Image: Giraffe Tea Kettle from A Jungle Store

If you routinely heat water for your tea in a tea kettle and you haven’t descaled it lately it is probably time to do so. Mineral deposits from the water adhere to the sides of the kettle every time it is used until it not only looks awful but it doesn’t work as well, taking longer to heat up AND it makes the tea have a funny taste. If you have an electric kettle it can also cause the heating element to burn out.

So. The first thing to do is to half fill the kettle with a 75/25 mixture of white vinegar and water. Allow it to sit over night. In the morning pour the vinegar mixture out, scrub the inside of the kettle with an old (clean) toothbrush an rinse again. Boil some water in it to get any remaining vinegar smell or taste out and it is sparking clean and ready to go.

Some people keep tiny pebbles or shells in the bottom of their kettle because the pebbles bumping around during boiling helps to keep the scale from building up in the first place. I haven’t tried that so I don’t really know. If you have tried that, leave a comment and let us know how it works.