Natural and biodegradable, it leaves a fresh smell after use. Here’s how to use it for a descaled kettle, as beautiful as the first day.
Often white or yellowish, the deposit that forms at the bottom of the kettle is never very tasty. It is due to the accumulation of limestone, contained in the water that you boil to prepare your teas and infusions for example. Called scaling, this phenomenon is very common in regions where the water is hard, in other words rich in minerals, such as calcium or magnesium.
When the water heats, the dissolved minerals solidify and form a deposit at the bottom of the kettle. However, limestone acts as an insulator. The more there are, the more time and energy the kettle will take to heat the water, which increases the electricity bill. ADEME, or the Ecological Transition Agency in Paris, reveals that descale your electric kettle regularly (approximately every three months) would save up to 10% of your energy consumption!
Also, this deposit can corrode certain parts of the kettle, such as the resistance or the walls, thus reducing its lifespan. And it affects the taste of water and that of hot drinks, like tea or coffee, giving them an unpleasant flavor. So, although limescale is not dangerous for health, an excess can make the kettle less clean and encourage the accumulation of other residues or bacteria, so it is better to clean it before it is completely scaled.
If we already know the effectiveness of white vinegar, its strong smell bothers some people while another ally just as powerful, natural and easy to use is there before our eyes. All it takes is a piece of lemon lying around in your vegetable drawer to descale the kettle in no time.
Cut it into small quarters and boil it in a liter of water, then leave for 30 minutes, then rinse. Thanks to the action of citric acid which attacks the calcium carbonate, responsible for stubborn traces, the limescale will be dissolved without corrosive effect for common surfaces, such as metal. This little cleaning should be carried out approximately once a month if you have hard water. It will leave a pleasant lemony scent, which is a plus if you don’t like the strong smell of vinegar.
