other product on the market and doesn't harm the environment.
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