Scale in the kettle is formed due to the use of hard tap water. If its walls are firmly overgrown with lime deposits, emergency measures must be taken to remove them.
In fact, the most unexpected means help to cope with the problem, and one of them is a carbonated drink. The well-known Coca-Cola is especially effective.
Read the article about how to descale a kettle using Coca-Cola.
Can this drink be used for cleansing?
Coca-Cola can be used to clean teapots. It is not capable of harming its internal surface, but at the same time effectively corrodes salt deposits. This is possible due to the fact that it contains orthophosphoric acid, which dissolves limescale.
Unlike expensive professional cleaners, sparkling water is cheap and only a little is needed. To remove scale from a kettle with a standard volume of 3-4 liters, 1 liter of drink is enough.
Unlike vinegar, Cola does not emit an unpleasant odor during the procedure. It does not contain components hazardous to humans, and if it is accidentally ingested, no dangerous changes will occur to the body.
Is it safe to wash a kettle with cola?
The calcium carbonate that forms on the inner walls prevents heat from penetrating into the water. The sediment causes bitterness, making the liquid cloudy.
There are various ways to clean kitchen utensils. The safety of the products used is important. You can remove scale with cola. The drink is safe and does not adversely affect the surface of the internal walls.
Important! Cola has a pleasant aroma and is less aggressive than other cleaning products.
Deposit removal occurs due to the acid content:
- orthophosphoric;
- lemon;
- ascorbic acid
The intensification of the process of destruction of mineral salts is influenced by the duration of exposure to high temperatures. The use of Coca-Cola is advisable for cleaning stainless steel products. The carbonated drink should not be used to clean kitchen utensils that contain:
- enamel coating;
- light plastic;
- open spiral.
How to remove plaque with Coca-Cola?
To deal with scale, you need to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
Drain the remaining water from the kettle.- Fill it 2/3 with Cola.
- Leave the container open to allow the gases to evaporate from the drink.
- After 20 minutes, turn on the device or put it on the stove. Bring the liquid to a boil.
- Leave the hot soda in the kettle to take effect for an hour.
- Drain the drink down the sink.
- Remove any remaining softened limescale with a soft brush.
- Fill the kettle with clean water, bring it to a boil and drain it.
After completing all the steps, you can use the clean device. If the plaque cannot be completely removed the first time, the procedure is repeated, increasing the exposure time by 2 times, or leaving the kettle to soak overnight.
This video will show you how to descale a kettle with Coca-Cola:
Recommendation for preventing scale
The appearance of scale and rust is often associated with improper use of the kettle. To protect the device from limescale “disease”, follow the rules:
- Clean once every 7 days.
- Rinse the kettle after each use.
- Take only settled water for boiling.
- Leave the device dry overnight.
- Do not boil the same portion of water twice.
- Install a filter to purify water.
These preventive measures will not eliminate scale formation 100%. They will only allow you to keep the device clean for a longer time.
Important! The amount of money and time spent on its care depends on the choice of kettle. Give preference to appliances made of stainless steel, ceramics, enamel without grooves or grooves inside. Buy electric kettles with closed heating elements.
In the war against scale, all means are good, especially when they are as accessible and cheap as Coca-Cola.
What else can you add to enhance the effect?
Cola copes well with medium-thick deposits, but you shouldn’t expect miracles. If the scale layer is thick and has accumulated for years, you need to add auxiliary substances. These include:
Lemon acid . For 1 liter of Cola take 10 g of powder.- Ascorbic acid . It is added in the amount of 1 tbsp. l. The tablets are first crushed.
- Vinegar. To enhance the effect of Cola, just add 1 teaspoon of essence or 2 tablespoons of acid with a concentration of 9% to the kettle.
- Soda. It enhances the reaction. For quality cleaning you will need 3 teaspoons of powder.
Why cola?
Coca-Cola meets several criteria that are relevant when selecting a product that removes white plaque:
- Safety - Compared to special cleaning chemicals, which are mostly poisonous, Coca-Cola contains no dangerous impurities and is absolutely safe.
- Lack of odor - unlike vinegar, the drink does not have any specific unpleasant aroma, which after cleaning will have to be ventilated and eliminated.
- Does not damage the surface - exposure to cola does not leave any traces on the object - the surface is not damaged or corroded, the enamel remains intact and unharmed.
- Affordable - any housewife can afford it, since its price is no more than $1 (a large bottle in stores is about 60-65 rubles). In this respect, the famous lemonade outperforms many of its counterparts sold in the household goods department.
Alternative methods
Coca-Cola is not the only substance that can come to the rescue in the fight against salt deposits. You can cope with the problem using other available means, or purchase specialized compounds in the store.
Household chemicals
In retail stores that sell household chemicals, as well as in online markets, you can purchase compounds that were developed specifically for removing scale from a kettle.
The following remedies have a good effect:
- HAAX powder for descaling teapots and coffee makers. Use 1 sachet for 1 procedure. Bring the water to a boil, pour the powder into it and leave for 30-40 minutes. After which the liquid is drained and the scale is removed with a soft brush. The cost of a package with 5 sachets is 170 rubles.
- Topper anti-scale tablets. To get rid of limescale you will need 2-3 tablets. They are placed on the bottom of the kettle, filled with water so that it covers all the scale and the liquid is brought to a boil. After 30 minutes, the water is drained and the kettle is cleaned with a brush. Price for 10 pieces – 155 rubles.
- Magic Power descaler. For 1 liter of water you will need 100-120 ml of solution. The liquid is heated to 50 degrees and left for 30 minutes, then drained. The cost of the product with a volume of 500 ml is 185 rubles.
How to cleanse with folk remedies?
Proven folk remedies to combat scale:
Cucumber or tomato pickle .
It is poured into the kettle in such a way that it covers all lime deposits. Bring the brine to a boil, leave for 2 hours and rinse the device with clean water. This recipe really works. The only drawback is the specific smell that comes from the boiled brine.It remains on the walls of the kettle after processing. Therefore, it must not only be thoroughly rinsed, but also boiled by draining the first water.
- Potato peelings . They are placed in a kettle, filled with water, brought to a boil and left for 1-2 hours. The softened plaque is removed with the hard side of the sponge. This method works, but for complete cleansing you will have to make some effort.
- Lemon acid . Its quantity depends on the thickness of the limescale deposit. To combat old deposits, take 20 g of powder for each liter of water. Pour the solution so that it covers the scale completely. Bring the water to a boil, leave for an hour and drain. After treatment, the kettle must be thoroughly rinsed and boiled. The first water is not used. Read more about the cleaning method here.
Prevention
To ensure that limescale deposits in the kettle settle slowly, always rinse it with cold water after boiling.
As you can see, there is no need to use expensive products to descale your kettle.
You should choose natural methods and stick to them consistently and constantly clean your appliances. This will prevent the build-up of unsightly calcium deposits and will keep your kettle looking flawless, both inside and out.
How to descale a kettle using Coca Cola?
- Open the kettle and pour some Coca-Cola into it
Shake the kettle and leave it for a while.
Drain the Coca-Cola. Wipe the kettle inside and out with a cloth
Rinse with clean water. Some people say this is what you need to do
In general, this method is not so good.
Modern teapots certainly don’t need to be cleaned with cola.
But teapots with beards can actually be descaled.
- The simplest and most proven method is cleaning with citric acid. But you can also use Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Before you start cleaning, release the gas from the cola. Fill the kettle halfway with the drink and put it to boil. Then pour everything into the sink
- Carbon dioxide has nothing to do with it. It's all about orthophosphoric acid H3PO4, which is a mandatory component in the quot; Coca-Cola quot; recipe. Phosphoric acid is successfully used as a flux for soldering, as well as for removing rust from ferrous metals.
To remove scale, you can, as already written, fill the kettle with Coca-Cola and leave it overnight, or you can just boil it for about ten minutes, the result will be the same.
- I tried to descale the kettle using Coca-Cola - at first I just poured cola into the kettle and waited three days - it didn’t help much, but some of the scale came off a little. Then I started boiling it and things got better, but still didn’t clean it completely.
- Everything is true, as was written above. I won't tell you anything new. Just pour Coca-Cola into the kettle overnight and your kettle will be clean in the morning. So buy a cola and clean the kettle and everything will work out for you. Good luck!
- Some consider this method a myth. But these people simply do not use this method correctly. Using Coca Cola or Pepsi, descaling your kettle is very easy. Open the bottle, pour into the kettle enough to cover the heating disc, spiral or to the level where there is scale. Next, wait until all the gases come out. If the gases are not released, a lot of foam will appear. Next you just need to boil the kettle. If after the first time not all the scale has come off, and this happens when the situation is neglected, then try again. I cleaned the kettle at work three times. Everything was just launched there. Usually three times is enough to spare. Next, rinse the kettle, fill and boil. Pour boiling water and you're done.
- This may seem funny to some, but regular Coca-Cola can clean your kettle of old scale, and even better than products specially designed for this. By the way, this is all thanks to the citric acid contained in this drink.
- I have heard a lot about this amazing method, which supposedly allows you to descale a kettle. I just had this drink left and I decided to check if it was really possible to descale the kettle. He poured a dark liquid into the kettle and a day later poured it into a jar. The scale did not peel off and even when scrubbed off did not change its properties. So I think this method is a myth.
- This will be expensive for you and a very long wait: when carbon dioxide (and it is in any carbonated water) in an aqueous solution will convert insoluble calcium carbonate (which is scale) into soluble calcium bicarbonate. It is cheaper to buy a solution of vinegar 9 or 7%, pour it into a kettle with water, a small amount of it. After a few minutes, some of the scale will dissolve and in some places will move away from the walls of the kettle. You can then add more acetic acid and rinse the kettle. Enjoy your tea! I can write equations for the reactions that occur when descaling with carbonated water (any kind) and vinegar!
- I don’t know about Coca-Cola, but Fanta was once recommended to me. I bought a regular 2-liter bottle in plastic, poured it into a kettle and left it overnight. In the morning, not only was there no scale, but the heating disk was warped. I don’t know, maybe I got some stale Fanta? Try it yourself, just put the kettle itself in a basin so that the metal doesn’t corrode, otherwise it will be very sticky in the kitchen in the morning.
Features for different materials
To avoid damaging the kettle during descaling, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- For glass . Do not scrub the surface of the device with a wire brush or other hard tools.
- For plastic . It is not recommended to pour cola into plastic teapots. It can lead to coloring of parts, so it is better to replace it with colorless Sprite.
- For metal . Such kettles are not afraid of the effects of phosphoric acid, but if it has not completely dissolved the salt deposits, you cannot scrape them off with a knife or other sharp objects.
- For an enamel teapot . They cannot be cleaned with Coke or other products containing acid if there are chips inside. The use of caustic substances will increase the area of damage.
Why Coca-Cola
Are you dealing with hard water in your taps? Then the word “scale” will not be unfamiliar to you, quite the opposite. Heating up hard water takes longer, since the operation of electric heating elements is completely blocked by calcium compounds, which do not conduct heat well.
Lime buildup on a container is not a reason to replace a kitchen appliance. There are many home cleaning methods that can effectively combat this problem.
Therefore, many housewives periodically use chemicals to descale the container. However they must be:
- safe;
- device friendly.
These two properties prevent damage to the surface of the kitchen appliance. All these features apply to the carbonated drink Coca-Cola, which differs from expensive chemicals in its accessibility. Its advantage is that, unlike the unpleasant smell of vinegar, it has a pleasant aroma and is not too aggressive towards the surface. Although you can remove it with vinegar, the smell is very specific.
Will Coca-Cola really help get rid of scale? The exact formula of the drink is shrouded in mystery, which is perhaps why a sufficient number of myths have accumulated around it. Coca-Cola, a mass cultural icon, was created in the late nineteenth century. However, today, in addition to its intended purpose, it is effectively used for other purposes, for example, removing deposits on the walls of a kettle.
Helpful information
To ensure that the descaling process is as effective as possible, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Before starting cleaning, rinse the kettle and wipe it with a sponge - this will remove some of the plaque;
- after using Cola, the kettle needs to be washed - this will get rid of the remaining soda and its taste;
- If there is not enough Cola to fill the kettle 1/3, you can add a little water to it.
Find out more about descaling methods in this section.
Will filters help?
What should I do to prevent sediment from spoiling the kettle and the hostess’s mood? It is impossible to avoid the appearance of scale. It is formed in “hard” water – where there are a lot of calcium and magnesium salts. These substances decompose when heated and form a precipitate. Even when using filtration systems, scale forms, however, more slowly and not as dark as from ordinary tap water.
It seems that there is a way out - to use a liquid with a low concentration of salts. Distilled water is used for medical purposes. But you can’t drink it all the time - minerals will be washed out of bones and teeth, the salt balance will be disrupted, heart problems and convulsions will arise. The mineralization rate is 200-400 mg per liter, which means you need to look for quick and safe methods for descaling a kettle.
Definition
A heat exchanger is a mechanism that directs heat from one coolant (water) to a second (air).
If it is exposed to hard water for a long time, then scale, rust and other contaminants form in it. They need to be eliminated promptly.
The regularity of cleaning is determined by the quality of the water and the parameters of the boiler itself, as well as the degree of load on it.
Whatever washing method is chosen, first of all, deposits are removed using mixtures of different acids or special reagents. After payday loans gallatin tn followed by rinsing with water.
If you do not carry out these operations, then:
- The heat exchanger will overheat.
- The efficiency of the boiler will decrease.
- The boiler may break down. In an advanced case, an explosion is not ruled out.
Well, how do you explain this?
Scale is an unpleasant phenomenon; it negatively affects not only the operation of the device itself, but also your health, promoting the formation of sand and kidney stones, as well as worsening the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
With such pollution, the unit spends more energy, as a result of which utility costs increase, and, as we know, thrifty housewives do not need extra expenses.
Deposits of this kind do not stand on ceremony both with electric kettles and with their traditional versions, heated in the old fashioned way by a fire from a stove or from a fire (yes, there are people who still have ordinary kettles, and, moreover, they boil them!) .
Because of lime, water becomes unpleasant to drink - it acquires a specific taste, and pieces of limestone float in it, and a thick white sediment, similar to dust, constantly accumulates at the bottom, which has to be poured out periodically.
Good housewives try to extend the life of their teapots by cleaning them regularly.
But don’t rush to run to the nearest hardware store for expensive goods, because you already have everything at hand!
Let's sum it up
So, dear hostesses, remember: if the guests haven’t finished their cola, there’s no need to throw it away! You need to first think about your kitchen utensils - give them a real holiday!
Let the remaining portion of lemonade boil and your kettle will always be in excellent condition!
Why do many people choose Coca-Cola for their dishes? Because it is safe, economical, has no toxic fumes or unpleasant aroma, and is gentle on dishes.
Do not forget about regular prevention, and combine the use of lemonade with other effective means, focusing on the safest ones.