Cleaning kettle limescale with vinegar

If you have a kettle that looks like the photo below you might be dreading having to clean it.

limescale covered kettle

Trying to scrub limescale like this off the inside of a kettle is hard work if you don’t use the right cleaning product. Vinegar is a traditional solution used to get rid of limescale. I bought a 13p bottle of vinegar from Tesco to give it a go.

limescale covered kettle bottle vinegar

What I did was to put a very *small amount* amount of vinegar into the bottom of the kettle (about a quarter of the bottle) and then boil it.

It is important that you don’t put too much in because vinegar foams! If you put too much vinegar in the kettle it will go everywhere and may short your electrics – or even worse electrocute you!

Here is a video of what happened when I started the kettle. This video must surely be destined to win the ‘best video on YouTube’ prize.

After boiling the vinegar, I left the kettle for an hour, then put in another quarter of the bottle of vinegar and boiled it again. I then left the kettle for a short while and gave it a clean with a soft fabric scourer. The limescale came off really easily – so this traditional cleaning method does work. And I only needed to use half a 13p bottle of vinegar to do it. Below is what the base of my kettle looked like afterwards.

shiny kettle base

A few final thoughts – once again don’t put too much vinegar in as it foams! And finally you should be aware that boiling vinegar will make your kitchen smell of vinegar for hours afterwards. Don’t do this if you are expecting guests!

3 Comments on “Cleaning kettle limescale with vinegar”

  1. Kettle cleaning solutions or homemade mixtures can both be effective at removing limescale from kettles. But if you also want to leave your kettle smelling fresh, try using lemon juice!

  2. I am so happy that I found a post for how to clean my kettle! I was afraid that I will not be able to clean it anymore. Thanks for sharing! :)

  3. Amazing article! The step-by-step guide is helpful for removing limescale from a kettle with vinegar. Thank you for sharing this practical and eco-friendly cleaning solution!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do NOT fill this !