If your kettle has started to rumble, takes longer to boil, or leaves white flakes in your tea, that is limescale — and in the Gulf it builds up faster than almost anywhere else. Here is how to remove it in half an hour, and how to slow it coming back.

Why UAE water is so hard on kettles

Desalinated water is remineralised before it reaches the tap, and many bottled waters are mineral-rich by design. Every boil leaves those minerals behind on the element and the walls. A thin layer is harmless; a thick layer acts as insulation, so the 2200 W element in a kettle like the RD-LK1309 has to work harder and longer to heat the same water.

The vinegar method (30 minutes)

1. Fill the kettle halfway with equal parts water and white vinegar.
2. Bring it to the boil once, then switch off and leave it for 30 minutes. Do not keep boiling — one boil plus soaking does the work.
3. Pour out. Most of the scale will have dissolved; wipe any loose flakes with a soft cloth.
4. Rinse twice with clean water, then boil a full kettle of fresh water and discard it to remove any vinegar taste.

The citric-acid method (no smell)

One tablespoon of citric acid powder in a full kettle. Boil, leave for 20 minutes, rinse twice. Citric acid is what commercial descalers are made of and it leaves no vinegar smell — a good choice for a kitchen with an open plan.

Heavy scale

If the element is white and crusty, do the vinegar soak twice, and use a wooden spoon (never metal) to loosen the plates once they have softened. Do not scrape a stainless-steel interior with anything abrasive; it will scratch and scale will grip the scratches.

Retro kettles: the water gauge

Retro-style kettles often have a glass or acrylic water-level gauge on the side. Scale clouds it from the inside. The vinegar soak clears it — fill above the gauge so the solution sits in it — and a cotton bud through the filler cleans the tube if needed.

Slowing it down

• Empty the kettle after use rather than leaving water standing in it overnight.
• Boil only what you need — less water boiled is less mineral deposited.
• Use filtered water if you have a jug filter; it makes a noticeable difference.
• Rinse the spout filter under the tap weekly.

What not to use

Bleach, oven cleaner and baking soda. The first two are dangerous in something you drink from; baking soda is alkaline and does nothing to scale (which needs an acid).

The same method keeps the boiler of an espresso machine healthy. If a kettle still boils slowly after descaling, or the auto switch-off fails, contact RADOCO Support — the RD-LK1309 carries a 2-year guarantee.

Frequently asked questions