Banish kettle scale with citric acid. Budget-friendly solution

The scale problem in the kettle particularly affects those who have hard water at home. Calcium and magnesium ions in the water turn into carbonate deposits, which accumulate on the walls of the kettle.

With each boiling process, pieces of this deposit detach and can find their way into drinks such as tea or coffee. It's worth avoiding this.

When wanting to remove the scale from a kettle, we often reach for vinegar. However, vinegar can be replaced with another cheap and effective product. Vinegar may linger inside the vessel, so we have to rinse it several times. Using citric acid is a quicker and equally inexpensive way to remove scale.

How to do it: Just boil water, add 3-4 tablespoons (about 45-60 grams) of citric acid, and wait about 10-15 minutes. If the kettle has not been cleaned for a long time and the scale has a thicker layer, it's worth pouring a whole sachet of citric acid into it, filling it with water, and boiling it. Leave the mixture for a few minutes, and then rinse the vessel thoroughly.

It is recommended that the scale be removed from the inside of the kettle regularly, about every two weeks, although this frequency mainly depends on the water quality in your home. To limit the formation of deposits, it's worth filtering the water before boiling it, for instance, using a commercially available carbon filter pitcher. This will help remove most of the minerals and contaminants responsible for scale formation.

Some modern electric kettle models already have such a feature. Another option is to install a specialized water softening system directly on the tap, although it involves somewhat higher costs.