How to Clean Electric Kettle

An electric kettle is a convenient water-boiling device for making tea and other drinks or preparing food. Because the water is boiled many times inside, the kettle can accumulate limescale causing scale or “warm scale”. These limescale deposits can start to mix in your tea or food, and they also slow down the warming process. To clean an electric kettle, try a solution of vinegar or lemon and baking soda to remove any stubborn stains and wipe the exterior clean.

Table of Contents

Use white vinegar solution

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Mix vinegar solution. Vinegar can help descale electric kettles and remove hard water deposits that have built up. Mix water and white vinegar in equal proportions. Fill the kettle about half or three-quarters full with the solution. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Boil the solution in a kettle. To clean the inside of the kettle and remove limescale, heat the kettle with this solution inside. Cook until boiling. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If there is too much residue in the kettle, you need to increase the amount of vinegar in the mixture. Boil again.

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Soak the solution in the kettle. When the solution boils, turn off the kettle and unplug it. Let the solution soak in the kettle for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, pour the solution out. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If there is a lot of residue, leave the solution in the kettle for longer.

Clean with other solutions

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Use lemon juice. If the kettle manufacturer says you shouldn’t use vinegar to clean the kettle, you can use lemon instead. Make a solution of lemon and water. Squeeze a lemon into the water, then cut and drop the lemon slices into the water. Fill with warm lemon solution. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Boil water and soak in kettle for about an hour.
Pour out the water and wash it warm.
You can also use lemon wedges instead of lemons.

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Make a baking soda solution. Another option for cleaning kettles is to mix a solution of baking soda with water. Mix about a teaspoon of baking soda in the water. Pour this mixture into an electric kettle and bring to a boil. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Soak the solution in the kettle for about 20 minutes. Then, pour the solution out and rinse the kettle with cold water.
This will remove scale build-up inside the kettle.

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Use a commercial kettle cleaning product. If you want to use a commercial cleaner, look for it online or in a hardware store or supermarket. You should dilute the cleaning product with water according to the instructions and boil the solution in a kettle. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Soak the solution in the kettle.
Rinse the kettle with cold water.

Kadi Dulude

Cleaning & Arrangement Specialist

Kadi Dulude is the owner of Wizard of Homes, a cleaning service company based in New York. Kadi manages a team of over 70 hygienists and her cleaning consulting services have been featured in Architectural Digest and New York Magazine.

Kadi Dulude
Cleaning & Arrangement Specialist

Expert Tip : Use coke as a convenient household option. Fill the kettle with regular coke, bring to a boil, then let it cool for about 45 minutes. Rinse off the coke and clean the kettle as usual, the kettle will be shiny!

Cleaning the kettle

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Clean the outside with dish soap. To clean the outside of the kettle, use regular dishwashing liquid. Wash the outside with dish soap, then wipe with a damp cloth. Try not to let dish soap get into the kettle. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Clean the outside of the kettle about once a week.
Since the kettle has a heating element, you must not place the electric kettle in water.

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Polish with olive oil. If you have a stainless steel electric kettle, you may want to polish it to keep it shining. To do this, use olive oil. Pour some oil on top of a soft cloth and rub the warm outside. Rub gently to make sure you don’t scratch the outer surface. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Clean the kettle regularly. The inside of the kettle can get dirty with regular use, especially if you live in an area with hard water. This can create scale in the tea or coffee, and slow the kettle to work. To keep your kettle working properly, clean it every few months. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Things you need

White Vinegar
Lemon
Baking soda
Dishwashing liquid
Olive oil
Sponge

Steps

Use white vinegar solution

Clean with other solutions

Cleaning the kettle

Things you need

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