Descaling an ordinary metal kettle is not very difficult, because the metal can easily withstand the effects of acids.
Washing kitchen utensils with vinegar is one of the most effective methods . Therefore, we will consider this cleaning method in more detail.
When water evaporates, it forms on the kettle. Scale does not cause significant harm to a person, but it can impair the taste of the drink. A device covered with scale heats up more slowly, because salt layers have low thermal conductivity. Over time, scale can destroy the device.
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One way to clean a limescale kettle is to fill it 1/4 full with white vinegar. Then it is left with vinegar for 1 hour. After an hour, you can remove the plaque with the handle of a wooden spoon. After that, water is added to the device to the very top.
The water in the apparatus is brought to a boil, shaken and poured. To clean the teapot from vinegar, it is filled with water, which is boiled and poured out. This procedure repeat twice.
Electrical utensils are more sensitive to influences than their metal counterpart. Therefore, not all methods are suitable for washing a plastic electrical appliance.
It is better not to try to clean the electric kettle with a knife, because you can damage the product.
To flush an electrical appliance with a capacity of 1.5 liters you need 400 ml of 6% vinegar. Then you need to add water to the mark. The vinegar solution must be boiled and left for at least 3 hours.
But this cleaning method has a drawback, the electric kettle will smell like vinegar. Therefore, it is better not to use vinegar for washing a plastic electrical appliance.
There are times when such a thick layer of plaque forms on the kettle that the methods mentioned above do not help. In this case, a combination of vinegar, citric acid and table soda is used.
First, pour water into the container, then pour soda into it. The solution is brought to a boil, after which the water is poured out. Now pour water and add a spoonful of citric acid. Solution
The above cleaning method is very aggressive and is not suitable for a plastic kettle.
After that, the water is drained and poured with 100 ml of vinegar.
Tip 4. How to descale a glass kettle or electric kettle
First, pour water into the glass appliance above the scale level. It is best to fill it above the maximum mark. Then pour a few tablespoons of vinegar into it and mix lightly.
The kettle is connected to the network or put on the stove.
You need to wait until the water boils and pour it into the sink. When doing this, be careful not to get scalded by the steam.
If traces of scale remain on the glass apparatus, the above actions must be repeated 1 more time. Usually after 2 times the scale is removed completely. Now you need to rinse the kettle with water and boil it. As a result, your beloved friend should become clean and not emit foreign odors.
When the procedures for cleaning the kettle with vinegar are completed, it must be rinsed several times. Care must be taken in this matter. To eliminate bad odors, boil water with a slice of lemon.
Tip 6. In which cases you should not use vinegar to clean the kettle
While vinegar is a versatile way to clean kettles, there are times when other options are better. Not all housewives love the smell of vinegar, which will be quite noticeable in the kitchen.
Can be used instead of vinegar soda, spoiled milk, citric acid, tomato or cucumber pickle, and even carbonated drinks.
Minerals dissolved in hard water very often remain on the walls of various appliances.
The combination of calcium and magnesium is not dangerous, but not particularly beautiful. Every hostess has on her shelf countless chemicals, which help her cope with various deposits on kitchen appliances. But their use carries risks, especially when you can get the same result with much more environmentally friendly and less toxic products.
All these abilities can be successfully replaced by ... a bottle of vinegar. It works efficiently and cheaply, and most importantly, it is always at hand.
About the advantages of this product in some recipes no need to tell anyone. It is used as a preservative and oxidizing agent and has also been used for centuries to treat certain ailments. In addition, vinegar is widely used as a descaling agent. Its advantage is the price - it is incomparably lower than various chemical agents.
Vinegar is an effective cleaner and disinfectant. Due to its high acidity, it kills most bacteria, mold and germs. It is an inexpensive, non-toxic, ecological and completely natural product.
You can easily remove scale with vinegar on various appliances, including kettles, coffee makers, coffee machines. It effectively copes with deposits on glass, stainless steel, aluminum, plastic and other materials from which household kitchen utensils and accessories are made.
How does vinegar affect scale?
In our country, hard water flows from water taps, which is full of various minerals, especially calcium and magnesium. Although they are not harmful to human health, they are not so friendly to various installations and kitchen equipment.
Most deposits contain very strong acids, which eventually petrify. One of them is calcined acid, which has a strong corrosive effect.
It is enough to heat hard water to a temperature above 550C or simply let it evaporate so that chemical compounds are debugged on the walls and bottom of the devices. In very hard water, you can find more than 300 mg of minerals per liter, which means that during the year the average family is able to form deposits of up to 70 kg in the form of scale and raids.
How does vinegar interact with calcified deposits?
CaCO3 + 2CH3COOH -> (CH3COO) 2 Ca + H2O + CO2
Calcium compounds in water (CaCO3) under the influence of acetic acid (CH3COOH) are converted into water (H2O), calcium acetate (CH3COO) - compounds that dissolve in water and carbon dioxide (CO2), which evaporates as a gas. Here is the result of this chemical reaction the sediment disappears from the walls of the devices. If you don't know how to descale vinegar in a thermos, just use it along with warm water.
Also in the fight against scale, the apple version, which is formed on fermented apples caused by acetic acid bacteria, does an excellent job.
How to remove plaque from a kettle
This method is still used by our grandmothers, as it is considered quite effective. The cleaning process is as follows. For 1 liter of water you need 100 ml of vinegar.
Stir the mixture and pour into the kettle, put on a small fire until boiling or turn on the electric kettle. As soon as the water begins to boil, it is necessary to observe the cleaning of the walls. Even strong scale softens after 15 minutes of boiling and can be easily removed with a soft sponge or toothbrush.
The disadvantages of this method include bad smell vinegar, but it is easy to remove. To do this, boil several times in a kettle clean water.
Also in a good way a mixture of 1/3 cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soda and 1 tablespoon of ammonia per 1 liter of water can cope with scale. Stir the liquid and pour into the kettle, boil for 20 minutes and leave for several hours.
After descaling, rinse the appliance thoroughly and remove any remaining deposits. Approximately the same technology can be used to clean the humidifier.
How to deal with scale in a thermos
A thermos can keep you warm fragrant coffee or tea on the road or on the way. And he is also prone to scale formation. Caring for him is quite simple, easy and fast.
To keep the accessory in perfect condition, you can use vinegar, which perfectly removes calcified deposits from the liquid. To do this, just pour 1 glass of acid, add water and a few grains of rice and leave overnight. Rinse thoroughly before reuse cold water.
Dishwasher cleaning
Removal of calcified deposits from inner surface machine should occur with regular use. However, if deposits have appeared on the walls and cannot be removed, you can deal with them with vinegar. The same method can help clean the thermopot or clean the column.
Instruction
- Fill container with 1 cup hot water and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.
- Start the machine cycle.
- Clean the inside dishwasher with a brush and soapy residue, especially go through hard-to-reach places.
- Fill the bowl with water and 1 cup of vinegar. Start a short cycle with hot water.
This will remove all remnants of scale, disinfect the machine and remove extraneous unpleasant odors.
Descaling the coffee machine
Over time, compounds in hard water also form on coffee machines. Cleaning with vinegar once a month will help get rid of unpleasant plaque and extend its life.
For a regular coffee machine you need:
- Add 1 cup (250 ml) of warm water to the water tank, then 2 cups (500 ml) of vinegar, and then start the coffee brewing process.
- Discard liquid and rinse equipment thoroughly with water.
- Start the brewing process 2 more times with a simple clean water to rinse the residue.
Regular cleaning of the coffee machine will not only get rid of scale, but also eliminate the accumulation of coffee oils inside the appliance, which affects the quality of the drink - it becomes bitter. It is worth noting that the boiler is cleaned according to the general technology.
Cleaning the iron
If you live in an area with hard water, over time, minerals can clog your iron's fine steam pores, reducing steam output. To clear it, you need:
- Fill the tank with vinegar and water in a ratio of 1:1, and then place it face down.
- Turn on the iron on the steam setting and keep it in that position until the tank is empty.
- Fill the container with water and use as directed.
One way to get soft water without impurities is through filters through which it is purified. They can be installed directly on the faucet or filter the water solution in a special jug.
Tap water contains a large amount of impurities that cannot be completely removed even with filters. Small particles of dirt, rust from pipes form limescale, which leads to Appliances to breakage.
Scale in an electric kettle is the most common cause shortening the service life. Plaque accumulates on the heating element, which causes overheating. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase a device with built-in filters. They will reduce the amount of salts and lime in the water.
If you are warm in metal teapot or bucket, scale will not cause breakage, but will also affect water quality. The top layer of plaque crumbles and gets into a cup of tea or coffee. Regular consumption of a drink with such impurities affects the functioning of the kidneys and can lead to genitourinary diseases.
A steam iron has a tank in which water is heated. Due to scale, small holes are clogged. The device ceases to perform one of its functions or breaks due to overheating.
To extend the life of the devices, it is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of their walls. Do not clean them with a metal mesh, knife or brush. Can be damaged upper layer and cause rust to form.
Vinegar is one and available funds to remove plaque from hard water. Not recommended for cleaning electric kettle. The most common ways to remove scale:
- To descale your kettle, fill it to the top with distilled water. Three tablespoons of 9% vinegar (20 ml of essence) are needed per liter of liquid. Heat the full dishes and boil the solution for 5-10 minutes. After cooling, leave the kettle overnight. In the morning, you can clean the softened plaque with a sponge.
- More effectively, you can clean the scale with vinegar and ascorbic acid. To soften the plaque, it is enough to dial the container in half. 20 ml of essence and 25 g of ascorbic powder are added per liter of water. The solution must be heated and boiled over medium heat for 20 minutes. After 12 hours, carefully remove the dirt from the walls.
- To clean an old kettle with a lot of plaque, you need to use a few simple ingredients. First, type in a container and boil a soda solution (20 g of soda per liter), then lemon (25 g of citric acid) and finally acetic (20 ml of acid).
Vinegar can leave an unpleasant odor and taste. Therefore, after cleaning in any way, it is necessary to boil the kettle with clean water two or three more times.
How vinegar works on scale
Acid effectively acts on all layers of scale, destroying their connection with the walls of the kettle. Limescale is removed or can be removed with a soft sponge. You can speed up the cleansing process by boiling dilute vinegar in water.
To use the method, it is necessary to distinguish between:
- Vinegar is the least concentrated liquid used as a seasoning for cooking. This solution contains 9% acid.
- Acetic acid - presented in the form of a powder or already diluted liquid in a ratio of 30% of the main ingredient to distilled water.
- Essence - this liquid contains the most concentrated composition (70-80%).
Depending on the concentration of acid-acetic bacteria, it is necessary to reduce or increase the amount of water. If the scale is old, 2-3 cleanings may be required. Acetic acid or essence causes burns on the skin, so dilute it and wash the kettle with gloves.
Vinegar from scale is applied as the device becomes dirty. It can be combined with soda and citric acid. An electric kettle whose walls are made of plastic cannot be cleaned in this way. For metal models, the method will be effective and safe.
Vapors of vinegar solution can provoke an asthma attack or burn the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. Therefore, descaling with vinegar should take place in the kitchen with an open window. It is also advisable not to cover the kettle with a lid, the solution should boil over medium heat.
Cleaning the iron from scale
Over time, from poor-quality tap water, the iron begins to spoil clothes. The water tank and steam holes can be cleaned at home with a vinegar solution. To avoid dirty stains on the fabric, use the following methods:
- Dilute the water with table vinegar in equal proportions. It is necessary to fill the tank to a third. Place the iron filled with vinegar in an upright position. Heat it up for full power 5-10 minutes. If the scale is strong, cool the appliance and heat it up again. Then release the steam into the tub or basin. During the procedure, do not inhale the vapors.
- If you wipe the iron, you can remove scale with vinegar from the soleplate and steam holes of the kettle. To do this, soak a cotton pad or sticks in water with the addition of essence.
To completely remove scale with vinegar, you must refill the iron with clean water and release steam. To prevent the occurrence limescale use distilled water and do not leave the tank filled for a long time.
Other ways to clean scale
To eliminate the accumulation of salts is possible only with the help of acid. In addition to acetic acid, lemon or ascorbic acid is used at home. To clean the soleplate of the iron, you can use baking soda, toothpaste, hydrogen peroxide, or laundry soap.
The kettle can be descaled using the following products:
- washing or tooth powder;
- carbonated drink;
- ammonia;
- cucumber pickle;
- milk serum.
You can also remove plaque by adding to water potato peelings. Due to the high content of starch in the peel, the walls of the kettle are cleaned of heavy scale. If you boil the skin of apples or pears, you can remove a small salt coating from the surface of the kettle.
Below you will find detailed videos instructions for quick cleaning of the kettle from limescale. Happy viewing!
When boiling water, solid deposits appear inside the kettle, small particles of which even pass through the mesh and enter the drink. And the view inside the kettle becomes unaesthetic. It will take quite a bit of time to get rid of this problem. In addition, every housewife probably has a life-saving remedy in the kitchen.
Learn how to clean the kettle even from old scale with ordinary table vinegar and enjoy a wonderful tea party!
The reason for the appearance of deposits on the walls of the kettle are the salts contained in the water. Calcium compounds are the most unpleasant for dishes.
In the process of heating water, calcium carbonates (CaCO3) and magnesium (MgCO3) are formed. They settle on the bottom, walls and heating elements of the kettle in the form of a rough yellow-gray coating, which is called scale.
The intensity of the appearance of deposits depends on the "hardness" of the water (the level of mineral salts in it) - the higher it is, the faster the plaque forms.
Note! Scale not only spoils appearance dishes, but also reduces heat transfer - it takes more time to bring water to a boil. If the kettle is “dressed in a fur coat” with a thickness of only 1 mm from the inside, heat costs will increase by 10%!
The harm of scale in electric kettles is especially noticeable. Settling on heating elements, deposits contribute to their rapid failure. As a result, expensive equipment breaks down without having worked out its entire resource.
If you leave the appearance of scale in the kettle unattended, continuing to boil water in it, tea drinking will soon cease to bring joy and pleasure. And all because along with water, gray flakes - particles of salt deposits - will begin to fall into the tea cup. This "additive" can spoil not only the appearance of the drink, but also its taste.
Today, there are many ways to completely clean drinking water. But it is the content of trace elements in it that makes water “alive”, since they are necessary for the normal functioning of various organs and body systems.
Why is the use of vinegar so effective in the fight against scale?
Many cleaning products contain organic acids, fragrances, and other chemical compounds. All this is included in the price of the product.
In fact, the basis of descaling is the reaction of the splitting of magnesium and calcium salts. Vinegar copes with this task without any problems, and in small concentrations - the most in demand.
Another reason why descaling a kettle with table vinegar shows excellent result, is the liquid state of the cleaning agent. It penetrates everything hard-to-reach places removing salt deposits.
In addition, vinegar has other advantages over most limescale removers. Among the main ones:
- availability;
- profitability;
- efficiency;
- relative safety;
- ease of use.
Note! When used in the correct concentration, acetic acid does not damage the inside of the teapot and washes out easily after use.
Basic Methods for Cleaning a Kettle with Vinegar
There are several ways to use vinegar to descale dishes. Some of them are aimed at preventing the formation of scale, the other - at removing old deposits.
The proposed recipes provide for the use of the most popular 9 percent table vinegar. It is sold in most grocery stores. You can also get a similar product by diluting 1 part vinegar essence with 7 parts water.
Important! For any manipulations with concentrated acid, safety rules must be observed!
- Fill the kettle with cold water and add vinegar at the rate of 100 ml per liter.
- Boil water, leave for 2-3 hours, and in case of severe pollution - all night.
- Then pour out the contents, clean the inner surface with a sponge, easily removing loosened scale residues.
- Rinse well, fill with clean water, boil and drain again.
The kettle is ready to use!
"Double composition" with the addition of soda
It is easy to clean the kettle from a large amount of deposits, and an enhanced action agent with vinegar and soda will help old scale.
This method is step by step process, based on alkaline and acid treatment.
- Boil water in a kettle, add baking soda in the proportion: 3 tablespoons per 1 liter of water.
- Cool the solution for 30 minutes, then boil the water again and drain.
- Rinse the kettle well with water.
- Carry out the vinegar treatment according to the classical method described above.
There is another, faster way.
- Pour water into the kettle, add soda, immediately pour in the vinegar, boil and leave to cool completely.
- Then pour out the contents, clean the kettle with a sponge.
The ratio of ingredients: for each liter of water you need 2 tablespoons of soda and 100 ml of vinegar.
Additional Information! "Double composition" helps to get rid of not only scale, but also rust.
"Triple composition" with soda and citric acid
In even more difficult cases use a three-stage cleaning method, in which vinegar, soda and citric acid are combined.
- Boil water in a kettle, add baking soda at the rate of 3 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water. Leave for 30 minutes, drain, rinse with running water.
- At the second stage, bring the water to a boil with citric acid (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water). Also let stand for 30 minutes, drain and rinse with water.
- The final, third stage - cleaning the classic way using 9% vinegar.
How to choose the right method?
Models of modern teapots are diverse: metal, glass, plastic. But all of them are prone to scale formation and need regular or preventive cleaning.
What method will be optimal for a particular type?
Electrical
If the electric kettle has a plastic surface of the body and a slight layer of scale, use classical method without leaving the vinegar solution overnight.
Due to the fact that the heat-resistant polymers from which the bodies of electric kettles are made are resistant to acetic acid and baking soda solutions, in some cases the possibility of using staged cleaning is also allowed.
Important! Using too much acetic acid solutions can damage the plastic surface and the heating elements.
glass
Teapots with a glass case are filled with water, vinegar is added, boiled and left for 2-3 hours. The remaining scale is cleaned with a sponge. With persistent contamination, the procedure is repeated.
stainless steel
Vinegar can be used to easily descale stainless steel kettles.
To do this, first pour the soda solution, let it stand for a while. Then the surface is wiped with a cloth or napkin moistened with a weak solution of acetic acid.
By the way, this method will allow you to clean the dishes not only inside, but also outside - from fat.
Brewing
Pour water into a large enough saucepan, heat to a boil, remove from heat. Add vinegar and baking soda.
Gently lower the teapot into the foaming solution, cover the pan with a lid, leave for 30 minutes. This is enough to remove all plaque, including from a narrow spout.
Finally, rinse the kettle thoroughly.
enamelled
The most traditional attribute in the kitchen requires careful handling. Attempting to remove scale mechanically leads to enamel damage and corrosion. Water in such dishes is contaminated with heavy metal compounds, which are extremely harmful to health. Vinegar is ideal for descaling enameled containers. Any method can be used.
Note! It is better to pour cold water into a kettle that has already cooled down so that the enamel coating does not crack and lose its appearance.
A word about prevention
Using vinegar from scale, you can not remember the problem of lime deposits. It is enough to follow simple rules:
- Before each use, rinse the kettle and pour required amount fresh water to avoid re-boiling.
- Once a month, clean the inner surface, even if the sediment is negligible.
- Use soft filtered water.
Additional information: When cleaning salt deposits with vinegar, persistent unpleasant odors are simultaneously removed.
Thanks to regular descaling using vinegar solutions, the kettle will look “like new” for a long time, and its service life will be extended. Water after boiling does not lose its beneficial features, keeping taste qualities hot drinks.
Have you ever tested tap water? If not, then one can only assume what is contained in it, except for “ash-two-o”. Some substances are easy to detect even without careful analysis - these are metal salts of magnesium and calcium. The water in which they are contained is called hard water.
Take a look inside your teapot. If you see a persistent grayish coating (scale) - it means that the water in your water supply is hard.
Hardness of water
There are many ways to get rid of hard water. You can use chemicals or filters, but the easiest way is to boil the water. In this case, soluble hydrocarbons will turn into insoluble carbonates and settle in the form of scale on the walls of the dishes.
We note right away that it is impossible to use hard sponges or knives, this can damage the dishes. Knowing that the walls are only chemical compound, try to act on it by chemical means.
You can descale the kettle with the help of inorganic and organic acids. Have you ever extinguished soda with vinegar? Something similar happens with scale when acids are added. First, use vinegar. Moreover, it is in the arsenal of any hostess.
We take vinegar
People got acquainted with vinegar a long time ago, when the first barrel of wine turned sour from an unlucky winemaker. But it is unlikely that people thought that this spoiled wine would be quite a valuable tool in the economy.
Use at least 9% vinegar for cleaning. In one liter of water, 150 g of the substance must be dissolved. It is even better to use a more concentrated solution - vinegar essence. It can be taken one (maximum two) tablespoon. Pour the solution into the kettle (up to half the volume) and boil. You need to boil for at least half an hour.
During the cleaning procedure, there will be a strong smell of vinegar in the kitchen. Therefore, it is advisable to open a window or at least a window, and remove children and asthmatics to another room. After the procedure, the kitchen should be well ventilated.
If the plaque is large, it is not possible to remove it immediately. In this case, the cleaning can be repeated. At the very end, rinse the dishes thoroughly to get rid of the persistent smell of vinegar.
With the help of vinegar, you can also clean the electric kettle from scale. It is necessary to pour clean water into it to the very top and dissolve the required amount of the product in it.
The peculiarity of cleaning the electric kettle is that continuous boiling for a certain time is impossible.
Proceed as follows: wait until the kettle turns off automatically, then wait a little and turn it on again. Repeat several times. After the procedure, boil the kettle with the addition detergents and then with pure water.
Lemon cleansing
It is not difficult to clean a kettle from scale with citric acid. You can buy it at grocery store. The advantage of this tool is the absence of a pungent odor and absolute harmlessness. Despite the fact that it is a weak organic acid, it is able to dissolve hardness salts.
The whole cleaning procedure consists of 6 stages:
- Buy 1-2 25g or 20g packs of citric acid.
- Pour two thirds into the kettle cold water and pour one sachet of citric acid into it.
- Boil water for about 5 minutes.
- Check the quality of cleaning. To do this, remove the kettle from the heat and gently stir the water in it. Flakes in the water indicate the effectiveness of the procedure.
- After cleaning, drain the dirty solution and rinse the kettle under running water.
- Boil the kettle twice with clean water.
If there is not a lot of scale in the kettle, the cleaning procedure can be carried out without boiling. Dissolve citric acid in water, pour into a teapot, wait about 5 hours. Then proceed as in the previous case.
Soda will help
And now we will tell you how to use soda to clean the kettle from scale. First, pour clean water into the kettle tap water. Then dissolve the soda - a tablespoon with a slide - and boil.
Wait about 20 minutes, then drain the solution and refill the kettle. Then you need to add one tablespoon of citric acid and boil. dirty water empty and clean the kettle with a soft sponge.
Citric acid can be replaced with vinegar. To clean it, you need to boil water and immediately add 3 tablespoons of soda to it. After half an hour, boil the solution again and pour it out of the kettle. Then fill it with hot water with vinegar essence (2 tablespoons).
Bring the solution to a boil, wait half an hour and pour. As in the previous version, clean the remaining loose plaque with a sponge. Such cleaning can be carried out for teapots of any kind.
Baking soda loosens scale, while citric or acetic acid dissolves it. Using baking soda for cleaning is very beneficial because it is cheap, affordable and absolutely harmless.
Coca-Cola against scale
Why Coke? It contains inorganic phosphoric acid, which is added to the drink to improve the taste. And the action of phosphoric acid on carbonates is similar to the action of acetic and citric acids.
Of course, the concentration of acid in Coca-Cola is low. Therefore, with a thick layer of scale, it will not help. But it will cope with a small raid. Moreover, it is the most safe way clean the teapot.
Pour the drink into the teapot up to half the volume. Wait for the gas bubbles to come out. After that, boil the water and let it stand for half an hour. Then drain the solution from the kettle and rinse with clean water.
To keep your kettle always in top condition, descale it every month. With a small layer of contamination, the cleaning procedure can be carried out without heating. In advanced cases, use industrial scale removers. And do not forget to rinse the dishes well with tap water after any cleaning.