How to Clean a Kettle and Clear Out Limescale Fast & Easily

Reading time: 10 minutes 

Time needed for the steps: ~30 minutes

Is your morning cuppa tea tasting a bit off? Or is your kettle taking longer than usual to boil?

That’s probably limescale build-up over time causing this. It’s more common in cities like Adelaide, Canberra or Perth where tap water tends to have more minerals.

Thankfully, kettle cleaning doesn’t take much time or effort. You can get it done safely with just vinegar or lemon, and using the steps in this guide.

These steps work whether you're cleaning stainless steel, glass, ceramic, or plastic kettles. Read on to learn how to do this properly.

What Causes Limescale

Limescale is a white, crusty residue that’s made up of mostly calcium carbonate. It’s especially common in areas with hard water where minerals build up each time you boil.

These minerals (calcium and magnesium) are naturally found in tap water. And when they’re heated again and again, they tend to settle to the bottom of the kettle, forming a layer. Over time, this layer covers the heating part and weakens the boiling power.

What You’ll Need to Fix This

• White vinegar or lemon juice from the sauces aisle at Woolies or Coles.
• Plain tap water.
• A bottle brush for scrubbing the inside (great for most standard kettles).
• A microfibre cloth for polishing the outside once you’re done. 

Optional: A tube brush or straw cleaner. This is handy for narrow pouring necks, like gooseneck or small travel kettles.

Step 1: Check Your Kettle Type and Material

Time needed: < 1 minute

Check underneath your kettle or in the manual to see what it's made of.

• For glass kettles: Vinegar and lemon both work, and you’ll be able to see them in action as they clean the interior.
• If it says stainless steel: Vinegar will do just fine, but avoid scrubbing it with steel wool as that stuff is bound to scratch your kettle. 
• If you're cleaning a ceramic kettle: Use lemon juice mixed 1:1 with water, and avoid soaking it in there for more than 10 minutes.
• For plastic kettles: Lemon juice is better for the mildness. Vinegar here on the other hand can leave a smell that's tricky to remove afterwards.

If you're not sure what's best, do lemon juice because it's the most universal option for most kettles.

Step 2: Descale the Inside

Time needed: 15 minutes including soaking time

Make your descaling solution

Pour 1 cup of lemon juice or white vinegar into the kettle. 

Then, add 2 cups of water.

This 3-cup total (1:2 ratio) does well for most kettles. 

You can scale it up if you need, following the same ratio.

 Avoid filling past the "MAX" line, as the liquid will expand when it boils, so you need to factor this in.

Heat the mixture

If you're using an electric kettle, just switch it on as you would normally and let it run its course. 

If you're working with a stovetop kettle, bring it to a boil, then take it off the heat.

Let the freshly boiled mixture sit inside the kettle

Put a timer on and leave the kettle there for 10–15 minutes, depending on how much limescale you think there is. 

This gives the acid we added time to break everything down.

Pour the mixture out and check inside

After you do the soaking, tilt the kettle at a few different angles and look inside. If you still see limescale stuck to the bottom or on the sides, let the kettle cool down first.

Once it’s safe to handle, run the kettle under water and use a bottle brush to gently scrub off any leftover residue. It should come off pretty easily now since it's all loosened up.

Bonus tip

For gooseneck kettles or ones with small openings, use a tube brush or straw cleaner to reach inside. If you don’t have one, swirl the mixture around first, and then pour it out slowly into the sink.

If you still see flakes coming out, repeat the above steps until the liquid runs clear.

Avoid anything too foamy

In most cases, you're already working with narrow, enclosed spaces when it comes to kettles.

If you add a foaming agent into the mix, it's bound to overflow or leave behind clingy residues. 

We’d usually recommend our organic cleaning liquid, but not this time around. It foams up a bit more than we’d like here, and with the constant reheating in this process, it’s just not the right fit.

Stick with clean, simple ingredients like vinegar or lemon for best results.

Step 3: Give It a Good Rinse

Time needed: ~2 minutes

Rinse the kettle out 3 to 4 times to flush out any leftover smell or taste. Give it a sniff after each rinse, especially if you’ve used vinegar. You want it smelling clean before you do your next boil.

Step 4: Do Another Boil with Fresh Water

Time needed: 5 minutes

Do a clean water boil one more time. This helps zero out any leftover scent or taste that might screw with your morning beverage.

Step 5: Clean the Filter (if your kettle has one)

Time needed: 3–5 minutes

Some kettles, often electric ones, have a small mesh or metal filter on the inside. This filter helps trap any flakes before the water enters your mug. If you're not sure whether yours has one, just do a quick peek inside. 

If yours does have one, remove the filter. Then place it in a cup of warm water with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Lemon juice is preferred here though since it tends to leave less of a residual taste. But you can use whichever one you’ve been using so far.

Let it soak in the cup for a few minutes, then scrub the mesh gently using your bottle brush. 

Give it a final rinse off with water and let it air dry if you're not using the kettle immediately after.

Step 6: Wipe the Exterior

Time needed: 30 seconds

Dab a microfibre cloth in either a splash of vinegar or some lemon juice again.

 And just give the outside a quick clean. This helps lift off any lone mineral spots that might've formed on the outside. Don't get too much moisture on kettle base though, because water and electricals, yeah, no good together.

How to Prevent Limescale from Coming Back

• Empty out your kettle after each use: Don't leave any water sitting in there, or else the mineral deposits will start piling up again.
• Give the outside a quick wipe each time: Clean around the pouring tip like you would a kid’s mouth after a meal.
• Use filtered water: Using a water filter helps especially if you live in the hard water areas we talked about. This just helps filter out the calcium and slow down the buildup.
• Descale your kettle monthly: Repeat the steps we've discussed so far once a month for optimal kettle performance.

What if I don't mind the taste? Does kettle cleaning still matter?

Yes. Here's why it might still be worth doing:

• Limescale makes boiling take longer than it needs to.
• It also makes your kettle use more electricity for the same job.
• The appliance itself also lasts longer when it’s looked after properly. 
• And the water ends up being safer to drink. 

Drinking water with limescale in it isn’t ideal, especially for kids or people with kidney issues. While calcium isn’t toxic, limescale can carry other metals and give bacteria a surface to latch onto.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I descale my kettle?

Honestly, descale whenever you see visible buildup or notice an odd smell or taste. For most kettles, once a month should do just fine.

Is lemon juice really strong enough?

Yes. For light to medium scaling, lemon juice is gentle and effective. If it's long due for a clean, vinegar is more aggressive, but the smell can be harder to get rid of.

Can I use dishwashing liquid instead?

Preferably not inside the kettle. Food-safe acids like vinegar or lemon are better, since they touch the water you end up drinking. Dish soaps and their foams, especially when reheated over and over, can be a major health risk. And realistically, there’s no guarantee you can get every bit of residue out every time, even if you rinse it well. 

What if my kettle still smells like vinegar?

Do a clean water boil 2 to 3 times, safely shaking the water around inside each time. Run the pouring area under tap water several times after that. If the smell doesn't go away, do a lemon water boil (see step 2) to really freshen it up.

Will descaling damage my kettle?

Generally no if you don't scrub too hard or leave your mixture in there for too long and forget about it.

My kettle doesn’t have a removable filter. What now?

Just do what you can with a bottle brush or a tube brush around the pouring area. And give that area a good rinse afterwards.

Final thoughts

Kettle cleaning does more than just make your tea or coffee taste better. There are safety and efficiency aspects too that go into it. Whether it’s glass, steel, or plastic, these steps work. And after you’ve done it once, assuming you followed the maintenance steps, it just gets easier every time.

What’s next to clean in the kitchen 

Kettle sorted? Let’s keep the momentum going. Here’s what else you can tackle around your work station:

Follow this routine to maintain your stainless steel sinks. They're pretty easy to keep clean if you hack at it daily.

Crusted up oven trays stand no chance after you read this guide. Whether they’re steel, aluminium, enamel or non-stick, we’ll show you how to cut through black grease.

Clean and oil up your wooden chopping board using this article. It'll stay fresh even after you cut up raw meat.

Get your stovetops back to order with this blog. It will help if you own any stove, including glass, induction, gas, or stainless steel tops.

Check out this tutorial on cleaning your range hood filters. Most people forget about them until it's too late.