How To Clean A Kettle With Lemon


Credit: Britannica

Have you ever wondered how to clean a kettle with lemon? Lemons are an incredible product, great for baking, using in drinks, and even for cleaning. They are full of citric acid, which goes a long way to removing limescale, grease and bacteria.

So how exactly do you use nature's own miracle cleaner? Well, that's exactly what we're about to tell you.

How To Clean A Kettle With Lemon

One of the best reasons for using lemon is that it is completely natural. Unlike a lot of chemical cleaners, it won't leave a nasty aftertaste in your kettle, which can spoil your drinks for a while afterwards. And no-one wants to think about what that stuff might do to you if ingested.

And just as importantly, using lemons instead of a chemical cleaning agent doesn't require a great deal of additional effort. In fact, it may even be easier in some cases.

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For the purposes of this article, we'll explain how to clean your kettle using fresh lemons. But you also have the option of using bottled lemon juice, which works in a very similar way. Here's how you do it:

  • Start by cutting a lemon in half, and squeeze the juice directly into your kettle. If you have a very large lemon, then using half the lemon will probably be enough.
  • Cut the lemon into chunks and add it to the kettle.
  • Add around 500ml of water to the kettle. This may vary slightly depending on the size of your kettle. But as a guideline, fill it up to wherever the limescale is.
  • Next, boil your kettle.
  • Leave it to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes, to give the citric acid time to do its job.
  • Some people recommend that you boil the kettle for a second time. This may depend on how much limescale you had in your kettle. You don't need to use a fresh lemon every time you boil the water.
  • Leave it to cool, then empty your kettle and rinse it with cold water. If you want, you can wipe the inside of the kettle with a damp cloth.
  • If you need to, wipe the outside of the kettle to remove any water marks.

Once you've done this, you should notice a significant difference between how your kettle was before, and now.

Alessi Tea Rex kettle
click to enlarge
Credit: Alessi

Why Clean Your Kettle?

The main reason to clean your kettle is due to limescale buildup. Limescale is made of calcium carbonate, which deposits on the inside of your kettle. Over time, it can stop the element from heating the water as effectively. This can then take longer for your water to boil, costing you money.

Limescale isn't harmful, it naturally occurs in hard water areas where there is a lot of limestone. But it can change how your drink tastes. And if there's enough of it in your kettle, you might start to notice some of it ending up in your drink.

How Often Should You Clean Your Kettle?

There's no hard and fast rule to this. A lot depends on how much you use the kettle, as the more you use it, the more limescale is likely to appear. Another factor is whether you live in a soft water area or a hard water area.

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Anyone in a hard water area will likely need to clean their kettle more frequently than someone in a soft water area. But the best guide is to use your eyes. If you start noticing a build-up in your kettle, then a quick clean is probably in order.

And a couple of extra tips to try to keep your kettle in top condition: don't scrub the heating element of the kettle. These often have a protective coating on them, which scrubbing can damage. And secondly, if you don't use the kettle regularly, don't leave water in it for a long time. This can damage the element, and even (in extreme cases) lead to rust forming inside your kettle.

For more articles like this, take a look at our How To page.