Clean and Descale an Electric Kettle with Baking Soda

electric kettle

We’ve all been there.

You wake up in the morning and decide to make a nice cup of tea or coffee before you go off to work.

After heating your water in the kettle, you pour it into your mug and take a sip…. but ugh! It tastes metallic. What gives?

If you can relate, then this article is for you.

I’ll be teaching you how to clean and descale your electric kettle by using baking soda.

Let’s begin.

What you’ll need:

Baking soda
Water
Brush or scrub sponge
Any shallow container
Spoon

clean electric kettle what you need

Steps:

Step 1. Check if the electric kettle is cool and unplugged. Safety first always.

check kettle if unplugged

Step 2. Make the paste. Combine a tablespoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of water. Mix well.

make baking soda paste

Step 3. Dip the brush in the baking soda paste and start brushing the inside of the kettle. If the opening of the kettle is narrow and you’re having a hard time getting the right angle with the brush, use a scrub sponge. Focus on removing the limescale and stains. 

brush inside kettle
scrub inside kettle

Step 4. Rinse the inside of the kettle with water. Proceed to the next step.

drain and rinse

Step 5. Put 1 tablespoon of baking soda for every liter of water inside the kettle and boil. Then, let it sit for 20-30 minutes. This should remove any remaining limescale.

pour baking soda and boil

Step 6. Drain the hot water and rinse. Make sure you remove all the traces of baking soda.

drain boiling water

Step 7. Test by boiling water. If the water comes out still tasting metallic, repeat the steps. If it comes out tasting as it should, then you’re done. 

check taste of water

5 Electric Kettle Maintenance Tips 

  1. Avoid using highly abrasive products when cleaning parts made from stainless steel. They can leave scratches.
  2. Dry the outside of your electric kettle after each use.
  3. Deep clean the electric kettle before any weird taste and odors set in. Clean it at least once every 3 to 4 weeks.
  4. For the outside of your kettle, just use some water mixed with a few drops of dish soap and give it a good wash. Rinse it with water afterward. Dry it, and you’re good to go. 
  5. Never let the water reach the heating element and electrical parts of the kettle. 

Conclusion:

Electric kettles are one of the most neglected appliances in our daily lives. If you clean it regularly and descale it with baking soda, you can get many more years out of it.

I hope that you try out this method of cleaning your electric kettle.

If you’re looking for other ways to use baking soda around the kitchen, check my article on how to clean a burnt pan with baking soda.

Thank you for reading.

-Baking Soda Guy

Top Photo by an_vision on Unsplash