Descale the Kettle With Vinegar – Instructions: How It Works!

Descale the kettle with vinegar according to these instructions

The harder the water, the faster unsightly limescale builds up in the kettle. After a certain time, you will also discover small scales in your hot water. These are not harmful to health but can change the taste. Limescale also increases energy consumption and causes whistling when boiling water. For this reason, you should decalcify your kettle from time to time with vinegar, for example. Here’s how to do it.

• To descale your kettle, you can use either plain vinegar (brandy vinegar, fruit vinegar, or apple cider vinegar) or vinegar essence.
• You can reserve your high-quality balsamic vinegar for refining your dishes. This is not suitable for descaling.
• Fill your kettle with cold water up to the edge of limescale and mix it with vinegar or vinegar essence. Depending on the size of the stove and the degree of calcification, add approx. 1 – 2 tablespoons of vinegar or a dash of vinegar essence to the water. Mix it all with a spoon.
• Then turn on the kettle and let the vinegar-water mixture boil. If possible, open the window during the cooking time so that the steam produced can quickly escape to the outside.
• You should let the boiling water cool down in the cooker for at least 30 minutes so that the limescale inside the cooker dissolves.
• The exposure time also depends on the degree of calcification in the cooker.
• You can then pour out the vinegar mixture. To rinse out the kettle thoroughly, you should boil fresh water in the kettle two to three times before using it again to boil water for your hot drinks.

Tips for descaling with vinegar

Descaling and cleaning a kettle with vinegar is one of the well-tried household remedies. Vinegar has the advantage of being cheap and biodegradable. However, you should pay attention to these points when using it.

• The difference between vinegar and vinegar essence is the consistency. While simple household vinegar consists mainly of water and only contains 5% acid, the acid content of vinegar essence is around 25%. For this reason, you should be more economical with the amount of vinegar when descaling the kettle.
• If you use too much vinegar or vinegar essence, the acid can attack the material of the kettle.
• Descaling with vinegar creates an unpleasant odor that can irritate the mucous membranes. You should therefore make sure that there are no children or pets in the room during descaling.
• During descaling, you should keep yourself away from the fumes so that you do not inhale them or get them in your eyes. For these to escape quickly, you should tilt the window.
• Acetic acid can also cause skin irritation, so wear household gloves to protect them whenever possible.
• Thoroughly rinsing the cooker after descaling is important so that the taste of vinegar does not settle in the cooker.