Save on Kettle Descaler

GrannyTip

De-scale the kettle by boiling chopped up lemon and leave it overnight.   A clean kettle will boil quicker and save electricity.  A lemon costs 35p whereas that dreadful chemical stuff costs at least £2.65 and leaves traces of chemical in your drink and in the environment.  Win Win.

Katiehound

or you could use white vinegar- even cheaper : 35 pence for 568 ml - current price from Tesco & Ald-i which should do more than one kettle.

PipneyJane

Don’t waste your lemon.  Zest it and juice it first, before using it to descale.  Smells lovely.

Generally, I use distilled white vinegar, which I re-use 4 or 5 times before discarding.  We have really hard water.  Make sure the kettle is empty of all water, boil your vinegar and leave to cool overnight.  Pour into a large jar and store.  When you decide that the vinegar is done with, either add it to your washing up liquid on a 50:50 ratio - to soften the washing up water - or tip a cup of bicarb soda down the sink plug hole and then pour in the vinegar.  The mechanical action generated by the chemical reaction will clean the drain.

- Pip 


PS:  I have a thermos jug that we use regularly, so I descale it before descaling the kettle, by filling the jug with cold vinegar and leaving for at least 6 hours.  Works a treat!

kempiejon

I use citric acid, about £10 per kg, a couple of heaped teaspoons dissolved in a full kettle of water. I use distilled vinegar in the washing machine every now and again to hopefully reduce limescale.