I actually have a new kettle now, and scale is either a bigger problem or a more visible one, so I’ve been descaling it every few months give or take. The main thing I dislike about vinegar is that (if I interpret my observations correctly) it boils at a lower temperature than water, and the kettle trips off at 100° instead of at “my contents are boiling”; so if I don’t wait there to turn it off then it boils over. If citric acid doesn’t have that specific problem then I’d happily swap.
It very much does not! It comes as a powder, a little like dried lemon juice, and IME a solution of citric acid boils at somewhat more than 100 *C. I recommend it primarily because citrate is a much better solubilizing agent for metal ions than acetate and thus handles things like limescale and even rust vastly better. (Take as evidence the fact that “drink lots of lemonade and go on a roller coaster” is, while maybe the third-fakest-sounding piece of medical advice, an actual first-line treatment for kidney stones.) The one major caveat is, it usually comes from bioengineered Aspergillus mold, so if you object to GMO products or have a severe black mold allergy, it might not be suitable.
Why do you recommend it?
I actually have a new kettle now, and scale is either a bigger problem or a more visible one, so I’ve been descaling it every few months give or take. The main thing I dislike about vinegar is that (if I interpret my observations correctly) it boils at a lower temperature than water, and the kettle trips off at 100° instead of at “my contents are boiling”; so if I don’t wait there to turn it off then it boils over. If citric acid doesn’t have that specific problem then I’d happily swap.
It very much does not! It comes as a powder, a little like dried lemon juice, and IME a solution of citric acid boils at somewhat more than 100 *C. I recommend it primarily because citrate is a much better solubilizing agent for metal ions than acetate and thus handles things like limescale and even rust vastly better. (Take as evidence the fact that “drink lots of lemonade and go on a roller coaster” is, while maybe the third-fakest-sounding piece of medical advice, an actual first-line treatment for kidney stones.) The one major caveat is, it usually comes from bioengineered Aspergillus mold, so if you object to GMO products or have a severe black mold allergy, it might not be suitable.