I cleaned my limescale-ridden kettle with 20p staple and it was sparkling
Descaling your kettle will in turn help to keep energy bills down as limescale can cause the appliance to work harder
Keeping your kettle clean can help the appliance work better and therefore keep energy costs down, but it can often be a job that is overlooked.
Reporter Sophie Harris says she cleans her kettle every couple of months due to living in a hard water area and because it is important to keep it limescale-free. Rather than using chemicals to clean appliances, she often opts for natural ingredients like white vinegar or baking soda. However, for a most recent clean, she decided to use lemon juice, a form of citric acid which can tackle limescale.
Lemon juice is one of the best all-natural cleaners and its citric acid properties make it a great option for cleaning the kettle, and lemons can be picked up for as little as 20p each. It also has antibacterial properties, meaning it'll also help to disinfect the kettle in the process, reports the Express.
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Sophie said: "To start, I filled the kettle halfway before squeezing the juice of one lemon into the water. I then boiled this mixture before letting it sit for around 10 to 15 minutes to allow the lemon to further work.
"Particles of limescale immediately began to float around in the water, and after 15 minutes, there were even more. I then poured the lemon juice mixture away before rinsing the kettle out with cold water and boiling it again.
The scent of lemon filled my kitchen and the kettle was sparkling inside, with no limescale present at all. You can use bottled lemon juice or fresh lemon juice but I opted for fresh as I had some fruit which needed using up.
"This job took less than five minutes and made my kettle super clean and ready to use again. Keeping on top of descaling your kettle will, in turn, help to keep energy bills down as limescale can cause the appliance to work harder."
Mark Greig, head of supplier management at nationwide electrical appliance experts, Marks Electrical, said: "Whether it's being used to make a morning coffee or help boil rice for dinner, our kettle gets lots of use throughout the day."
He added: "Unfortunately, over time this leads to white deposits, known as limescale, building up in kettles. Not only does limescale build-up ruin a nice cup of tea, but it also affects the efficiency of the appliance as well.
"At a time when energy prices continue to rise, it's never been more important to maintain your kettle and ensure it operates as efficiently as possible, reducing the overall cost of your bills."
Another appliance where you can use lemon to clean it includes the microwave which can become splattered in grease marks. Cutting up a lemon into thin slices, making sure no pips are present before putting it into a microwave-safe bowl along with water.
Microwave this for a couple of minutes and all of the dirt and grime in the microwave will loosen and be easily wipeable.