Cleaning/Clearing Sediment from a Kettle

Forums: Kettle, Sediment, Debris, Clearing, Cleaning
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We have a relatively new metal kettle, which my wife claims I damaged by leaving it on the burner when it was empty. I'm not sure that's either true or necessarily relevant to my question.

Let's just say that as a result of "something", the kettle seems to have a mild build-up of what I'll call "sediment" in the bottom of the kettle - which occasionally will transfer to beverages or other preparations, when boiled water is used from the kettle. The sediment appears to be a mix of light and dark, bread-crumb size particles - which may be metallic or "other".

My wife has already actually metaphorically (or actually) placed the kettle in the "just throw it away" category - but I wonder whether the kettle could somehow be "rehabilitated". Obviously we've washed and rinsed the kettle, but the sediment just seems to recur. Any ideas, old wives tale remedies or other magic potions that we might want to try to save this kettle from the landfill?

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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 7,210 • Replies: 13

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@CDobyns,

landfill.

Teakettles are cheap enough.

1 Reply

@CDobyns,

vinegar
vinegar
vinegar

Quote:

Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.

http://www.vinegartips.com/scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=7

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@Ragman,

vinegar is cheaper

and more environmentally friendly than stuff going in the garbage/landfill needlessly

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

Vinegar and baking soda works on coffee pots...but those are able to be scrubbed and visibly inspected. Teakettles should be tossed. That is sediment coming out and those are aluminum oxide flakes and they are toxic.

3 Replies

@ehBeth,

It isn't needless when the sediment that is coming out are toxic.

0 Replies

@Ragman,

Lime scale can be cleaned out easily. It's no big deal.

0 Replies

@Ragman,

lime scale my friend

I grew up in Canada's Limestone Capital - we knew from lime scale and vinegar kettle boils.

looks weird and it's annoying but it's easy to deal with

0 Replies

@Ragman,

Are you also replacing your bathroom faucet every time it gets a lime scale build-up?

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We have a chronic mineral build up from our water here in Abq too. My first instinct was to also suggest vinegar, or even citric acid.

Both work well on clogged shower heads.

0 Replies

Quote:

The sediment appears to be a mix of light and dark, bread-crumb size particles - which may be metallic or "other".

Dark sediment is most likely metal...and if it's aluminum...it's toxic.

When a kettle with aluminum bottom gets over-heated (assuming that this one did), there's a strong possibility of the sediment being aluminum oxide is high. I'd not want to take the risk. that is how I roll. Kettles are cheap enough.

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@CDobyns,

I don't know, but by any chance do you have "hard water"? I do, and I sometimes have to clean a glass container with the product Limeaway, or similar.

Others will know more.

I've a similar question - every time I cook pinto or other beans in my slow cooker, I clean the ceramic contain as soon as it is cool enough (after removing the beans and liquid, natch). It will look fine. Then it dries, and is blotchy with what I'll call bean ****. What's a better word, more gentile? bean matter deposition. Then I'll clean it some more - using a coiled type metal scrubber that is gentle, as metal scrubbers go, doesn't hurt the ceramic - a couple of times more, and it's gone. So, I'll tag along on your thread, as the same person who can help about your kettle may know how I can easily wipe away Bean Deposition.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Oops, I see this is an old thread.

As it happens, I haven't bought any utensil made with aluminum for a million years.. but I don't know about Mr. Dobyn's kettle.

Glad I looked at this, though. I'll be trying vinegar and/or citric acid on my slow cooked bean droplets. (which must include remnants of lime in my water).

0 Replies

@CDobyns,

Hi, all!

My name's Jane. I know the topic is very old, but couldn't stop myself from answering either way. You can use vinegar to remove the limescale from the kettle, but it will probably have this vinegarish smell for some time. Try to substitute it with citric acid powder. Dissolve 20 grams in a 2 cups of water and boil the citric solution in the kettle. This way it will remove the limescale. You can experiment with adding more citric acid. I don't think it will be harmful.

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Cleaning/Clearing Sediment from a Kettle

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