With the coming of the winter months, kettles of all shapes and sizes will be working overtime to keep you supplied with hot tea and coffee. Though, something people will forget to do, is to descale their kettles. Descaling is a process in which some form of cleaner will be used to clear out all of the minerals and sediments in the water that may buildup inside of a kettle, espresso machine, single serve coffee brewer, or even a standard drip coffee maker. Even if using a water filter, there may still be some buildup. Today, we will be looking at a simple way to keep the inside of your kettle looking clean, and free of any sediment buildup that may find its way into your coffee or tea.
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In this example, I will be using my lovely Bonavita goose-neck kettle. These are great for pour-overs, but can be used for whatever.
To do this, all you will really need is some form of liquid descaler, I used the Keurig branded one, because it was all that Target had months ago when I went to buy some, along with some water. Note that you can also use distilled white vinegar in place of the liquid descaler.
First, put some water inside of your kettle, and then add some of the liquid descaler or vinegar. Then, turn on the heat, and let it simmer for a few minutes. You'll quickly see all the deposits start to go away like magic!
Once the bulk of the buildup seems gone, you'll want to wash the kettle completely with hot and soapy water. If your kettle sits on the stove all the time like mine does, you may as well try to scrub that layer of assorted greases off as well. Be sure to run a ton of water through it, especially if you are doing this to a goose-neck kettle, because it can be pretty hard to squeeze a sponge into the neck of it.
Note: it looks dirty on the inside, because of how the water dried.
