Nothing is better than a hot cup of tea, but it can often taste a little funky if you are not cleaning away any limescale stains sitting at the bottom of your kettle. Limescale is a harmless substance but this crusty stain can be difficult to remove as it is made out of the minerals from water evaporating, and it will bond tightly to a surface.

You cannot get rid of these stains just by scrubbing at them, but leaving limescale alone will cause it to build up over the heating appliance, which will eventually break your kettle. If you want a simple way to clean your kettle without harsh chemicals or much effort, then the experts at Figgy and Co recommends using citric acid crystals. 

They said: “Using pure citric acid at home gives you the same powerful descaling action without the unnecessary fillers, fragrances, or chemical additives found in store-bought solutions.

“It’s a simple, natural, and cost-effective way to keep your appliances clean, efficient, and free from build-up—without the extra junk.”

Citric acid naturally comes from citric fruits like lemons, and is strong enough to dissolve limescale without needing to scrub or it or use a chemical cleaner. 

Limescale can be tricky to get rid of because it is mostly made out of calcium carbonate, a tough mineral that is water-resistant and will not react to most soapy or cleaning products.

The key to getting rid of limestone is to is a acidic substance like citric acid, which will create a fizzy reaction that will wash away the hard and crusty stains so you do not have to scrub at them.

How to clean a kettle properly without scrubbing

What to use: 

It is fine to use lemon juice to clean out a kettle, but you buy a crystallised version of citric acid in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets and it is a lot stronger so you do not have to clean it more than once. 

You can also use white vinegar to clean a kettle, but the smell is very potent and it can a while to rinse out the taste from your kettle. It tends to be easier to use citric acid. 

Method: 

All you need to do is fill the kettle until it is halfway full, and then add two tablespoons of citric acid. Turn the kettle on and let it boil. Once it finishes boiling, switch off your kettle and let the hot water sit for roughly 10 minutes. 

This gives the citric acid time to break down the limescale stains. Once the time is up and the citric acid has stopped fizzing, pour out the hot water. 

Rinse the kettle under a tap of cold water to get rid of any leftover citric acid, and your kettle should now be sparkling clean without having to scrub it.