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I tend to descale my kettle around one to two times a month due to living in a hard water area, and although white vinegar can also be used to remove limescale, I had heard that citric acid is slightly more effective at tackling limescale buildup.<\/p>\n
To start descaling my kettle, I filled up half of the appliance with water along with two tablespoons of citric acid.<\/p>\n
I picked up the Dri-pak Citric acid at B and Q for \u00a32.25. As this hack only requires two tablespoons of the product, this works out as 28p.<\/p>\n
Citric acid can also be found at stores such as Ocado for \u00a32.30 and Robert Dyas for \u00a33.29.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n As soon as I added the citric acid to the kettle, the cleaning agent instant started to fizz as it was reacting with the limescale – and that\u2019s even before turning it on.<\/p>\n I then put the kettle on to boil and left it to stand for just over one minute. This was just to make sure the citric acid had enough time to lift the chalky buildup.<\/p>\n Right after the kettle boiled I took the lid off and was shocked to see that it had dissolved all traces of limescale in such a short amount of time.<\/p>\n Compared to baking soda and white vinegar, citric acid worked so much faster. What\u2019s more, unlike white vinegar, there is no smell whatsoever left behind with this hack.<\/p>\n After inspecting the inside of the kettle I poured the boiled water away, and gave it a rinse. As citric acid won\u2019t leave an aftertaste, there is no need to reboil the kettle again.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alternatively, a lemon or lemon juice can be used, however, citric acid will be more effective as it packs a stronger punch. For those using a lemon or lemon juice, households may need to carry out the method more than once to fully remove limescale.\u00a0<\/p>\n This product is a highly concentrated fruit acid, and as such citric acid has now become a key item in my cleaning supplies.<\/p>\n As well as being useful to clean kettles, I also use the leftover citric acid to make an amazing citric acid cleaning spray. This is a great natural cleaning spray, that\u2019s especially useful for those who aren\u2019t into the smell of vinegar.<\/p>\n Citric acid is a great all-round cleaner.\u00a0It kills bacteria, mould, and mildew, and is brilliant for general disinfecting and cleaning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Where it comes into its own is that it\u2019s really effective at removing soap scum, hard water stains, limescale and rust.<\/p>\n
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