Kettle boils faster and limescale 'instantly' disappears with natural trick

31 January 2024 , 13:55

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Remove limescale instantly with this hack (Image: Getty Images)

While not actively harmful to your health, limescale is an incredibly common and unsightly scourge on many households, particularly those who live in hard water areas, where the mineral deposit builds up more easily.

Technically, limescale is mostly made of calcium carbonate, and even if it isn't harmful to drink, it can impact the efficiency of your appliances, which can be frustrating.

The chalky-looking deposit can stop them from working as well, meaning that they can cost more to run, or eventually need to be replaced sooner than you might have expected, making it potentially costly. In the kitchen, your kettle is the appliance that is most likely to be affected by this issue, as it is so often in use, but this cleaning hack will have it good as new.

The hack was used by Jo Besant, who posted on the Facebook group, Mrs Hinch Army Cleaning Tips. She wanted to show just how much success she had with the hack, which requires only one ingredient: citric acid.

Initially, she just asked for tips about the best approach, writing: "So this is the kettle at my work, they won't buy a new one- any ideas where to start, please?! I'd like to have a cup of tea!" Jo also posted a photo of a kettle pretty caked in the chalky, mineral deposit.

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Later, she posted just how sparkling she had managed to get the kettle by using the citric acid that other users had recommended - good as new, the heating element of the kettle was no longer coated in limescale, something that can mean it takes longer to boil your water, and costs you more money to run.

One of the users who recommended the solution explained why citric acid is the way to go when dealing with stubborn limescale because it "is a descaler and works wonders on kettles. I work in a lab, and we use it for our industrial water still and our kettle in the office!"

They added: "You can buy boxes of it in Wilko, and I'm sure I've seen it in Poundland too. Boil the kettle, add half a box and it dissolves all the limescale in 15 minutes. Stuff a bit of kitchen roll soaked in the solution for the spout. Remove the filter and chuck it in the main kettle as it works."

You can also grab citric acid from chemists and online retailers like Amazon, but when buying in-store may need to ask an assistant, as it is not always available on the shelves.

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Emma Mackenzie