Kettles are used round the clock in British households to make a cup of tea but are often not cleaned regularly, which can cause limescale to form at the bottom of the appliance. 

Limescale is a harmless substance made of minerals from evaporating water but if not cleaned from kettles it will affect the taste of your hot beverages to make them more bitter.

Over time limescale can also cost you money as if it builds up over the heating appliance in the kettle it will take more power to it, and will eventually break so you have to replace it. 

Florie Malapit, an expert from Sparkle and Shine, says all you need is 20 minutes and some lemon juice, which can quickly dissolve limescale due to how acidic it is. 

She said: “To clean an electric kettle with lemon, cut it into two and squeeze the juice inside.

“You can also opt to scrub the kettle's interior with the lemon halves to clean the appliance and eliminate hard water stains and limescale build-up.” 

Lemon juice contains a high concentration of citric acid, which naturally tracts to the minerals in limescale and breaks them down.

The lemon juice acidity will dissolve the limescale and loosen any build-up inside the kettle so it will be sparkling clean in no time.

You can also use white vinegar to clean a kettle as it has the same acidic properties as lemon juice but has a very strong odour which will need to be rinsed away before using your kettle again. 

How to descale a kettle with lemon juice

All you need to do is fill your kettle with, cut a lemon in half and squeeze all the juice into the kettle.

Slice up the lemon pieces and then also add them to the cold water, then boil it and unplug the kettle.

Let the boiled lemon water sit for 20 minutes or longer to give the solution time to break down the limescale. Once the time is up pour the hot water away and get rid of the lemons.

Give your kettle a gentle wipe with a clean cloth, and make sure to pay extra attention to any ridges as this is where limescale is more likely to form. 

Plug in the kettle and boil some clean water, then pour it away to get rid of any lemon residue inside the kettle. 

Give the outside of the kettle a quick clean and make sure to completely wipe down the sprout as limescale often forms there as well.

Your kettle should now be properly cleaned so you can enjoy your favourite toasty beverage this holiday season without having to worry about limescale.