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Now, regardless of whether you are from Great Britain or not, tea is something that we all drink quite often. It’s an invigorating beverage which brings which brings an array of different benefits. From strong cleansing capabilities to the sheer warm sensation that you feel spreading through your entire body on a cold winter’s night, tea is definitely a uniform drink that the wide majority of people adore.
And, when it comes to it, a lot of us prefer using old-school kettle – you know, just for the nostalgic appeal. Of course, there are high-end kettles nowadays which are absolutely flawless in terms of design and performance but they all share one thing in common – they are mainly made of metal.
Now, apart from the tea itself, we make use of a few different ingredients including the tea itself, sugar, honey and whatever else you prefer to drink your tea with. Of course, the most important component of them all is always the same – water. While some people prefer to use mineral water, the majority of us would go for regular tap water. This is where things start to get a bit more serious.
Tap water is hard and it is known to contain a rather high content of minerals. Not only this, scaly deposits are capable of getting developed on the interior of your kettle. Additionally, stove-top units can get stained and their bottoms can burn after prolonged usage. Luckily, there are quite a few things that you can do in order to make sure that your kettle looks as good as if you just bought it off the store. What is more, you can do so using mainly ingredients which you most commonly have already in your household.
This is going to bring back the life of your kettle, it’s going to make it look sharp and awesome and you can rest assured that the tea you’re drinking is as fresh and free of harmful ingredients as it’s ever going to be.
Now, it’s also true that there are quite a few different type of kettles out there, and they might require specific attention. We are going to take a look at the most common types individually in order to provide you with the necessary clarification when it comes to cleaning them. However, before we do that, it is important to have a look at the way that you clean a regular metal kettle in order to know what to do in all cases.
So, with this in mind, let’s go right ahead and take a look. Before that – a very serious disclaimer! Make sure that you check your device’s user manual prior to using any kind of corrosive cleaning agents. If you don’t have one – make sure to clean a small and inconspicuous part of your kettle before you proceed in order to ensure that it doesn’t cause any damage. Now, let’s move on.
Cleaning an Ordinary Tea Kettle
Step 1 – cleaning the inside of it
Now, there are a few different natural approaches that you can take, so let’s go right ahead and have a look at the most effective ones of them.
- Cleaning with Lime Juice
You need to add 1 cup of the juice to your kettle. Once you are done, fill the rest of it with regular water. Leave this particular mixture overnight. Once the time has passed, the majority of the deposit would surely have loosened. If you don’t want to wait this long, you can boil the mixture within the kettle for about 10 minutes and the effect would be more or less the same.
- Cleaning with Vinegar
This is another particularly useful ingredient that you can usually find in every household and it could be used to clean out mineral deposits as well as tea stains. White vinegar would do just fine. Fill the kettle with a mixture made of vinegar and water. You should use equal amounts of the liquids. Once you are through, boil the diluted vinegar and after that let the already hot mixture remain in your kettle. This should take you about an hour. Once you are done, dispose of the mixture.
Step 2 – Get rid of the cleaning residue
Now, even though once you are through with the aforementioned approaches your inside of the kettle will be rather clean, you should seal the deal in order to make sure that your net cup of tea doesn’t take like lime juice or like vinegar. In order to do this, you should fill your kettle with water and make sure to boil it perfectly. After this, get rid of the water and repeat the process as much as it is necessary.
Step 3 – Cleaning the outside
Unfortunately, stove-top kettles are likely to get messy from food as well as grease which you usually keep near the stovetop. After all, this is usually where your kettle is going to sit. Luckily enough, baking soda as well as vinegar are both ingredients that you usually have at hand in your household. In order to get rid of the stains mentioned above, use baking soda placed on a pad for scrubbing which is wet. Once you clean it, rinse the kettle with warm water. Now, damp a paper towel with vinegar, white if you have, and wipe the entire thing off.
Step 4 – Regular maintenance
If you want to make sure that you never have to go through all of the above, you need to consider maintaining your solution. This is something very important. If you maintain the kettle regularly you wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of lengthy cleaning because there would be no need for you to do so. With this in mind, make sure to rinse it off with warm water every time you use it and don’t let tea to sit in it for a long time. It’s as simple as that. Also, when you notice that the outside is getting stained, make sure to react and clean it off on time before the stains have hardened.
With all this in mind, these are all generalized steps and tips that you can take advantage of with every tingle tea kettle. However, as we mentioned above, there are certain units which are a bit more specific. With this in mind, they require some more attention and consideration. This is the main reason for which we’ve decided to take an individual look at all of them. Here we go.
How to Clean a Le Creuset Tea Kettle
As we mentioned above, there are different types of kettles and some of them are a bit more specific in comparison to others. With this in mind, Le Creuset cookware, in general, is made out of cast iron. However, there is one specification here that you should take into consideration. Unlike basic cast iron tea kettles, which we will take a look at a little later, these ones have enamel applied to it. This means that it’s capable of retaining all the benefits which come with cast iron cooking and boiling but, on the other hand, it is a lot easier to clean, maintain and to take general care of. Furthermore, it’s not going to rust, which is something that you should truly look forward to.
Additionally, there are different styles, colors, shapes and sizes that you can pick which brings a lot of convenience to the majority of tea lovers. In order to produce the tea kettle, there are two sand molds which are being taken advantage of. The first on is in the shape of the interior while the other one is in the shape of the exterior. This is something that you should be aware of.
Now, when it comes to cleaning, there is not a lot to be said in addition. The Le Creuset technology is something which will spare you a lot of issues in this regard. Even though it’s more expensive, the fact that you’d have to clean it a lot less as it simply doesn’t get stained or burnt, is definitely worth the investment.
We took the liberty of visiting their official website in order to take a look at their suggestions for maintenance and cleaning. There are quite a few ones of them, but most of them are particularly generic and they should pose any kind of issue. So, with this in mind, let’s go right ahead and have a quick look.
- Never place the kettle on a source of extreme heat without placing water within it first. This is something important as it’s going to prevent damage done to the bottom of it.
- You shouldn’t leave the tea kettle within the kettle itself simmering for a longer period of time without inducing heat. It’s going to boil dry and this is likely to result in overheating as well as damage to the enamel’s base layer.
- Never leave water within the kettle without boiling it as it is most usually going to cause buildup of scale – this is most likely going to reduce the efficiency of the entire tea kettle.
- Before you pour anything from it, make sure to remove it from your burner and see that the handle is conveniently placed in an upright position. This is obvious for safety reasons.
- You should never clean the kettle in the dishwasher. The most common and regular cleaning routine that you should consider is to hand-wash it with warm water and soap. Dry it properly and you are good to use it once again.
Additionally, if buildup has already taken place and you wonder what to do, we’re here to provide you with a helping hand. The solution is quick, easy, and cheap and you most likely have what is needed already.
Cleaning Buildup off your Le Creuset Tea Kettle
Get a bowl of water and pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour all of that in your kettle and make sure to boil it for about 30 minutes. Let it sit there for about an hour after it has conveniently boiled and pour it off. Then, clean the kettle conveniently as you would do usually. That’s pretty much it.
If you want to ensure that there are no additional flavors or scents of lemon or baking soda, boil a few bowls of water a few times until you feel all is good. These are pretty much the things that you need to do. It’s quite easy, isn’t it?
How to Clean a Burnt Tea Kettle
A lot of people mistakenly think that a teapot which has been burnt dry is no good anymore. As unfortunate as this may sound, that’s likely to be the most common reason for which people would carelessly throw away their perfectly good kettles. Well, guess what – this is just an issue like any other and there is a convenient solution, in fact, more than just one, which you can take advantage of and get through it without any issues. This works for both the inside and the outside of the kettle and it’s definitely something that you should take into proper consideration.
There are a few different methods that you can take advantage of so let’s go right ahead and take a look at the ones which are regarded as the most efficient ones.
Using Vinegar and Baking Soda
You may remember these solutions from our previous approaches. This is absolutely no coincidence – these are some of the most prominent and effective cleansers which are available and we’d like to use them as much as we can mainly because they do not require us to use any corrosive detergents.
Now, this method begins with boiling a mixture of vinegar and water in your burnt teapot. This is going to allow you to loosen the burnt debris conveniently.
The things that you are going to need for the entire procedure include:
- A cup of distilled vinegar – white
- Baking soda
- Kitchen Timer
- Measuring Spoon
- Dish soap
- Dish towel
- Plastic or metal scrubber.
Now that we are through with the list, let’s go ahead and take a look at the actual steps..
Step 1 – You should add about 2 inches of water right into the tea kettle and pour in roughly the same amount of vinegar – approximately a cup as we said above. Start boiling and set the timer to about 10 minutes.
Step 2 – Once you’re done, let the solution boil. Do this until your kitchen timer goes off.
Step 3 – Add 3 tbsp. of baking soda in the solution once you’ve moved it away from the stove. Once the soda hits the vinegar, you will see it starting to fizz. This is a quite regular natural reaction so nothing to be worried about.
Step 4 – Empty the pot once the fizzing has stopped.
Step 5 – If you feel the need – use the remaining baking soda for additional scouring.
Step 6 – Wash the entire thing with soap and water. Rinse it and wipe it up with a clean towel.
That’s pretty much everything you need to do. It is going to help you get rid of the entire thing easily and without additional hassle. If done properly, you should get it through in no more than a 20 minutes – it’s that quick. Your tea kettle will be as good as new.
Oxalic Acid Cleanser
This is another method which would require you to get a paste done with oxalic acid based cleanser. You should leave it on the tea kettle in order to avoid any additional scrubbing. There are 3 quick steps to follow here:
Step 1 – Sprinkle the cleanser right on the interior of your kettle and make sure to add an appropriate amount of water in order to be able to create the paste. Scrub it badly on the areas which are troubled. Use a scrubber for that. Once you are through, leave the solution sit there for about 10 minutes.
Step 2 – Scrub once more in order to remove every last bit of residue which might be burnt. Make sure to add a drop or two of dish soap in order to clean the interior of the kettle conveniently. Rinse it a few times in order to make sure that there is absolutely no residue in it.
Step 3 – You can use this approach to make the outside of your kettle shine as it was just bought off the store. Make sure that you are careful in order to prevent causing any damage and ensure that everything is handled as per the highest standards.
Salt Bath
This is another convenient solution that you can take advantage of. Make sure that you get the inside of your kettle properly wet. Pour salt right into it in order to cover the entire interior. Let the salt sit there and do its job. It’s going to loosen the hardened parts. Make sure to leave it for at least about 10 minutes – this is definitely something you should consider. Once done, scour the entire interior with a scrubber, use warm water to rinse it off and wash it with some dish soap which is known to be rather mild. This should be more than enough.
Using Fabric Softener
If you are looking for another option in front of you, this is it. You should fill the teapot with water and make sure to pour in about 1 tbsp. of fabric softener. Let the entire thing soak in there for about an hour or, if you feel like the burnt residue doesn’t come off – for longer. Wash your teapot with soap which is mild and rinse it. However, make sure to rinse it with cooler water this time. Use a regular towel to dry it off.
How to Clean a Cast Iron Tea Kettle
Now, as we mentioned in one of the previous sections, cast iron is particularly commonly encountered as it is one of the best solutions to use for cooking and, therefore, for boiling as well. However, unlike Le Creuset cast iron, this one is pure – there is no enamel on it, which makes it slightly more exposed to staining and potential burnouts.
A quick piece of advice – everything which was said about Le Creuset maintenance and care is fully applicable here and you should most certainly take it into account. However, as cast iron is a bit more challenging to clean, we’ve decided to dedicate it a special section. So, with this in mind, let’s go right ahead and take a quick look.
Cleaning your Cast Iron Tea Kettle
There are few main considerations that you would have to account for here. Right off the bat, you should start the process with a thorough and complete rinse. You should do the same to the infuser. Always use hot water as it’s going to soften the stains and it’s going to get rid of bacteria right from the get-go.
You should never use any cleaning products on the inside or on the outside of your cast iron kettle. This is something absolutely critical and paramount. It is impossible to explain the tremendous amount of different people who have fallen victim to this simple thing. Most of them would use the same corrosive detergent that they use to clean their oven, for instance, mistakenly thinking that it wouldn’t much matter. Five minutes later their precious cast iron kettle is damaged beyond repair.
Therefore, make sure to consider this. The next thing that you need dot do is to wipe the inside as well as the outside of the kettle with a dry cloth. Do this immediately after you’ve gotten it wet with hot water as the iron needs to be warm. Repeat this simple step at least three times or as many times as it is needed.
Once this is through and you’ve managed to get the kettle cleaned, you should invert it and let it dry out. This should be done before you replace the cover and the infuser.
A quick piece of advice here is to avoid getting the kettle in direct contact with salts as well as with oils. It is also important not to place cold water in your kettle while it is still rather warm. This is definitely something that you should take into consideration.
Keep in mind that cast iron is also known to rust. You should only use a soft brush if you want to get the rusted area cleaned out. This rust is not toxic – it is absolutely safe but it’s unpleasant to look at. While there is a natural sealing reaction which occurs between the kettle and the tea, rust is still going to take place inevitably – just make sure you clean it before it spreads.
How to Clean an Electric Tea Kettle
The truth is that electric kettles are particularly convenient when it comes to boiling the water for your tea or for any other beverage and even for food. However, tap water could create limestone buildup which is going to cause the so-called kettle furring, which is pretty much that – buildup. This could start getting flakes into your drinks and foods and it will harm the performance of the kettle itself. In order to clean it, there are a few things you can do.
Using the Vinegar Solution
Vinegar is something which is going to help you descale the kettle and get rid of the build up from any hard water. Make sure to mix a solution of white vinegar and of water – the proportions are equal. Fill the kettle to about half of it or at most to about three quarters. Once done, start boiling it and make sure that you bring the solution to a nice boiling.
*A quick note here – if you see that the buildup is too much and the solution doesn’t begin to get it off, you should increase the amount of vinegar and boil it once again.
As you’ve completed the boil, you should let the entire thing soak. Turn off the kettle, unplug it and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Once done, pour everything off. If the buildup is too much, leave the entire thing to soak for a bit more.
Scrubbing the inside should be done with a non-metallic sponge or a convenient cloth. Make sure that you don’t touch the heating element which is located right on the bottom of the kettle.
As this step is completed, make sure to rinse the entire thing off. Boil a few loads of water in order to ensure that there is no residual flavor and scent.
Using Additional Solutions
You can take advantage of other options if you don’t feel like using vinegar, even though it is particularly effective. Here are a few possible choices.
- Using Lemon
If the manufacturer has specifically instructed you against using vinegar, you can take advantage of this solution instead. You should squeeze an entire lemon into a bowl of water and pour the resulting solution within the kettle. Slice up a few additional pieces of lemon and put them in as well.
The next part is to boil the water. Once you are through, you should let it sit there and soak for about an hour straight. Dump the water afterwards and scrub off the buildup with a metallic sponge or with a towel – depending on the demand. This is definitely something particularly convenient and it is quite easy to do.
- Baking Soda
Of course, another convenient option, as you might have already figured out, is to use baking soda. Mix an entire tablespoon of it with water and pour the quantity in the kettle. Unlike the previous methods, this one wouldn’t require you to boil it up. You should just let the kettle soak for about 20 minutes. This should be enough for the soda to corrode the buildup and to make sure that it is easy to scrub off. This should be more than enough to remove the scaling within the kettle itself.
All in all, there are quite a few different things that you can do in order to clean up your tea kettle without having to rely on some heavy detergents. This is definitely something particularly beneficial.
However, if you want to ensure that you never have to go through any of this, proper maintenance is in order. Make sure that you regularly clean the kettle after you use it and you can rest assured that you wouldn’t have to go through any of the above. The best protection is always prevention – keep this in mind.
The best thing about all of the aforementioned techniques, with certain exceptions, of course, is that they are all entirely natural. What is more, they are unlikely to cost you a dime because you most likely have the ingredients at hand. You can also be sure that there isn’t going to be any harmful and potentially dangerous residue as this is something which you wouldn’t be using.
In any case, it is a common misconception that mineral buildup or burnt out kettles are no good and they need to be replaced. As you can see for yourself, there are quick and easy solutions which wouldn’t take you more than a few minutes, an hour at most. This is definitely something that you should take into serious consideration when it comes to it.
Of course, we are far from claiming that these are the only cleaning solutions and approaches that you can take. These are just a few ones which are tested out and are known to be very effective. We hope that you find them helpful as well. However, if you are aware of something more efficient and practical, please, feel free to drop a comment down below. Also, there is a whole lot of useful tips and tricks from all around your kitchen that you can take a look at in our website.
