A tea kettle is a highly used household tool. It can look worn and stained after some days because of high mineral content in the tap water. So, both the interior and the exterior of the kettle get damaged because of scaly deposits of the hard tap water. Luckily, you can make the kettle look like new again by using some household ingredients. It will not only make the kettle looking better but also help to last longer. By the way, before using any household ingredients, read the user manual carefully. If there is any caution about any cleaning agent, never use the ingredient because it can damage the kettle.
Here, several cleaning ways and ingredients are shown for both the interior and the exterior of the kettle. So, go through the whole part and choose which part can be the best for you.
Cleaning inside of a tea kettle
It is so easy to clean the inside of kettle by using home ingredients. Here are some ingredients to clean the inside.
Use lime juice to clean a tea kettle
Lime juice is a common ingredient that is found in almost all households. It can be a great cleaning agent because of citric acid. So, how can you use lime juice to clean a tea kettle?
At first, take a cup of lime juice and pour it into the kettle. Then fill the rest of the kettle with fresh water. Leave the mixture overnight so that it can be a perfect solution. The mixture will make the deposits loosen from the kettle over the night. Then, wash the kettle and get a fresh and new tea kettle.
You can alternatively use the lime water quickly instead of waiting for while the night. Boil the whole mixture for 10 minutes and leave it for another half an hour to remain cool. Then wash with fresh water.
Use vinegar to clean a tea kettle
Vinegar is an astounding cleaning agent for metal. It makes any metallic utensils new with the cleaning power. So, make a solution with vinegar and water.
At first, take an equal amount of vinegar and water and make a perfect solution. The solution must be more than half of the kettle. Then pour it into the kettle. Boil the kettle with the solution at least 10 minutes. Remove the kettle from the stovetop. Then allow the solution of the kettle to stay cool for another 10-15 minutes.
All the dirt is clean. Now, pour the solution away from the kettle and rinse the remaining solution. Make sure that no rinse is available in the kettle. Use a fresh, clean cloth to wipe the remaining freshwater out of the kettle. Make the both inside and outside of the kettle dry.
Your kettle is ready for next use. Pour water into it and boil for preparing tea for next time.
Use a lemon slice to clean a tea kettle
Lemon is a natural cleaning agent. It can perfectly clean a tea kettle (mostly all other metal substances and tools). Here is how you can use lemon slices to clean a t4ea kettle.
At first, take lemons and juice them out. Then slice the lemons into several parts. Pour half of the kettle with clean and plain water. Then pour the extracted lemon juice into the water and place the lemon slices on the top of the solution.
Boil the solution for 15 minutes and wait until it cools down. Then leave the solution to soak. Once the solution remains cool, remove the lemon slices from the top and drain the solution of lemon juice and water from the kettle. Hope your kettle is empty now. However, pour the kettle with plain water and boil another 15 minutes. Then drain the water without cooling it.
Rinse the kettle with normal clean water. Then wipe it out with a soft clean cloth and get a tea kettle like a new one.
Cleaning outside of a tea kettle
If you want to use a tea kettle for long days, you have to clean both inside and outside. Cleaning only inside won’t help to look fresh if you don’t clean the outside. Here is how you can clean the outside to make the tea kettle durable.
Tea kettles get messy when it sits on the stovetop. It gets stains from tea boiling inside the kettle. Don’t worry. You can remove the stain by using baking soda and vinegar. So, at first, take a wet scrubbing pad and mix with baking soda. Then scrub outside of the kettle until stains are gone. Then wash with clean and fresh warm water. After washing with warm water, wipe off the kettle with a clean paper towel dampening with plain white vinegar.
By the way, you have to wash both inside and outside frequently to lengthen the durability. Otherwise, you have to buy a new one to prepare a cup of tea. Regular maintenance will not only enhance the durability but also look like the new one.
Here are some tips for cleaning an Electric Kettle
- If it seems difficult to remove the stain and residue from the inside, mix the solution stronger and keep it overnight with hot water.
- If it seems that hard water stains aren’t removed, never scrub on the heating element. Otherwise, the special coating that is designed to protect the body can be eliminated.
- If it has scale build-up on the filter which is hard to remove, soak the filter in a cup of vinegar for a few minutes and then scrub with a pad.
- Never immerse an electric kettle completely in the water as it may damage the heating elements and the electric cord and connection.
- Never allow the water to stay inside the kettle for an extended time period.
How to Use A Tea Kettle on The Stove?
The tea kettle has come mainly for boiling water. But nowadays it is mostly used for preparing tea. If you own a tea kettle, it’s too easy for you to make a cup of tea, coffee, or any other hot drink. It’s easy to fill the kettle with sufficient water, to place it on the stovetop and then boil with medium-high heat. Wait until the water is boiling. Add some tea leaves when the water starts steaming.
However, if you own an electric kettle, it’s too easy to make a cup of tea or to boil water. Take the required amount of water in the kettle and turn the switch on. Focus on other things while the water is getting prepared after boiling over.
However, the whole process of using a kettle helps you a lot to use the kettle for a long time. So, let’s start:
Know the boiling process
At first, make sure that the burner is the right size. The burner must be smaller than the bottom of the kettle. If the burner is larger, heat can burn the outside of the kettle. Even, it makes a tough stain on the kettle. Also, always fill the kettle with halfway full of water before placing on the burner. Never overfill the kettle. It brings damages to the kettle as well as the burner. Even, boiling water overfills of the kettle and turn the burner off.
Here is a caution. Never allow your kettle to boil dry. If it happens, turn the burner off unless you want your kettle waste. If there is no water in the kettle and you allow the kettle to boil, it becomes too hot. Then touching to the kettle can be dangerous. Even it can damage the kettle.
How to Use A Tea Kettle on The Stove to Actually Make Tea?
Though it is too easy to boil water, making a soothing tea is quite troublesome. You should be experienced to make a cup of tea. By the way, here you can know how to use a tea kettle to make tea in details.
Fill the kettle halfway up with water
Congratulations, you are going to make the most wonderful and refreshing drink in the world. So, let’s start. At first, remove the lid from the kettle and keep it beside the kettle. Fill half of the kettle with water and place on the stovetop. However, if you are in a hurry to make a cup of tea, you can use hot water in the kettle. Remember that the water must be above half of the kettle. It helps the tea leaves to mix with water perfectly. By the way, never use water less than half of the kettle. If it happens, the kettle can be overheated and could be burnt, warped, and even melted.
Place the kettle on the cooktop
Once you fill the kettle, place the kettle on the stovetop in the center of the burner. Before placing the kettle, make sure that the lid is back on the kettle. It will take a longer time if you don’t place the lid on the kettle.
Turn the burner on
Now the burner on and set the temperature on medium-high heat. Adjust the flames until the heat concentrates on the center of the bottom of the kettle. If it overlaps the sides, the handle and lid can become hot and get damaged and discolored.
Here, never allow the burner to produce to heat under the kettle. Even, the temperature should be too low as it may never allow the food and beverage to boil at the right time. So, medium-high heating is the best in preparing all food items and beverage in all circumstances.
Boil the water for 5-10 minutes
As it is already said that set the temperature on medium. Water boils at about 100°C. So, it’s not fixed how much time it’ll take to boil the water. It depends on the amount of water you use to fill the kettle. By the way, when the water starts boiling, the boil is for 5-10 minutes afterward. Then the water will become extremely hot. Here, never touch any part of the kettle except the handle.
Here is a caution. Never leave a boiling kettle unattended. It can result in unexpected accidents and fire.
Listen the sound of water boiling
Listen the boiling sound of the water. However, here you can use a whistling kettle to listen to the boiling sound. Whistling kettle comes with a small device that emits a high-pitched sound when the water starts boiling. It’s a useful device for the multi-tasker, or the person tends to be forgetful. The device helps you prepare a perfect cup of tea. It makes you know when the water is ready. However, if you are using a whistling kettle, keep a close eye on the kettle to turn off the burner when water gets ready.
Turn of the burner
Check the water of the kettle by removing the lid. If it is completely ready, turn off the burner and remove the kettle from the top of the hot burner. Place the burner on a cool cooking surface. Wait for a bit until the bubbles are off to pour up the water. Always use a potholder to hold the handle of the kettle to avoid any burning issue creating from the hot kettle.
Make sure that your hands and face are safes away when you are pouring the hot water into the cup. If you are not careful, steam can also burn if it drops on your skin.
Special safety tips for using a tea kettle
Here are some tips to make you safe when you are boiling water.
- The hot kettle should never be left out from the stovetop unattended if you live in a small home or with pets and children.
- Always follow the proper safety protocol when you are dealing with hot water. Once an accident happens, no preventive measure can be fruitful.
- Always avoid using the kettle with PTFE coating. It emits fume that is harmful to the environment.
- Keep close attention on using aluminum base. It can be separate if you mistakenly allow the kettle to boil dry.
- Even a copper or a stainless-steel base can be separate if you allow the kettle to boil dry.
- Never slide or drag your kettle on the stovetop. It can damage the burner, especially if you have a stovetop made out of glass.