What causes limescale and how does it affect kettles?

Limescale mainly consists of calcium carbonate that is commonly found in rocks and seashells. It is mainly off-white in colour, grey, pink, or reddish-brown in some instances. Cases of limescale are mainly experienced in parts of the countries with hard water which contains high levels of magnesium and calcium.

A flaky and scaly coating that won’t disappear easily on its own is set to build up if you don't know how to descale a kettle. This coating may cause the heating element in your kettle to become less effective. This means you will have to wait longer before your water gets ready, consuming more energy than normal.

Also, hot drinks made from water boiled in a limescaled kettle will tend to taste salty. That’s because elements that cause limescale like calcium and magnesium impact how flavours in drinks are broken down. You may also find pieces of limescale floating on drinks, which can get disgusting if you accidentally happen to crunch on one during your regular morning cuppa.

With technological advancements, improvements have been made to electric kettles to try to get rid of this problem. This includes fitting them with an element behind the metal base plate which helps reduce the risk of damage hence lengthen their lives. This technology also ensures that a limescale filter is placed in the spout to separate limescale from the water as you pour. Unfortunately, these efforts are not foolproof. Limescale still builds up and so knowing how to descale your kettle will remain important.

How to descale a kettle with vinegar

Using vinegar is one way of descaling a kettle. To do this, fill it to three-quarters capacity with a solution of water and white vinegar. The water and vinegar should be mixed in a ratio of 1:1. Boil the solution. For rickety kettles with hard to access areas, you should let the mixture settle for at least thirty minutes.

Pour out the solution after at least thirty minutes and rinse out the kettle. For better results, ensure that you rinse your kettle two to three times. This helps to completely get rid of the vinegar out of the inside of your kettle.

Use a clean wet cloth to wipe away any limescale that might be left inside the kettle. In as much as the vinegar solution cleans, it may probably not clean all the limescale. The leftover limescale is removed by adding baking soda to a damp cloth and wiping by hand. To ensure better results, you are advised to use a microfiber cloth or a cleaning brush that will get all the corners of your kettle cleaned.

The last step of descaling your kettle with this method is by running a plain water cycle. This process is done by filling your kettle halfway with clean water and letting it boil for a few minutes. Pour out the water once it starts to boil and repeat the process 2 to 3 times until there is no lingering vinegar taste.

Descale your kettle with a descaling kit

Descaling kits and tablets are a quick, simple and fuss-free way to descale your kettle. You can buy descaling tablets in most supermarkets and online on sites like Amazon. They're really easy to use and do most of the hard work for you!

Another quick alternative is investing in descaling kits. Descaling kits come in powder form packaged in packages like teabags. They work perfectly on scaled-up kettles and coffee machines by cleaning in under ten minutes - a quicker option than the home remedies.