Shocking photo shows why you should clean your kettle more often

In every kitchen, there are the items that get cleaned regularly and then there are those that too often get left by the wayside. Kettles happen to fall into the latter category.

Because boiling water isn’t really a dirty process that requires a quick clean every single time, most people tend to overlook the appliance when it comes to giving the kettle a good deep clean. But one shocking photo from an Australian mum has proved why it’s always good to have a regular peak inside your kettle.

The photo showed the inside of a kettle in which the base was coated in a dark brown grime. It was uploaded to the popular Facebook page ‘Mums Who Clean’ with the caption: “The odd time you pop your head inside the kettle and see how gross it is.”

Luckily, the mum was able to fix the stains quickly and easily with a natural ingredient – lemons. She simply popped some chopped lemons into the base of the kettle and let it boil to reveal a good-as-new kettle that was completely grime-free!

The natural anti-bacterial ingredient helped to instantly clean the inside of the kettle and completely remove the stain. Additionally, the acidity in the lemons is known to kill bacteria, mould and germs while also acting as a decent deodoriser that eliminates any unwanted smells.

The social media post quickly went viral with commenters expressing their own shock at what was revealed inside an everyday kettle with one writing: “Thanks for the reminder… I hadn’t cleaned the kettle since early this year.. But as soon as I read your post, I went looking for lemons in the fridge.. haha”.

While another wrote: “What the heck… I just threw my whole kettle out and bought a new one”.

Others made sure to share their own DIY kettle cleaning tactics that involved boiling everything from vinegar to lemon to citric acid in the kettle. Bottled lemon juice was also a popular mention and with the price of lemons continuing to climb, definitely a cheaper, long-term option.

Some commenters said they made sure to boil their kettle every night with the ingredients while others said everyone once in a while would do the job.

Meanwhile, one nifty commenter made sure nothing went to waste in her suggestion of saving the boiled lemon water and popping it in a spray bottle. Add some vinegar and a drop of dishwashing liquid and you have yourself a handy homemade spray that can safely be used all over the house!