---
slug: how_to_descale_an_electric_kettle
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/coffee_tea_espresso/kettles
title: "How to Descale an Electric Kettle"
lead: "Fill it halfway with a 1:1 mix of water and white vinegar (or a tablespoon of citric acid in water), boil, and let it sit twenty minutes to dissolve the limescale — then tip it out, rinse, and boil plain water once or twice to clear the taste. Do it monthly in hard-water areas."
recommendation:
  name: "Boil a half-and-half water-and-vinegar mix (or 1 tbsp citric acid), sit 20 min, rinse, boil plain water twice"
  reason: "The chalky white scale is calcium carbonate from hard water, and a mild acid dissolves it — plain vinegar, lemon juice, or citric-acid powder all work; commercial descaler tablets are the same idea. Half-fill the kettle with equal parts water and white vinegar, or stir a tablespoon of citric acid into water, bring it to a boil, then switch off and leave it twenty to thirty minutes so the acid eats the deposit. Pour it out, wipe any loosened flakes, and rinse well; because vinegar leaves a smell, boil plain water and discard it once or twice until there's no taste (citric acid rinses away cleaner). Descale monthly with hard water, every few months with soft, and never use steel wool or scrape the hidden heating element."
published: 2026-07-08
updated: 2026-07-08
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Descaler", "How", "Note"]}
  rows={[
    ["White vinegar", "1:1 with water, boil, sit 20 min", "Cheapest; rinse well, lingers"],
    ["Citric acid", "1 tbsp in water, boil, sit 20 min", "Least smell; rinses cleanest"],
    ["Lemon juice", "Juice + water, boil, sit", "Mild; pleasant smell"],
    ["Descaler tablets", "Follow the packet", "Convenient; costs more"],
  ]}
/>