It’s no big secret… I drink tons of tea {mostly decaf these days!}. So it would stand to reason I’ve learned a thing or two about cleaning an electric tea kettle. So if you own an electric kettle too, and you’ve seen a bunch of build up in yours and have wondered about how to clean an electric kettle, this post is for you!
For starters, although I never leave any water sitting in the kettle {there’s a tip to help cut down on the ick that builds up!}, it still needs a thorough cleaning regularly.
If you avoid it or don’t do it right, those things can get GROSS and fast. There’s gunky build-up and hard water stains that will build up on the bottom of the kettle and before you know it, you’ll have unwelcome floaties in your tea. Gag!
So here’s the simple way I get mine clean and ready for another pot of goodness.
Soak It
Fill the kettle with equal parts water and vinegar {I usually fill it halfway with water and half with vinegar}. Let the kettle come to a boil before turning it off and letting the vinegar water soak for 20-30 minutes.
Drain completely. You may need to repeat this cycle a few times if you have a lot of build up.
Scrub It
Scrub ItUsing a clean soft scrubber sponge, give the inside a good scrubbing {the filter, too if it has build-up}.
Rinse It
Rinse your pot with some warm water. I typically run another boiling water cycle through and dump it before calling it good, just to make sure there are no floaty remnants!
And that’s it. It really is simple and doesn’t suck up too much of your time. Now the big question is, how often do you clean your kettle?
Do tell…
~Mavis
P.S. If you looking for a new kettle and want one that lasts, I’ve owned the Amazon basics kettle since 2019 and it still works like a charm.
J in OH-IO says
Mavis, (totally off topic here) wondering if you have any recommendations for a wide toe box WATERPROOF lightweight hiking boot? I have a student going to college that will need rain gear for trekking across campus in rain/snow. Any recommendations appreciated. Thanks!
Sue says
J, I’m not Mavis but I have found Columbia women’s hiking boots to provide plenty of toe box room, as well as being lightweight and very comfortable. The majority of their hikers are waterproof as well, and are identified accordingly.
Mellie says
I just tried this to clean my kettle and it worked like magic. I’m happy too because my husband has been telling me I need to buy a descaling cleaner. Money saved! Thanks, Mavis.
Carolyn Rust says
I will try this on the spare kettle we have from my son’s college days. It is yucky (SoCal water is the worst).
As for your question – the gooseneck kettle we use all the time has never been cleaned in the 4 years we have had it. May need to give it a go as well, although there is not visible scale that I see. PNW water is very good!
KC says
I had no idea until I moved away from Seattle what “water build-up” was! Now I know (and Oklahoma is, so far, the worst place we’ve lived for mineral deposits – our tub faucet has to be de-scaled every couple of years, or the pull on it that shifts the water from tub output to shower output stops fully working).
Vinegar is magic, but I’d rather just… not have the buildup?
My hair liked the water better there, too. Oh, well.
Jam says
I have had to do this with build up from a bottle warmer and the plug in humidifier during cold season. Now I keep a stash of extra vinegar.
Sue S. says
I have a ceramic electric tea kettle. Never thought it needed cleaning. Wonder if I could give it this cleaning. Hmmm.
VA says
Could you give me directions on how to find an older post on your site? I clicked on a few different things and came upon making jam with low sugar. Now I can’t seem to find it again. Thank you for your help!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes. There is a search box on the right side below the photo of the meatloaf recipe. 🙂 or you can search recipes here: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/recipe-list-archive/
Staci W says
We live in southern Pennsylvania on a limestone ridge. The water at our house is always off the charts for hardness, so we have to descale everything several times a year. Even our toilet, :(. I’ve used this method for years to clean kettles and our Bunn coffeemaker. It’s such a simple and effective method, and cheap! 😀
Now, my electric kettle at work is only used with bottled water but I never thought about cleaning it. Probably should.
Gigi says
On Lake Michigan water here. My kettle is glass and can be used to boil water or has a tea basket to brewing tea. I only clean it after making tea. But I prefer to just boil water, so I guess I never clean it. I also only use filtered water (pitcher filter).
Jennifer G says
Thank you so much for this post. I had a glass electric kettle that I could see hard water build-up in but never thought to see if it could be cleaned. What came off was disgusting & now the kettle is sparkling clean.
Sue says
Oh. You mean the act of boiling water doesn’t clean it?
(slinks away)