How to Clean a Porcelain Tea Kettle

Fortunately, if you own a porcelain tea kettle it is quite simple to clean and maintain. I have been using the below easy cleaning method for years now and my kettle still looks brand new.

How to Clean the Inside of Your Tea Kettle

Let’s start by taking care of cleaning up the inside of your tea kettle. If you use your kettle infrequently or if you left water sitting inside of it for an extended period of time, you may notice some white mineral deposits around the lid, spout or on the bottom of the inside of the pot. This is caused by the minerals that are commonly found in tap water. To help avoid this from happening it is good practice to keep your kettle clean and dry when it is not in use. You can also consider using filtered water if that is an option for you.

The good news is that removing mineral deposits from tea kettles is quite simple if you keep up with it.  Here are your steps:

1. Combine one part water with one part distilled vinegar.  I use one cup of each, but this will vary depending on the size of your kettle. Boil this mixture in your pot for five to ten minutes, allow it to cool and then pour the mixture out.

2. Combine 1/4 cup baking soda with a full pot of fresh warm water and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes in your kettle. This step will remove the vinegar smell and taste.

3. Pour out the baking soda and water mixture, rinse and allow your pot to dry completely before replacing the lid.

If you do not have vinegar on hand, another option is to use lemon juice in its place. I’ve also heard of others using lime juice, but I have not tried it myself.

The Outside of Your Tea Kettle

If you’re like me and store teapot on or around your stove, it likely has collected some grease and grime from the other cooking that you do in that area of your kitchen. Here are the steps you can use to clean the inside of your kettle:

1. Dampen a non-scratch scrubbing sponge (like these  found on Amazon) with warm water and use baking soda to gently scrub the exterior of the pot. Rinse the cleaning solution from your kettle.

2. Wipe your kettle down using a cloth or paper towel and a small amount of distilled vinegar.

3. Rinse the outside of your kettle and dry.

In Between Cleanings

I perform the above steps on my kettle about once every month. Depending on how hard the water is that you use in your kettle and how diligent you are about keeping it dry when it’s not in use, you may clean it less or more often.

If you’d like to do a quick clean in between the monthly cleaning of your kettle, give it a wipe down (inside and out) using a towel dampened with distilled vinegar, rinse with water and dry completely.

About the “How to Clean Series” on Bargain Blessings

If you’ve been a long time Bargain Blessings reader, you might be might be thinking and how exactly does cleaning my tea kettle relate to saving money? Well, I am a huge believer in protecting and maintaining the items that I spend money on. Either we take care of our investments (big and small) or we neglect them and end up having to purchase a replacement before it would have otherwise been necessary.  This is why during the next couple of months, I am going to be taking you all through a series of “How to Clean” posts.

If you’ve got a specific  item that you’d like to see covered or if you’ve got a suggestion on anything I post in this series, please let me know using the comments section below! 🙂