Removing limescale from kettle

Merlin5

Merlin5

Merlin5

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Finchley, London
I've got sachets of Oust which are great for removing limescale inside the kettle. I just fill it halfway with water, boil, and add the Oust which fizzes away.

But the rim and spout have a coating of hard white limescale. The kettle is by Prestige in a gloss black plastic. Without ruining the finish, should I soak those areas with white vinegar or how about my 'Cillit Bang Limescale & Shine'? I love this kettle's aesthetic design and it works great, but can't easily find it anymore, probably discontinued, so would like to keep rather then replace.

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Dip a tooth brush in the sachet of oust and hive it a scrub it won't damage the gloss finish and will remove the scale.
 
Thanks chaps. Oh I've already got a full bottle of white vinegar.
I'll try the toothbrush with Oust first, it might work.
 
Half fill the kettle with white vinegar and boil it twice with a 5 minutes interval between then empty and see how it looks.

If that doesn't do it repeat.
 
Well I boiled it twice using Oust and it's come out looking good, just a couple of bits left on the base.

I also dipped a toothbrush in Oust and it cleaned up the limescale rings on the outer black gloss surface.

I removed the filter and soaked it in white vinegar. I also soaked inside the spout and around the rim with white vinegar.

It mostly came away and I used my fingernail to scratch away remaining white bits, it's quite tough. Looks almost new now! :)

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Filter (before the vinegar)
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It looks like it cleaned up pretty good to me and you only need the heater plate to be free of limescale to get the best efficiency.
 
Yep, another round of Oust and the heater plate should clean up some more. I think this kettle will last another 2 years at least.
 
Get a lemon, roll it on a hard surface first to soften, then cut in half and boil a kettle from cold. Leave for an hour.

I have no idea why people buy products when a 20p lemon does a better job.

You may want to rinse it out after or reboil.

Edited to add - just add the halved lemon, not just the juice.
 
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As above use lemon juice and nothing else. Works best, not harmful and very cheap. Never use a chemical descaler in your kettle!
 
ov_sjo said:
Aren't the chemicals just citric acid anyway?
Click to expand...

Not always, acetic acid (found in vinegar), glycolic acid, formic acid (made from carbondyoxide), phosphoric acid, sulfamic acid (used in weed killers) and hydrochloric acid.

But even so - £2 for a cleaning product or £0.20 for a lemon...

Also I use the boiled water (minus the two lemon halves) and pour water in toilet or a sink that needs a bit of a clean.
 
boxman2000 said:
Get a lemon, roll it on a hard surface first to soften, then cut in half and boil a kettle from cold. Leave for an hour.

I have no idea why people buy products when a 20p lemon does a better job.

You may want to rinse it out after or reboil.

Edited to add - just add the halved lemon, not just the juice.
Click to expand...

So to clarify, I should add two cut halves of a lemon to the kettle filled with water. boil and leave it for an hour, yes?
 
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